The Lowdown on Loads
When the laundry piles up, temptation is strong to stuff as much as possible into each load of wash so that you have some hope of finishing it all before school opens tomorrow morning.
Unfortunately, washing machines and detergents can’t do their job effectively if they can’t loosen dirt and get it out of the way. Over time, your clothes will deteriorate in appearance and performance. Next thing you know, you will be stuffing kids into the car to go buy more clothes.
For best performance — and ultimately time and money savings — follow these tips for creating washing machine loads (see below for dryer load tips):
Washer load tips
- Sorting by color is the first thing most people learn about laundry. And it is the first place to start when you are creating loads. The basics still hold true: whites in one load, light colors in another, and then dark and bright colors in a third load.
- Next, separate heavily soiled pieces from each load and wash separately. Heavy soil amounts can dull colors and create yellowing or graying of whites.
- Mix large items like sheets with a few smaller items such as blouses or hand towels in the same color range. This helps clothes move more freely, resulting in better cleaning.
- Separate loosely knitted garments and delicates from regular wash loads, then wash on the gentle cycle.
- Fuzzy sweaters, chenille robes, flannels and new towels can share lint with other garments during washing. Be particularly careful to keep such fabrics away from corduroys and permanent press garments that really know how to attract lint.
- Vibrant fluorescents such as hot pinks, bright greens, and electric blues lack the colorfastness of more subdued colored apparel. Wash separately or test the colorfastness first.
- Avoid wrapping sheets around the agitator post of the washer.
Dryer load tips
Drying a small load can actually take longer than a large load! Small loads reduce the tumbling effect, and prolongs the drying period. If you have a small load, add three or four dry clean white towels to speed up the drying time.
Over-stuffed dryer loads don’t work either. Overloading can result in excessive wrinkling. If the dryer vent becomes blocked, clothes can suffer actual heat damage. Plus, over-stuffed loads don’t dry effectively.
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