How to Wash Clothes the Right Way and Make Them Last Longer

Washing your clothes correctly can have a huge impact on their life. For example, if you use hot water to wash your silk shirt, it may end up ruining its smooth finish and simply won’t feel the same again. To preserve the color, shape, and brightness of your garments, using the right water temperature and suitable washing method are important. There’s a right way for whatever method you choose. Read on to know how to wash clothes by hand and some useful points to remember while washing clothes in your machine.

You will need:

• Laundry detergent
• Fabric softener
• Clothes brush

Pre-Washing Tips

1. Check if your clothing items are colorfast:

   One of the easiest ways to prevent the problem of color transfer during the wash is to run a color bleeding test. To test, dampen a cotton swab and rub it on the insides of your clothing item. If the swab stays white, you can be assured that the color won’t run during the wash.

2. Unbutton your shirts before washing them:

   If you fail to do so, you may have to deal with ripped buttonholes in your shirt. Also, fasten the zippers of your jeans and dresses, these may have the same damaging effect in the washing machine. It may seem basic, but perhaps it is one of the most important pre-washing steps.

3. Check to see if all the pockets in your jeans/dresses are empty:

   Coins and buttons spilling out from the pocket can damage your machine drum and entail an unnecessary repair expense. Do not wash your clothes without first treating the stains. Remember, the earlier you treat the stains, the easier it will be to get rid of them. Washing and drying your stained garment without treating the stains will result in the stain setting in and possibly becoming permanent on your clothes

How to Wash Clothes

1. Ingredients to keep handy:

   a) Laundry detergent b) Fabric softener c) Clothes brush

2. Method 1: Using A Washing Machine

   Step 1: Knowing and Selecting the Right Temperature Washing machines have different settings for water temperature. Some fabrics need to be washed in hot water while some fabrics need to be washed in cold water. You must decide the temperature of the water, based on the color and fabric of your clothing items. Light colored clothes that have been heavily stained should be washed in hot water. The heat will lift the stains off the fabric. On the other hand, dark colored clothes and cotton clothes should be washed in cold water. Step 2: Selecting the Correct Load Size Do not attempt shortcuts and stuff your machine drum with all your laundry at once. You can always run another wash cycle. Cramming your machine will affect its performance. Step 3: Know What Cycle to Select Just like certain clothes need a correct water temperature, different fabrics need different kinds of wash cycles. Select the normal wash cycle for your regular and white clothes. Select a gentle wash cycle for your delicate underwear and clothes made from fine fabrics like lace, wool etc. Also, always fasten the zips and unbutton the buttons before putting them for wash. Otherwise, the garment can get stretched or damaged in the wash. Step 4: Use the Right Products for your Clothes Depending on the fabric of your clothes and load of your mix, you must add a suitable washing fluid. There are 3 main types of washing fluids: Detergent, Bleaching Agents, and Fabric Softener. You can use a bleach for white clothes. It is a fabric whitener which helps brighten your white clothes and bring back their vibrancy. Do not use on colored clothes. Check the package to understand correct usage instructions. Step 5: Dry Your Clothes Some clothes need to be air-dried. For others, you can use the machine dryer. Use the “heavy” setting for white clothes and “delicate” for finer fabrics.

   For washing colored clothes, we recommend Comfort Care Detergent & Fabric Conditioner as it is specially formulated to fight the five signs of clothes aging to keep your clothes new for longer. Check the packaging to understand correct usage instructions.

3. Method 2: Hand Washing Clothes

   Step 1: Organize and Sort Your Laundry Sort your clothes by color, separating the darks from lights and washing these in two batches. Step 2: Grab a Bucket Fill a bucket or the washing basin with warm water. Step 3: Treat the Stains with the right detergent You can treat stains using a superior stain removal detergent like Breeze ActivBleach with Powercare Technology. Just apply it on the stain while proceeding with normal wash. Step 4: Soak Soak each item of clothing in the water for several minutes to ensure they fully absorb the detergent.

   Step 5: Wash Start washing each item, knead and twist the clothes, so they get a thorough wash. A common mistake to avoid while hand-washing your garment is using too much detergent powder. When you do this and heap on the detergent, it may leave behind residue on your clothes after wash. Always use the right amount of detergent. Check the package usage instructions to understand the correct amount to use.

   Step 6: Rinse Rinse with warm, clean water. One your last rinse you can also add Fabric Conditioner for long-lasting fragrance and softness. Run each item under the tap and wring out until all the product is gone. Remember, you do not want any residue!

   Step 7: Dry Leave the clothes to dry in a well-ventilated room. You can dry white clothes under direct sunlight on a clothes line. Sunlight acts as a natural whitener and disinfectant. Always dry your colored clothes in partial shade on a clothes line.

Do you want to learn which household cleaning tasks cause the most stress?  Then read our Heated Household data analysis.