Every one of us, at some time or the other, has been forced to do our own laundry, right? The first rule then has always been to keep an eye on the care label, which we usually miss. It provides some basic idea of how to approach a fabric while cleaning. Here are some general tips.

Choose the temperature according to care label. For fine fabrics that might shrink on washing, use cold water. Warm water is recommended if the fabric is loomed and dirty. Use hot water if clothes are white and very dirty.

You might be wondering, why your white fabric is fading so early. Here is the fact. You might not be using enough detergent, or the water temperature may be too low. If it is really dirty, go for bleaching. You can do away with fading by turning the fabric inside out while washing and drying.

Follow the care label to prevent shrinking. Use cold water for washing and put your dryer setting to the lowest.

Be careful with red. It might bleed, and if it does there is nothing we can do. Just enjoy the new shade. But you can protect other fabric from infection by washing bleeding fabrics separately.

It’s always better to hand-wash your delicates. If you should wash it in machine, then make sure you do a gentle wash. Add a capfull of mild detergent to cold water soak them in it for 10 minutes before washing.

When it comes to washing, fewer suds are always advantageous. Excess suds may re-deposit dirt back onto your clothes rather than remove it. It might even mess up walls of your washing machine.

While laundering, clothes should go in certain order. White followed by light followed by darks followed by heavy soiled, is the order.

Count your clothes before putting in the washing machine. Some smaller fabrics might get sucked under impeller, or drain along with water. This occurs more in case of socks.

Detergents also play a vital role in cleaning your fabrics. Liquid detergents are best for stain pre-treatment and food stain removal. Powder detergent suits for general cleaning, whereas high-efficiency (HE) detergents reduce suds and prevent color change considerably.

Using fabric softener is a good option. Certain brands add softener along with detergents de facto. Some softeners remove the flame-retardant nature of some fabrics. So you should be very careful about softeners.

Don’t let your fabric to linger on machine too long, especially while it’s not automatic. Else it might wrinkle too much and eventually harm your fabric.

Be careful with stains. The older they get, the more harder they are to remove. So, remove stains as soon as possible after you see it using a stain remover.

Certain fabrics develop a static charge while rubbing, which might cause them to cling. Low temperature and softener would help you here.

Do you folks have any other tips for doing your own laundry?

(Image courtesy of digitaljourney)