Laundry is more than just dumping your clothes into a machine and forgetting about it. There’s a lot of prep work involved before and after washing. You must use the right kind of detergent that aligns with the fabric, for instance, and once you finish washing up, you must clean your machine. All these activities are meant to provide the best and most effective washing for your clothes. Otherwise, there are only mistakes that could ruin your garments. Here are some you must be aware of and fix them immediately. 

Detergent

As mentioned before, using the right detergent in the right amount is absolutely crucial. While it might seem like using more detergent might only help get cleaner clothes, this might not necessarily be the case. Too much detergent could lead to suds, which don’t rinse out of the clothes fully, leaving a residue that attracts dirt, dust and bacteria. This accumulation invites the usage of more chemicals, which only leads to harm. 

Sort by colour AND fabric

Wash the dark- and light-coloured clothes separately – and sort them before you start your laundry. Heavier items like sweaters and jeans must be isolated from lighter dresses and shirts to prevent damage to delicate fabrics due to abrasion. Besides, sweater fuzz could spread onto other items, which requires additional treatment to remove them. Group the items so that they are washed evenly and without harming one another. 

Prep the clothes

It is essential that you prep the clothes before they go into the machine. Empty the pockets, zip up the zippers, unbutton the garments, uncuff the sleeves and roll out the pant’s legs. When you don’t do these activities, it could lead to snags, tears and unclean portions of clothing. 

Pretreat stains

Stains cannot be removed with a single wash cycle. Adopt a removal method according to the intensity of the stain and type of fabric, and then put the clothes in the washing machine. It is best to address a stain the moment you notice it. However, this might not be possible every time and it is most likely set by the time to observe. That is why pretreating is crucial, especially for tough stains. 

Clean the washing machine

It is the most ignored activity in every household. The machine, while it cleans clothes, linens and various types of fabric, it also accumulates residue, mildew and deposits, which build up over time. Cleaning the machine with a hot water cycle using vinegar can eliminate bad odours and other bacteria. 

Directly adding detergent to clothes

If you are looking at videos that ask you to directly add detergent to your clothes, then it is wrong. You should not be doing that because the detergent can settle on certain areas of your garments leaving behind unwanted deposits, which can harm your clothes. Instead, put the clothes first, then add the detergent in the compartment meant for it and then water the clothes. 

Separate the whites

Most people make this rookie mistake, especially when they are doing their laundry for the first time. White clothes should not be mixed with dark clothes. Otherwise, you will end up running your favourite whites. Sorting the laundry first by colour and then sorting it according to the fabric. Remember your delicate white clothes will have more dirt on them and denims need to be inside out when you wash them. 

Dry cleanings should be only dry cleaned.

Check the tags on your clothes. Does it say ‘dry cleaning only’? Then it is best not to dump it in the washing machine. Luxury clothes always have dry-clean tags on them. For these, it is best to hand it over to professional laundry experts in Dubai, like Diva Laundry. 

Overfilling the machine

Stuffing clothes into your washing machine or overfilling it can lead to disasters. Clothes come out smelly and unclean, because the detergent is unable to accomplish cleaning in these enclosed areas. Not only is this a waste of time, but it’s a waste of water, too!

Shirt buttons

Clothes with buttons (including shirts and pants) should be unbuttoned for washing. These could come loose during washing, and the continuous pulling could stretch and tear the clothes. Of course, you could have missing buttons too!