Elevating your laundry experience from washing to ironing

Some people are naturally great at doing laundry, while others find themselves struggling. While having the means to do the washing without spending several hours scrubbing, twisting, or slapping clothing against rocks on the river is definitely a wonderful advantage that the modern world has to offer, that doesn’t mean that doing laundry is that easy. You must still be aware of several things that you should or shouldn’t do depending on the fabrics you’re washing, the tailoring, and colors. If you don’t have a natural talent for guessing what’s the right thing to do when it comes to washing clothes, here are a few things that you should keep in mind.

Sorting the clothes

It can be tempting to just throw everything in the washer all at once, as it feels like saving time that will otherwise go to waste, but sorting laundry beforehand helps tremendously and can help your clothes last longer. When you’re sorting items, the defining traits you should focus on are the color and the material. Don’t wash bright hues with whites, for instance, as they are likely to bleed dyes in the water, leaving your whites permanently stained. This is even more likely to happen if you tend to use hotter water.

Ironing

Ironing keeps your clothing looking new and presentable by eliminating unsightly creases and wrinkles, but the aesthetic aspect is just part of the benefits of ironing. In some cases, it can help strengthen fabrics and control shrinkage. Make sure to get a sturdy ironing board for the best results, as ironing clothes on the bed or the floor won’t provide you with the same smooth ironing. A special board is also more stable and solid so that you don’t end up creating additional wrinkles when ironing your clothes instead of removing them.

Storage

Storing your clothes is crucial for their long-term well-being and allows you to wear them for much longer. After ironing, use an ironing board cover made from a durable fabric such as cotton in order to protect your board, and give your clothes a few minutes to cool down before folding and storing them. Your clothes shouldn’t be packed too densely in your wardrobe, and they shouldn’t be exposed to sunlight. Make sure to protect them from pests by using anti-moth products. Using hangers makes it easier to see all the clothes, but make sure that the hangers don’t affect the appearance of your garments. All you need to do for out-of-season clothing is fold them and place them in vacuum-sealed bags.

Preparation

Before getting your clothing into the washing machine, make sure to get them ready. This includes zipping all zippers, turning things inside out, closing hooks and snaps, and securing hook-and-loop fasteners. Doing all of this can seem extraneous, but it can prevent snags and abrasions from forming on other clothing and ensures the items maintain their shape for longer. Make sure all pockets are empty so that you don’t end up with strange stains at the end of the wash cycle. Ideally, delicate items, like lingerie and knitwear, should be placed in mesh bags to prevent them from tangling or becoming damaged.

Use cold water

While there are certain instances when you’ll need to use hot water, choosing a lower temperature is fine in most cases. If you’re not sure, look for the specifications on the clothing tags before washing. Hot water is a bad idea when you’re dealing with pesky stains, as it can cause it to set into the fabric even more and make it much more difficult to remove. Using boiling water every time you do laundry is also more likely to cause fading and shrinkage and can also make your clothes more fragile. As a result, you might notice tears forming in the material and be confused about the cause. On top of all of this, it is also the more sustainable choice and can even lower your energy costs.

Fabric softener

Fabric softeners aim to improve the texture and feel of clothing, as well as provide them with a pleasant smell. The mechanism typically involves depositing a thin layer of chemicals onto the fibers, which makes the garments feel much smoother to the touch. However, in some cases, the use of fabric softener can also cause clothing to become more fragile and breakable, impacting the absorbency of the clothes and reducing their functionality. The residue left from fabric softeners can also trigger allergies in susceptible populations. The best way to remedy this without leaving behind the benefits of fabric softener is to create your own DIY concoction. Distilled white vinegar is one of the most popular choices.

Stain removal

If you’re dealing with stains, you should definitely try to treat them first before washing. Skipping this step can leave you with stains that are much more challenging to remove, and you may have no choice but to admit that the garment will never again look as it used to. Heavy-duty detergents, dish soap, and commercial stain removers can all be used, but there are also homemade remedies that you should try and which can work wonders. For instance, baking soda may be able to draw out oil from your garments, while white vinegar or lemon juice can be used on blueberry stains.

Bright whites

Keeping whites white can be more challenging than it seems, and you may notice that they tend to get a yellowish tint over time. Washing your whites separately will keep them pristine longer. Bluing, an old-fashion product and technique which gives white fabrics a very subtle bluish tint which makes them look cleaner and brighter, can also be used. Compared to chlorine, bluing doesn’t weaken fabrics.

Doing laundry is something that everybody must do, but that doesn’t mean that you should take this chore lightly. Developing good habits in this regard allows you to enjoy your clothing and items for longer, so that you don’t have to spend money replacing items all the time. It’s a win-win situation.

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Becky

Meet the award-nominated UK lifestyle blogger behind Spirited Puddle Jumper – a mum of three living in South East London! Becky shares the real ups and downs of family life, parenting tips, and lifestyle inspiration, proving that being a mum doesn’t mean you stop being fun or having other interests! Follow along for honest insights into UK family life and opinions on a whole range of topics, from travel and food, to beauty reviews, home and DIY, business and health and wellness.