Washing special-care items
Most garments and household textiles have care labels with laundering instructions. Always follow care label directions when they are available. Below are general washing instruc- tions for some special washables.
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Blankets |
| Pretreat spots and stains. Select water temperature, |
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(electric | or woolen) | time according | to the | type | of blanket | being washed. |
| Two rinses | ||||||||||||
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| may be necessary. Check care label to see if manufacturer |
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| recommends | machine | washing. |
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Curtains, | drapes, | Wash | small loads. Crowding | may cause | wrinkling. | Replace |
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slipcovers | slipcovers | while | still | slightly | damp. They will dry to fit | tightly. |
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| NOTE: |
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| hand or machine | washed. |
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Diapers |
| When | using chlorine |
| bleach | for soaking, | add | extra | detergent |
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| load. Avoid overuse of fabric softeners - absorbency will be |
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| reduced. |
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Elastic, | spandex | Elastic | picks up oil from the | body. Oil can damage | elastic. | Wash | ||||||||||||||
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| often to reduce the damage. Use warm water and sufficient |
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| detergent to remove oils. Do not use chlorine bleach. |
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Items | will | be clearly | labeled | as | Follow |
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clothing |
| manufacturer’s | instructions |
| to retain |
| qualities. |
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Knits |
| Knits are | comfortable |
| to wear | because |
| they stretch. |
| However, | this | |||||||||
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| means that knits are more likely to be stretched and damaged |
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| when washed (especially bulky knits). Knits made of synthetic |
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| fabrics such as polyester, nylon, and acrylic tend to keep their | ||||||||||||||||||
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| original shape more than knits made of cotton or ramie. |
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Pillows, | stuffed | Washing | feather | pillows is not | recommended | unless | they | will | be | |||||||||||
toys |
| dried | in a dryer. |
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Plastic, | rubber | Treat | as delicate | items. Wash | in warm | water. | Wash | small | items in | |||||||||||
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| a mesh bag. |
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Quilts, | bedspreads | Do not wash | comforters | unless they are | quilted | or | ||||||||||||||
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| stitched. Tucked cotton batting tends to slip and become lumpy. | ||||||||||||||||||
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| An extra rinse may be necessary. |
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Scatter | rugs | Shake | or vacuum | rugs to remove loose | dirt. Wash more than | one | ||||||||||||||
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| rug at a time. If washing only one rug, add bath towels to balance | ||||||||||||||||||
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| the load. |
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Snowsuits, jackets | Wash | only one or two items | at a time. You may need to stop | the | ||||||||||||||||
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| washer occasionally to press air from the items being washed. An | ||||||||||||||||||
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| extra rinse may be necessary. |
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