How to clean and wash clothes

Do you really know how to clean and wash clothes? How many times did it happen to you over the course of time to ruin your favorite office blouse just because you added the wrong stain remover and let it soak for half an hour? Well, if it is of any comfort, it does happen to everyone once in a while, especially to those who don’t know the ground rules for cleaning and washing clothes.

The reason behind ruined clothes that we could have worn forever is in many cases not respecting the instruction on the label. If it says “dry cleaning only” then you should know they really mean it and if you will try to wash it, even with cold water, the chances are very high that you will damage that particular clothing item. So before anything else, if you want to look after your clothes and if you want them always to look their best, start with following the manufacturer’s indications as he does know best!

Did it also happen to you to be careful with the instructions on the tag and still ended up with pink jeans when what you put in the washing machine was white ones? Well, this is again, something you have probably heard lots of times before but maybe never considered important: “wash clothes of different colors separately.” This is in your best interest as this way you will manage to preserve the clothing items colors, and they will look better for a longer period. There are some fashion products that maybe we pay a lot to get or maybe we are just so in love with them, and we’d like to wear them forever. To keep them looking fabulous is just a matter of being a bit careful when throwing them in the washing machine as with a push of a button we can create a whole drama that will rock us off our feet.

Knowing how to wash and clean clothes is important for people from all social categories, no matter how many or few clothes you have, you will want to keep them in perfect condition otherwise you will feel like throwing money out the window.

Some people do the cleaning wrong and then blame the manufacturer or the shop who sold the clothes, but all this can be avoided just by paying a little attention to how you treat your clothes. Most of the times the most expensive and exclusive clothing items will require an individual attention. Think for example about cashmere that is so incredibly fabulous and costly and you can ruin it forever by just throwing it in the washing machine as it is destined for dry cleaning only. Not to mention that you can literally shrink a wool sweater in just a wash if you are not doing it in cold water or turn a scarf into a blanket if you don’t read the tags before starting the whole cleaning process.

To keep these kinds of unwanted situations at bay, we have prepared for you a short guide on how to look after your clothes depending on the fabric they are made of. Before starting with our easy to follow recommendations for clean and wash the clothing items, we will need to make another important suggestion:

Take care of your wardrobe

The closet you keep your clothes on needs air just like your room does. Our suggestion is to leave the doors open at the same time with the windows of the room at least once every other week for an hour or so.

Place some potpourri satchels in between the clothes to keep them smelling incredibly all the time, even if you haven’t worn them in ages. Make sure the blend is made of all natural ingredients because you don’t want chemicals on your clothes that come in contact with the skin, not to mention the fact that synthetic oils can also stain your clothes.

Don’t just throw the clothes into the closet; some wrinkles will be tough to take off, especially if they stayed like this for a long time.

Don’t place the dirty or clothes that have been worn before back in the closet as they might make the clean clothes get a foul smell too.

How to wash and clean clothes depending on the fabric they are made out:

Denim

We will start with the denim because we all have at least one favorite pair of jeans that we adore, and we don’t want them to get hurt in the process of getting clean. Many people tend to wear the same jeans every day for a while, and then throw them in the washing machine only to see that they lost shape or became tighter after washing. Not the mention the heart wrecking situation when the preferred pair of jeans loses the original color after the first wash.

The latest trends and jeans recommendations from specialists agree on one thing: you shouldn’t wash your jeans unless they are very dirty or stained. As crazy as it might sound especially because we are talking about an old item of clothing, this is indeed the best suggestion for caring for denim: avoid washing them very often.

With denim, you will notice that the jeans will take the shape of your body (think about the knees, for example) and every time you wash them it is like you are resetting a very oiled, running machine. This is the reason behind the fact that most jeans are actually really uncomfortable to wear as soon as they are washed.

But if you shouldn’t wash them every week, this doesn’t mean you can just throw them in the closet and completely forget about looking after them.

Here are some tips and tricks to care for denim clothing:

– Store them in the fridge instead of the closet! It might sound funny, but it definitely works! All you will need to do is place them in a plastic bag and then find a safe place for them in the freezer. You will notice that the smell will disappear like magic.

