Before you wash, This, Sorting, Loading

This section reviews proper laundering techniques, gives you additional washing information and discusses solutions to common laundering problems.

Before you wash

l Empty pockets and turn them inside out.

l Turn down cuffs and brush away lint and dirt. l Turn synthetic knits inside out to avoid pilling.

l Close zippers, snaps and hooks to avoid snagging other items. Remove pins, buckles and other hard objects to avoid scratching the washer interior.

l Remove unwashable trim and ornaments. l Tie strings and sashes so they will not

tangle.

l Mend tears, loose hems and seams.

l Treat spots and stains. (See page 12 for pretreatment and stain removal information.)

l Stained or wet garments should be washed promptly for best results.

l Separate dark from light colors, colorfast from non-colorfast.

l Sort by fabric and construction (sturdy cottons, knits, delicate items).

l Separate heavily soiled items from lightly soiled ones even if they would normally be washed together.

l Separate lint givers (towels, chenille) from lint takers (corduroy, synthetics, permanent press). When possible, turn lint givers inside out.

l Load washer properly. Overloading or packing can:

-cause poor cleaning. -increase wrinkling. -create excessive lint.

-wear out items faster (because of pilling).

l Load by the amount of space items take up, not by their weight.

l Drop items into washer loosely. Fill to the top of the basket, but do not pack or wrap items around the agitator.

l Items should move easily through wash water for best cleaning and wrinkle-free results. Watch for rollover. Items should sink and reappear later.

l Mix large and small items in each load. Load evenly to maintain washer balance. An off- balance load can make the machine vibrate during spin.

l To reduce wrinkling, permanent press and synthetic knits should have more room to move in the water than heavy items (towels, jeans).