Laundary Tips

Tips on organising & sorting

Organise your laundary by sorting color. It helps to keep whites, darks, and medium colors together. Lighter garments can pick up dyes from darker colors.
Sort delicate fabrics and loose knits from "tougher" fabrics.
Its is always good to separate man-made fabrics, like polyester from natural fibers such as cotton. Man-made fibers can attract the oils that are released from natural fibers during washing. These oils can build up and make the spots noticeable.
Wash heavily soiled and dirty items separately from slightly soiled items. This will help prevent fading and keep colors brighter.
Try to wash large and small items in each washer load. This will create space for the fabrics to move freely during the washing cycles.
Garments which generate lint, such as fleece sweat shirts and towels, should be washed separately.
If dyes bleed, continue to wash the garment separately until no color bleeds in the wash water.

Tips on washing

Always be sure to check the pockets of all garments before washing and drying. The stains and damage which can result from ink pens, chewing gums and colored napkins can leave the fabric stained.
To minimize wrinkling when washing fabrics containing man-made fibers, wash in hot/warm water using a permanent-press cycle. If your machine does not have a permanent-press cycle, use warm/cool water, as the label suggests.
Make sure all the clothes are equally distributed around the tub of the washer to keep the load balanced during spinning cycles.
Do not overload the washer. If the washer overloaded, the clothes won't get enough turbulence and may not get clean.

Tips on Drying

Lightly shake out items taken from the washer, before placing them in the dryer. Tightly rolled up fabric dry slower and are likely to come out wrinkled.
Do not overload the dryer. A stuffed dryer will not allow the items to tumble. Drying will be slower and the clothes will wrinkle.
Keep similar garments together. Permanent press items should not be dried with towels, and delicate items, such as lingerie should be dried separately.
All clothes should be left in the dryer just long enough to remove wrinkles and moisture. Any longer and the heat can actually "set" wrinkles, increase static cling, and cause shrinkage. This can be true for both natural and man-made fibers.
Use the proper heat setting and time cycle. Don't use a high or regular setting for all clothes. Read the label! Fabrics made from fibers which have low moisture absorbency are fast drying and should be dried using a low temperature setting. This includes:
- Acrylic
- Nylon
- Polyester
- Polyolefin
- Microfibers
After removing garments from the dryer, immediately hang them up or fold them. Don't let them lie in a heap. This can cause them to wrinkle.
Permanent press items should be taken out slightly damp and hung on a non-rust hanger. Close clasps and button up the buttons. Straighten fabric lines and creases, and gently brush out any wrinkles.
Keep the lint filter clean. A clogged filter increases drying time and costs more money in electricity/gas usage.