We all dress to impress! Most of us are willing to invest in branded clothes to keep our look unique from others. Fashion is much more involved in our daily lives. Thanks to the famous running tagline “Outfit of the Day,” commonly known as #OOTD in various social media platforms such as Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. Some people even make a lot of money out of it via endorsements, especially if they are physically appealing. Some people only treat fashion as a pastime.
One massive issue about fashion is that it is pretty costly. I mean, let’s be honest– famous garment brands will always have an edge among local brands. Nevertheless, regardless of the clothing brand, we must take care of our garments properly. You guys might be washing your delicate clothes wrongfully. If you pay attention to how you wash and dry your clothes, you can help them last longer to know tricks to keep your clothes looking brand new.
Stop those lousy laundering habits and read until the end because, in this article, the secrets to not ruining your clothes during laundry will unfold. So here are the laundry secrets you need to learn and apply:
1. Using Cold Water Instead of Warm One
Probably it is the weirdest laundry secret to prolong the lifespan of your delicate clothes. But have some trust and care to try it. Cold water is logically gentler to your clothes. It slows the fading and shrinking of your clothes.
Meanwhile, utilization of warm water during laundry will result in quite the opposite. That is because there is an optimal range of temperature to retain the quality of laundered clothes. That is the main reason why laundered clothes in cold water are pretty much desirable.
Also, if you are a green advocate, laundering cold water is an eco-friendly laundry method. Using cold water in every laundry batch can lessen your monthly electric bill. Mother Nature approves!
2. Availing to the Nearest Commercial Laundry Shop Helps
In a way, it is unbelievable, right? Allow me to explain. Commercial laundry shops are laundry experts, and we all know nothing beats the expert. Professional assistance when it comes to laundry will always give satisfactory results.
Most commercial laundry shops utilize front-load washing machines indicating that their laundering time and performance are much more efficient. It is proven and tested that an old model washing machine can decrease its efficiency up to 12%. Meaning, you might not correctly launder your delicate clothes in a domestic washing machine.
3. Say Goodbye to your Old Washer
As stated above, a new model washing machine can be more efficient than an old one by 12%. But how do you even notice that? The uncertainty factor will haunt you in every laundry batch you do. To eliminate that factor, make sure that your washing machine has been in service for below 5 years. Why? Because the washing machine starts to degrade its performance after 5 years of usage.
4. Never Ignore the Garment Label
Garment labels are typically sewn in the type found in the collar (for tops) and back hip (for bottoms) part of the clothing. Its sole purpose is to inform the garment owner how to care for that particular garment properly. It may be simple, or it may be complex. The best examples of garment labels are “Do not iron.”, “Hand wash only.”, “Never dry clean.” and “Dry clean only.”
It is not a secret at all, but people keep bypassing it. You can’t ignore the garment label because no matter how hard you follow the other laundry secrets, it will undoubtedly result in unsalvageable clothing damage if you fail to follow this one. If a garment label says “Dry clean only.”, then go to your trusted dry clean expert shop. Always keep in mind that before starting your laundry, make sure to read the garment and follow it wholeheartedly.
5. Put Ice Cubes in a Dryer
This laundry life hack is way too cool. Putting 2-6 ice cubes in a drying batch after the laundry will prevent the laundry batch from wrinkling.
6. Decrease Drying Time With White Towel and Aluminum Foil
How do you decrease drying time? This is a brilliant laundry secret. Put a dry fluffy white towel in your laundry batch in the dryer. The logic is simple. The dry fluffy white towel will absorb some of the wetness of the laundry batch, making the drying time faster.
Also, putting aluminum foil balls eliminates static in the drier. You can put 3 aluminum foil balls in one drying batch. It discharges any occurrence of static buildup and separates the clothes from one another, resulting in a faster drying time.
7. Do not Wash your Jeans too Often
If you dump your jeans in the laundry basin after wearing them for a day, then you are making a terrible mistake. Washing your favorite denim more often than it should be will cause early fading and breaking. Wash your denim after 3-5 days of usage. After each use, you can sun dry it for at least half a day. Also, you can place your jeans in a plastic bag and put them in the freezer after each usage. Both of them are antibacterial methods.
8. Use Proper Detergent
When you say proper detergent, it means that it won’t harm your garments. Because there’s this laundry myth that all detergents are the same, it is very wrong, and please do not believe that. There are some detergent brands locally or globally that are very harsh to your clothing when laundered. It is highly recommended to read labels and understand more about the chemical composition of detergents.
Taking proper care of your clothes must be done in a much more severe manner. There are lots of factors considered in clothes laundering. From wrinkling prevention, color retaining methods to bacteria-killing, this chore is much more complex than you imagined. Thanks to the laundry secrets stated above, you can now smile with ease in your next laundry batch. Make sure to be consistent in applying all the laundry life hacks. Being a laundry expert is all about experience and knowledge. Indeed, knowing all these laundry hacks is a boost in reaching that position.