BEFORE YOU WASH
SORTING
Some fabrics are “scavengers”. They absorb soil, color and lint given off by other garments.
So it is important to sort clothes carefully before washing.
CARE LABELS
• Look for a care label on your clothes. This will tell you about the fabric content of your garment and how it should be washed.
•Sort clothes into loads that can be washed with the same wash cycle, water temperature and spin speed.
SOIL
•Separate clothes according to the type and amount of soil. Some soils suit warmer washes eg oily soils, while others are best washed in cold water eg mud, blood.
•Heavily soiled clothes may need to be soaked.
Hand Wash
Do not bleach
Do not tumble dry
Medium iron
Dryclean
COLOR
•Separate white fabrics from colored fabrics.
•Any fabric that has a strong bold color may bleed, especially when new. It is much safer to wash it separately, until you are sure that it will not lose any more of the color.
LINT
•Wash lint givers and lint collectors separately.
•Where possible, turn lint collectors inside out.
•If lint transfer is a problem:
*Wash light clothes separately to dark clothes.
*Use a little more detergent
*Avoid overloading
Lint Givers | Lint Collectors |
Terry cloth | Synthetics |
Chenille | Corduroy |
Towels | Permanent Press |
Diapers | Socks |
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