Laundry & Clothing Care

Reading the Care Label

Every piece of clothing has a care label, usually sewn into the seam or collar. It contains symbols that tell you exactly how to wash, dry, and iron the item. Most people ignore these until something shrinks or gets ruined. Don't be that person.

The five most important symbols:

• Tub with water: machine washable. A number inside indicates the maximum water temperature in Celsius. A hand in the tub means hand wash only.
• Tub with an X: do not wash in water. Dry clean only.
• Circle: dry clean. A circle with an X means do not dry clean.
• Square with a circle inside: tumble dry safe. Dots inside indicate heat level: one dot is low, two is medium, three is high. An X means do not tumble dry.
• Iron: safe to iron. Dots indicate temperature. An X through the iron means do not iron.

When in doubt on anything delicate or unfamiliar, cold water and air drying is almost always the safe choice.

Sorting Before You Wash

Sorting takes two minutes and prevents most laundry disasters. The two things that matter most:

• Separate darks from lights. Dark clothing, especially new items, can bleed dye onto lighter fabrics in the wash. Wash them separately until you know they're colorfast. If you're unsure, wash new dark items alone the first time.
• Separate delicates from heavy items. Washing a thin blouse in the same load as jeans and towels means the heavy items will beat up the lighter ones. Delicates should either go in their own load or in a mesh laundry bag.

Washing

For the vast majority of everyday laundry, cold water works fine and is gentler on fabric and color. Hot water is useful for bedding, towels, and anything that needs to be sanitized, but it shrinks and fades clothing faster.

• Cold water: everyday clothes, dark and bright colors, delicates, anything with a care label that specifies low temperature
• Warm water: moderately soiled items, synthetic fabrics, most cottons
• Hot water: bedding, towels, heavily soiled work clothes, anything that needs sanitizing

Detergent

Use the amount specified on the detergent bottle, which is usually less than you think. More detergent does not mean cleaner clothes. It leaves residue on fabric and can irritate skin. Liquid detergent dissolves better in cold water than powder. For delicates, use a detergent labeled for delicate or gentle wash.

Cycle selection

• Normal/Regular: everyday items, cotton, durable fabrics
• Delicate/Gentle: anything thin, stretchy, or labeled delicate
• Heavy duty: towels, jeans, heavily soiled items
• Quick wash: lightly worn items that just need a refresh, not a deep clean

Drying

The dryer causes more clothing damage than the washer. Heat shrinks fabric, breaks down elastic, and fades color over time. A few rules that make clothing last significantly longer:

• Dry on low or medium heat for most clothing. High heat is for towels and bedding, not shirts and jeans.
• Remove clothes promptly. Leaving wet clothes sitting in the dryer leads to wrinkles that are hard to shake out. Take them out while slightly warm.
• Air dry anything you care about. Dress shirts, workout clothes, anything with elastic or spandex, and delicates all last significantly longer when air dried. A drying rack is inexpensive and worth having.
• Never put wool, silk, or most delicates in the dryer. They will shrink and may be ruined permanently.

Common Stains

The most important rule with stains: treat them immediately. A fresh stain is far easier to remove than one that has dried and set. Blot, don't rub. Rubbing spreads the stain and pushes it deeper into the fabric.

• Blood: cold water only, immediately. Hot water sets blood permanently. Hydrogen peroxide works well on fresh blood stains on light fabric.
• Grease and oil: apply dish soap directly to the stain, work it in gently, let it sit for 5 minutes, then wash. Dish soap is designed to cut grease.
• Coffee and tea: flush with cold water immediately, then treat with a mixture of dish soap and white vinegar before washing.
• Red wine: blot immediately, pour club soda or cold water on it, then treat with dish soap or a stain remover before washing.
• Ink: rubbing alcohol applied with a cloth, blotting until the ink transfers, then wash. Don't use water first.
• Sweat stains: mix equal parts dish soap and hydrogen peroxide, apply to the stain, let sit 30 minutes, then wash. White vinegar also works on yellowing.

For anything you're unsure about, test your stain treatment on a hidden area of the fabric first before applying it to the visible stain.

Things Worth Knowing

• Don't overload the machine. Clothes need room to move to get clean. A stuffed machine also puts strain on the motor and bearings.
• Clean the lint trap every single time you use the dryer. A clogged lint trap is a fire hazard and makes the dryer run less efficiently.
• Wash bedding weekly if you can, or at minimum every two weeks. Pillowcases especially. This matters more for skin and hair health than most people realize.
• Towels need to dry fully between uses or they start to smell. Spread them out rather than folding them over a hook.
• Zip zippers before washing. Open zippers can snag and damage other items in the load.
• Turn dark clothing inside out before washing. It dramatically reduces fading.
• Hand washing is easier than it sounds. Fill a basin or sink with cold water and a small amount of delicate detergent, submerge the item, gently agitate for a couple of minutes, rinse thoroughly, and press out water without wringing. Lay flat to dry.

Ironing and Steaming

A clothes steamer is faster and easier than an iron for most situations, and harder to damage fabric with. Worth the $30 to $50 if you wear anything that wrinkles. Run it over fabric while it's hanging and wrinkles fall out in seconds.

For ironing when you need sharper results:

• Iron on the lowest heat setting that removes the wrinkle, not the highest
• Iron most clothing inside out to avoid shining the fabric
• Use steam for cotton and linen, dry heat for silk and wool
• Always check the care label before ironing. Some synthetics melt