Laundry mistakes are pretty common but most people do not even know they are doing these things wrongly. Doing your laundry poorly can lead to stained, shrunken or torn clothes.
We spoke to a few laundry professionals and they shared some common mistakes that people make during laundry, how it affects clothes and how to avoid them.
Read: Washing Ankara Clothes – 6 Ways You’re Doing it Wrong
Too Much Detergent
When you use too much detergent on your clothes, it can make them dirtier. It creates a surplus of soap suds that can prevent your clothes from effectively rubbing against your hands/the washer. This prevents your clothes from releasing trapped dirt. After laundry, your clothes will not come out clean.
If you’re using a machine, it can also make it harder for your dryer to kick in, thereby overworking the machine.
You can use one or two handfuls of detergent in your washing water or machine depending on the number of clothes you are washing. Make sure the water is soapy enough and you are good to go.
Ignoring Wash Specifications
Most clothes come with a care label that describes the fabric types and the washing/maintenance process. Unfortunately, most people tend to ignore the labels and just wash clothes randomly. This affects the lifespan of the clothes as the label will enable you to know things like how hard you should scrub and what temperature is good for certain clothes.
When you want to wash your clothes, take a quick peek at the label and it might help you handle them better.
Sorting By Colour
Before you wash your clothes, you’re supposed to sort them based on colour. If you don’t, clothes can fade into each other during your laundry process. Imagine packing your clothes from the line and seeing that your white vests look like the Italian flag with shades of red and green.
How to sort your clothes:
- Whites
- Light colours
- Medium colours(Tweed)
- Dark colours
Jeans and red coloured clothes have a high tendency to fade, so they should be washed alone.
Iron Vs No Iron
Some clothes do not need to be touched by an iron, yet most people iron them frequently. A quick look at the care label of your clothes will tell you if you need to iron them or not and at what temperature. Some clothes require different levels of heat ranging from low, medium to high.
If a piece of clothing is not supposed to be ironed, ironing it can quickly weaken the fabric or even lead to instant damage in the form of iron burns.
However, some fabrics like chiffon that are very light and delicate need steam to remove the creases on the clothes. You can use the iron on low temperature.
Overloading
If you use a washing machine, you should be careful about the number of clothes you put in at once. When the machine is overloaded, it takes a lot of power for it to run, thereby making it work more than it should. This will make your machine depreciate and spoil faster.
Also, the wash will not be thorough because there will not be enough room for the machine to scrub clothes effectively.
Always make sure that your machine is half full at any wash cycle. Wash heavy items like duvet and curtains one by one. It is better to be safe than sorry.
Sun-Drying
The sun works wonders on clothes. It can make colours brighter, reduce shrinkage and also make clothes smell fresher. Everyone should utilise it more often.
The less exposure your clothes get to the sun, the more likely they are to develop the smell of dampness and the possibility of moulds. This can lead to a lot of health complications. Even when you spin and use a dryer, you should still sun dry for at least 30 minutes.
Bleaching
Bleach is very convenient but it works like a double-edged sword. It can remove stains on white clothes but at the same time, it can ruin them. Using too much bleach can make your whites develop a yellowish tint or even weaken the structure of the fabric.
You should stick to using 2-3 caps of bleach per wash set. It’ll still be as effective and is less likely to cause harm to your clothes.
Over-Drying
These common laundry mistakes usually occur when you use a dryer. It is one of the fastest ways to damage clothes as dryers are usually very hot and your clothes should not be exposed to that heat for a prolonged period. It can cause them to shrink and get faded over time.
Use your dryer at the lowest possible temperature and make sure the clothes do not spend too much time in it. Take clothes out of the dryer and sundry to get the best possible results.
Read: 5 Benefits Of Using A Laundry Service
Doing laundry is stressful and boring. The time spent scrubbing clothes or tossing them into a machine while you sit and wait can be put to good use elsewhere.
If you like doing laundry, please send us your location so we can send you to the nearest police station. Your fellow inmates are waiting.
You should outsource all your laundry needs to the best laundry service in Lagos, Eden Life laundry. We’ll pick up all your laundry, wash and deliver it back to you in 48 hours. You never have to stress, we’ll keep your wardrobe fresh.
Get an Eden Life laundry plan today.