Washing Garments The Right Way

Ever wondered why your clothes don’t last as long as you had thought?

Let’s be real, as much as we all love shopping, the effort and money that goes into selecting just the right pieces that you absolutely fall in love with is a cumbersome process – having to bid adieu to clothes that are loved is, well, painful.

The first and the easiest way that we can prolong the shelf life of a clothing item is by paying attention to its laundering needs. Washing clothes in the right way is a sure-shot way of giving extra life to your loved piece.

1) Learn to read the wash-care label

Every garment comes with its own specific needs and requirements for washing, drying and ironing. It’s a small label, and generally has symbolic representations. A quick search online can help you understand better what each symbol stands for, and you can improve your laundering.

Here are basic symbols and their meanings – Variations in these could mean differences in requirements of that process.

2) Know the fabric

Fabric composition is another major aspect that you may want to keep in mind before subjecting a particular garment to laundering. For ex, all of us are well aware that a pure silk garment cannot be tossed in the washing machine. Fabric composition is also mentioned in most labels attached to the garment.

• Cotton – This is the most common kind of fabric that we all have in our wardrobes, and it’s one of the easiest to maintain as well. Most cotton clothes can be laundered in washing machine at warm-cold temperatures, unless specified. Hang dry your cotton clothes and use high heat ironing.

• Viscose – Viscose fabrics are also one of the easy-maintenance fabrics, and can be washed in the machine at cold temperatures. They can be hanged to dry, and laid flat. Always iron them inside-out on a medium heat.

• Linen – Linen clothes require a little more care than cotton and viscose, but have an un-matched grace. They must be washed on a gentle cycle in a cool setting, or hand washed. Do not wring linen – cool tumble dry or hang to dry, and iron inside out on medium heat when slightly damp.

• Silk – Being one of the luxury fabrics, it requires care. Generally, hand washed, but they can sometimes be washed on a delicate cycle in the machine. Use gentle laundry detergent, or shampoo work well too! Always lay flat to dry, or the garment will lose its shape. Iron inside out on a low heat.