Laundry Mistakes People Make: How hard can it be to wash your clothes, considering a machine does it for you, right?
Quite hard, in fact.
As professional cleaners we have seen numerous piles of ruined clothes and bed linen in so many households. That’s one of the reasons we branched out and introduced another line of services - laundry and ironing. It is incredible how wrong washing of clothes can go and how many laundry mistakes people actually make.
Not Separating Clothes by Colour
Sounds so trivial, but people still put an odd red sock or a pair of colourful panties with the whites and then everyone at home is forced to wear pink…
Whites wash best if done separately from any other colours. It retains their brightness and that feeling of pristine cleanliness. Dark coloured clothes should not be mixed with bright items. They would make the latter look dull.
And here’s a myth bust - any colourful fabric can cause a colour leak. Nope. It depends on the fabric, the dye and how both have been treated. Always test new colourful clothes by soaking them in lukewarm water. If there’s no colour leak, they are safe to go in the washing machine with the rest of the colourful laundry. Or to make your life easier, just use colour picking sheets. You can buy them in most supermarkets and, of course, on Amazon.
Not Separating Clothes by Fabric
Did you really think you can wash your woollen sweater with your jeans? Come on now, technology does most of the work for us, but minimal effort is still required.
Different fabrics should be washed on different programmes, different water temperatures and some would require no spin. Furthermore, different fabrics will dry differently. If you use a tumble dryer you should make sure you separate your laundry by fabric to avoid wet spots and longer drying time.
Using Too Much Detergent
A lot of people think that if clothes are very dirty they need a double dose of detergent to wash well. No. Just no.
Putting too much detergent with your laundry is, in fact, a big mistake. It can cause more harm than good. One of the possible consequences is an allergic reaction. Those products contain a lot of chemicals which may be safe when used in the prescribed amount, but potentially toxic if that amount is exceeded.
Another very common effect of using too much detergent is the occurrence of a bad smell on your clothes. Ever taken the laundry from the washing machine and wondered why it smells so gross? Well, how much washing liquid or how many pods exactly did you put in?
Remember, it’s not the quantity of detergent that you use, but the quality and whether it is the right type for the stains you are trying to remove.
Not Running on a Schedule
Chaotic laundry days could be avoided if you simply introduce a schedule. Depending on your household size and needs you may need to wash one, two or more times a week. But it is absolutely imperative that you keep on track in those days. Piles can grow really quickly if you don’t pay attention and working through them afterwards is a struggle. Bringing structure into your chores does pay off and saves you the hassle.