– If you would like to reshape them a little (that knee area can get baggy after a few days) you can get them to accompany you in the shower or for a hot bath. The warm air will eliminate the unwanted smells, and it will help with fabric elasticity too. Just remember to take them outside somewhere airy as soon as you are done with the shower.

– Let them rest for a day or two is you feel they have become too loose for you to wear.

– Wash them only once a month or every other month, with cold water. When using fabric softener, you can also add a few spoons of honey apple vinegar to it, it will help with preserving the color.

Silk

When caring for silk, we will let you on a secret: whatever the tag might say, it is recommended you wash it by hand. Don’t worry, it is not a time-consuming process as silk clothing is usually light as a feather and it gets cleaned in no time at all. What you can do is wash it in cold water with a delicate detergent and also add a bit of apple vinegar to keep the colors bright. This way you will be able to keep your favorite silk blouse or silk dress in perfect condition for a very long period. It will look like new every time you will clean it, so don’t hesitate to take the issue into your own hands, especially if it is a clothing item you particularly like.

Cotton

Most of our clothing items are made of cotton as it is a very popular fabric due to its versatility, low price and the comfort it provides. Not to mention the fact that it is also a very durable material if you know the basics of washing and cleaning your clothes.

With cotton, you shouldn’t worry too much. It is probably one of the few fabrics (if not the only one) that can be washed at high temperatures without getting the clothing item destroyed in the process.

While there is not much you can do regarding caring for your cotton clothes, there is one trick to preserve the loss or change of color. Wash clothes separately and for the whites add a bit of chlorine, for the colored one use a spoon of apple vinegar and for the black ones use a delicate fabric softener with every wash (try to find one created to cater for dark clothes and you will be impressed with how the color can return to a product that was long faded).

Leather

We don’t know if this will come as another surprise for you or you might have heard this before, but you should never wash leather items. Actually it would be better to say that washing a leather item will destroy it forever and most of the times make it impossible to wear again.

You might ask what to do with items like leather pants or shorts that you want to wear quite often, given the fact that they are also very fashionable now. Well, you can definitely clean them, but never wash them. If they become to lose or baggy, giving them a few days break usually solves the problem as for the stains or dirt, you can always clean them with a moist towel.

If you wore your leather clothing item to a party or a club and you feel that you just can’t stand the smell on them, vinegar will help you again. Combine 100 ml of white vinegar with 500 ml of water and use a towel to clean the jacket, leather pants or dress.

Avoid getting too much water on your leather clothing items as you might be surprised to see them shrinking, not to mention that the fabric might get damaged beyond repair after being exposed to too much water or for too long. While wearing your leather jacket on a rainy day is the thing to do, try getting it dry or hang it in a warm place as soon as you reach your destination.

The same recommendations go for fun clothing items: you should avoid exposing them to water for long as they will shrink and you will not be able to wear them again.

It is also ideal to avoid getting dust on your leather clothing products as it will be difficult to remove and it will make the fabric look unpleasant. Our suggestion is to make sure you store them in a warm place without moist, eventually in a cotton bag or covered with a cotton sheet. The same goes for your fur clothes too. We know it doesn’t sound too glamorous, but you will enjoy wearing them for ages if you follow these little tips and tricks.

Wool

With wool, things should be pretty simple and clear once you have read the tag with the manufacturer’s recommendation for care. Usually, it is about washing it in cold water, no warmer than 30 degrees Celsius and most times it would be suggested to avoid tumble drying as the fabric might lose its structure and shape.

If we are talking about wool knits like sweater or dresses, you will be happy to find out that you don’t need to store them hanging in your closet. More than this, we would advise you against it as being on a hanger for too long might damage the shape of the dress or sweater and make it look baggy.

While wool might feel just as durable and versatile as cotton is, this is not actually the case. Wool is more delicate and should not be washed just as often as cotton. Exposure to clean air might do better for the wool clothing item that a wash.

When trying to get them to dry after a wash in the washing machine, you should place them somewhere horizontally rather than hanging them because this way it will be easier for them to maintain the shape.