Drying Clothes
Anyone who’s ever put a size-medium shirt in the dryer only to pull a small back out will tell you drying clothes isn’t foolproof. Fortunately there are a few easy ways you can get your clothes dry and keep them the same size.
If you're cash-strapped, or want to spend less time in laundromats, drying clothes on a clothesline or a wooden drying rack is a great option. Both take longer than machine drying, but are simple, easy to buy at most hardware stores, and can even save you money on your utility bills. If these options aren’t for you, then it’s time to head for the dryer.
First, it’s really important to remove the lint from the lint trap before each load. A full lint trap is not only a fire hazard but sharply lowers the efficiency of your dryer.
Drying times depend on the effectiveness of your dryer. An older machine could take up to twice as long to dry the same set of clothes. Many dryers now have sensors that can automatically switch off the dryer when the clothes are dry saving you both and money. For dryers with a timed dry option, it is generally best to start at 40 minutes for a full load. If you come back and the clothes need more time, go for 20 additional minutes at a time. If you dry your clothes for too long it adds wear and tear on them and makes it more likely they will shrink. Heavy materials like jeans and towels take longer to dry, so when faced with a large load, a good option is to pull out the easily dried items (underwear, t-shirts, etc.) earlier in the cycle and allow more space and heat to dry the heavier items at the end.
Avoid Shrinking
A good way to avoid shrinkage is to dry your more shrinkable clothes longer on a low heat setting. This way your clothes still get dry but the intense heat you would otherwise use won't affect the more vulnerable fabrics.
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Tips & Tricks
Many stains are more likely to be removed entirely if soaked in cold water before it has had time to set.
If in doubt, test your color garment for colorfastness – apply warm water to an inconspicuous part (inside of the hem, for instance), then press this part with a warm iron between two pieces of white cloth.
To protect your favorite garments, try turning them inside out before washing.
Use a partitioned laundry basket to sort your laundry as you remove it.
Overloading your washing machine could mean that your clothes don’t properly get clean.
White streaks of powder left behind on your clothes due to undissolved detergent are usually caused by overloading your machine, and can be removed with an additional rinse cycle.
Washing much smaller loads on non-cotton cycles to give more freedom of movement in the drum and result in better cleaning.
Using too little detergent can cause whites to become dingy as there are insufficient ingredients to hold soils in the water so they don’t redeposit on the garments.
Overdosing in a soft-water area can lead to “oversudsing” which, in extreme cases, can mean suds come out of the machine.
Always check the fabric care label for the manufacturer’s washing recommendations.
Some dyes will bleed even in very cold water, so always sort your washing into light colors, dark colors, whites, and delicates.
To compensate for washing at lower temperatures, try using a Cotton (most agitation) or Synthetic cycle, if the garment care label allows. There are also detergents specially designed to work in cold water.
Whenever possible, dry your clothes outside on a line; you could see significant energy savings.
Make sure to close all zippers, fasteners, and hooks to prevent and reduce abrasion of fabric and consider placing delicate items into mesh laundry bags.
To pre-treat stains, apply undiluted laundry detergent directly onto stained areas. For best results, allow product to sit on stain for a few minutes, scrub product into stain, then wash.
When adding chlorine bleach, always use the bleach dispenser on your washer to ensure that it is added at the right time in the wash cycle. If your machine does not have a dispenser, add chlorine bleach at the end of the wash cycle.
Check garment care labels for recommended wash temperature.
For all HE washers, make sure to use a low-sudsing HE detergent.
Use the right amount of detergent. Follow package directions carefully. For heavily soiled and/or large loads, use more detergent.
If you do not have a detergent dispenser on your machine, add the detergent while the washer fills with water, ensure the detergent has dissolved, then add the clothes.
Keep your washing machine free of residues by running a monthly wash cycle with Tide Washing Machine Cleaner.
