Put aside clothes that are labeled as “hand wash only” or “dry clean only”. In most shirts, clothing care labels are located on the inside left side of the shirt or inside the neck area. In most pants, clothing care labels are located on the inside of the back of the pants.
Darks include colours such as blacks, greys, dark blues, dark reds, and dark purples. Lights include pastel colours like whites, pinks, yellows, light blues, light greens, and lavender. Whites include anything that’s one-hundred percent white. Avoid washing whites with other light colors since they will become discolored. [2] X Expert Source Susan StockerHouse Cleaning Professional Expert Interview. 8 November 2019. Jeans or dark denims especially bleed their colour and should be washed in their own separate load.
Delicates like lingerie, pantyhose, and washable silks should be washed separately. [3] X Research source Heavy fabrics include items such as heavy cotton pants, bath towels, jackets, or sweaters. If you choose to sort only by fabric, you can save a lot of energy and money from having to wash multiple colour loads.
Mesh wash bags don’t protect garments from colours bleeding, so be sure to wash them with similarly coloured loads. In most cases, delicates will not bleed and would be safe to wash with a light coloured load.
Avoid washing or drying stained clothing in the machine. Certain stains set when heat is added, making them difficult to remove.
Normal Cycle: This cycle goes with a fast/fast approach – it tumbles fast and spins fast. It helps with cleaning very dirty and sweaty clothes, and is what you will most likely use on a regular basis. Sturdy fabrics like cotton, linen, denim, towels, and bedding do quite well in a normal cycle. Permanent or Perm Press: This cycle goes with a fast/slow approach. These fabrics need fast agitation to be clean but a slow spin to prevent wrinkles. Use this cycle for synthetic fibres like rayons, knits, polyesters, and acetates. Synthetic fibres are known to pill, or create small balls of fibre and slow spin cycles help prevent pilling. Delicate Cycle: This cycle uses a slow/slow approach, reducing agitation and preventing wear and tear. However, the level of cleanliness decreases with its slow tumbling. This cycle is best used for specific or special garments like lingerie, sequinned clothing, laced or loosely woven fabrics, or items made of sheer fabrics like pantyhose. Special cycles: Newer models of washing machines have special cycles that do things such as sanitize, steam, or claim to protect whites and remove stains. Consult your machine’s manual for further explanations on what each special cycle does.
Use cool water in the delicate cycle for delicate items, items that have dyes that might bleed, or clothes that aren’t especially dirty. Use warm water in the permanent press cycle, dark colours, and moderately dirty loads. Use hot water for bath and kitchen towels, bedding, sturdy fabrics, or any extremely dirtied items. Cold water is the most energy efficient way of washing clothes. About 90 percent of energy used in hot washing cycles is used to heat up the water. [7] X Research source It is also the most gentlest way of washing your garments. For some machines, the water temperature is already preset according to what cycle you choose. For example, a normal cycle will most likely use hot water that is 30 °C or 40 °C (85 °F to 75 °F).
Front-loading washing machines usually have a drawer to dispense detergent and will have separate compartments to place fabric softener or bleach. Your machine will dispense the detergents at the right moment for you. Top-loading washing machines require you to pour the detergent right into the drum before you start your cycle. It’s best to add your detergents before you load your clothes so the high concentration of detergent doesn’t stain or damage your clothes. And in some cases, it’s best to turn on the water so the detergent dissolves before you load your clothes in. The amount of detergent needed varies by brand of detergent and type of washer, so check the back of the detergent box and also look for any labels on your washing machine to find out how much to use.
Small loads fill about a third (1/3) of your machine. Medium loads fill half (1/2) of your machine. Large loads fill three fourths (3/4) of your machine.
