Some people learn the hard way that washing dark or bright colors in hot water can transfer the dye to white clothing. But even if you wash all your clothes in cold water, or have successfully gone your whole life without creating a cringe-worthy pink shirt, you’re making a mistake if you don’t sort your clothes by color.
Once you come to terms with becoming an adult, you start to buy nice clothes.
Ones you buy nice clothes, you need to respect them and take better care to make them last longer. There are several ways to do that just by tweaking the way you sort, prep and wash your clothing. Here are a few ideas (and reasons for all you skeptics) to keep your whites white and your brights bright.
Only wash when dirty
The Sniff Test is a real thing. If you didn’t sweat, spill your drink or in some other way make the clothing visibly dirty, you don’t need to wash it every time. Use your best judgment here, of course.
For best results, fold the item or hang it back up so you don’t make it wrinkled or dirty from whatever’s on the floor. Jeans especially rarely need to be cleaned. Same for suits, sweaters and flannels. If you wash yourself and your underwear regularly, your clothes will need less attention.
Sort your darks & lights
When you do need to clean your clothing, sort them. I know, I know – you use cold water so it’s fine. You’ve never dyed anything pink so far. That may be true but mixing your whites and darks can still cause the darks to fade and your whites to look dingy over time. You won’t notice it after one wash, but you’ll notice it after several washings and your favorite white t-shirt is no longer white. Just sort it out, okay? It doesn’t take that long.
Turn dark clothes and heavier items like sweaters and jeans inside out. This will protect the part you really care about and preserve the color a bit longer.
Separate towels & bedding
Sort out your towels and bedding to wash them separately. It’s likely your sheets and towels will create a load of laundry all on their own but even if you’re blessed with a super-sized washing machine, don’t push it. Towel fibers can be harsh on regular clothing or leave tiny fuzz balls on everything.
Plus, when washed on their own, towels stay fluffy longer and the fitted bottom sheet won’t eat all your socks.
Baking soda & other at-home remedies
If you’re feeling fancy, or your clothes stink a lot from your daily (ahem, weekly) trips to the gym, throw in a teaspoon of baking soda with your detergent. This will help freshen up the clothes and help the colors stay bright.
Have you ever started a load in the washer and then been sucked into a 6-hour Netflix binge? We’ve all be there. When you finally snap out of it and remember your clothes it’s not a good idea to put them directly into the dryer.
Give it the old Sniff Test and, if needed, wash them again with a cup of white vinegar and hot water. While your wet clothes sat for the entire series of Making a Murderer, mildew grew and the vinegar will kill it. The dryer alone won’t take care of that.
Keep the washer & dryer clean
Another way to protect your clothes is to make sure the washer itself is clean. Some high-end ones come with self-cleaning options. But for the machines normal people use, simply checking the machine to make sure there are no items, liquids or anything inside the washer or dryer will help. Empty all your pockets and check the lint filter, too.
Professional cleaning will certainly save you from having to replace quality items in your wardrobe. Don’t have time to make it to the cleaners yourself? No problem. DriveCleaning.com offers free pick-up and delivery right to your home!
If you’re looking for a local cleaner that will pick-up and deliver your Phoenix dry cleaning, visit DriveCleaning.com today.
