There is no doubt that laundry can be extremely frustrating, even for people who otherwise like it, especially when it’s right after a fun-filled night of partying. It not only requires a lot of effort but is also time-consuming and exasperating.
If you browse through this guide, it will help you understand how to minimize the time and effort spent on laundry machines and the right way to handle different fabric materials. Furthermore, you can educate yourself on treating different stains, odours, and dinginess through these laundry tips and tricks.
Tip # 1 – Selecting the Right Water Temperature
A lot of people overlook this step, but it's one that is extremely important when doing your laundry. When partying, our clothes can get filthy from different things, such as food and drinks. Hence, it's essential to know what temperature you need to set when washing the stubborn stains away.
Using hot water
For a lot of clothing, it's evident that the hotter the water temperature is kept, the cleaner the clothes will turn out. Clothes with a specific type of materials, such as linen and cotton, are washed best when the water is hot, as it easily removes dirt and stains from the porous texture. Moreover, hot water is known best for washing away all the bacteria and contamination from the clothing, due to its properties.
However, if the clothes you've partied in are white, you should wash them in hot water and separate them from bright coloured pieces. Otherwise, they might lose their colour and be stained by another. It will ruin your beautiful white wardrobe. Similarly, some materials don't respond very well to hot water and might end up shrinking or wrinkling. In this case, you need to switch to warm or cold water temperature when doing your laundry.
Using warm water
Many people like to wash their laundry in warm water. This is the ideal temperature for laundry, especially if your clothes are fancy or have embroidery on them, as the temperature isn't very harsh. Some machines mix hot water with cold water by a 50:50 ratio, whereas, some machines tend to keep the ratio at 60:40. You need to be well aware of your machine's temperature when choosing to wash your clothes. You can easily find this out in your machine's manual user guide. Maybe your machine offers settings to tweak the temperature ratio manually.
Using cold water
For delicate clothing made from particular materials, such as silk, or clothes with embroideries and sequences, it's best to use cold water. Unless your party clothes have instructions on their label about how to wash them, it’s best to wash them at a colder temperature. If we wash them in cooler temperatures, it will prevent the clothes from shrinking and wrinkling. Coldwater also reduces the chances of colour from fading. While it might take longer to wash clothes in cold water, it's the best option for fancy clothes.
Tip # 2 – Using Suitable Detergent
Selecting the right or wrong detergent can make or break your game. You need to be careful when selecting a detergent.
Choosing the right detergent
It's no secret that people tend to save money when doing groceries by buying cheaper detergents. While you might think it doesn't matter what type of, or quality of detergent you use, it's a common misconception. It's imperative to choose the right detergent for your clothes. You might even require more than one to cater to different types of clothing and materials.
There are two distinct types of detergents, powdered ones, and liquid ones. Powdered detergents are better when you need to clean cheaper quality clothes, made from either cotton or linen, as they are well suited for washing away residues on such fabric. However, if you wish to wash high-quality clothes made from silk and other such material, it's better to invest in a liquid detergent. Liquid detergents contain powerful enzymes that are made exclusively for treating stubborn stains and gunk off your clothes.
Properly go through the ingredients mentioned at the back of the detergents before buying them. If you're not satisfied with the ingredients, you can always try to make them yourself at home.
Not going overboard with the amount of detergent
People who complain about damaged clothes often use too much detergent. Using too much can cause your clothes to erode from the chemicals in the detergents, whereas, using too little can leave them dirty. Hence, it's essential to use the right amount. Try checking it by using around one-half less than the recommended amount. If it does the job for you, then well and good. If it doesn't, then increase the quantity as needed.
Tip # 3 – Keeping the Clothes in their Actual Form
The following are ways you can keep your clothes in their original form, without damaging them.
Avoid washing bleeding colours together.
The number one mistake people make when doing their laundry is washing colours that tend to bleed together in piles. While it's easier to make one big pile of clothes that need to go in the laundry, it's also important to note what's going in and when. If you're piling up deeper colours and thinner materials with white clothes, it's no surprise that they'll come out clean with a tie-dyed effect. Hence, it would be best if you separated certain clothes to avoid them from getting damaged.
Reduce fading
No matter how new your shirts are, if they fade during laundry, they will look worn out and dirty. To prevent fading, always turn your dark-coloured clothes inside out, so they don't get damaged during the wash.
Tip # 4 – Removing stains from clothes properly
Removing stains from your clothes can be a daunting task. These stains can be sweat stains, wine stains or even chocolate stains. Read below to find how you can get rid of such stains.
Sweat stains and bad odour
On light-coloured clothes, we often see yellow-toned stains of sweat around the armpits, which can cause bad odour. We've all searched for ways on
how to get sweat smell out of clothes, but don't be tempted to use bleach to correct this, as it can have long-lasting effects on your clothes. Instead, opt for oxygen bleach. Mix it in with your detergent to keep the bad odours, and the prominent sweat stains away.
Chocolate stains
You might be surprised to know, but using a shout spray can immediately remove chocolate stains from your clothes. Spray a tiny amount and continue rubbing your clothes till the stain dissolves.
Deep-toned stains
If you ever spilled red wine, cranberry juice, or blueberries on your shirts, you know the frustration! It can be incredibly challenging to remove these deep-toned stains. There are different products on the market that work exceptionally well in removing not only wine stains but also any deep-tinted pigments from your clothes.
Oil and grease stains
It's prevalent to get greasy stains on the front of your clothes when dining out. The number one tip is to dilute dish soap with detergent and rub on the affected area. Continue rubbing until the stain is gone. However, if the stain is stubborn, dab Pine-Sol, or Lestoil over it before washing it thoroughly.
It is good to party and have fun; however, the stains can be daunting. Worry no more, use the tips above to clean your clothes after the party.