Doing laundry involves more than simplytossing clothes into the washing machineand pulling them out when they’re clean.
If you’re not careful, certainlaundry mistakescan damage your clothing and diminish the effectiveness of your washer.
You use too much laundry detergent.
Credit: Jay Wilde
You sort only by color, not also by fabric.
And alwayswash towels, bedding, and other bulky items separate from clothing.
You don’t take time to prep your clothes.
Credit: David Tsay
double-check you check and empty all the pockets.
To prevent damage to other garments, take the time to zip up all zippers before washing.
You forget to pretreat stains.
Credit: Julie Soefer
But even if a stain has already sat for some time, don’t skip the pretreating step.
You keep the washer door closed.
You automatically throw everything in the dryer.
But for most clothing (with a couple importantexceptions), air-drying is the smarter choice.
That way you’re free to be assured that it won’t shrink.
Plus, heat can damage and weaken fabric, causing it to tear.
So if you want to get maximum life out of your clothing, hang most of it to dry.
You forget to remove dryer lint.
Lint buildup in your dryer can pose a serious fire hazard.
It’s also important to regularly clean the cavity that holds the lint filter.
You skip cleaning your washing machine.
Your washer cleans your clothes and linens, but the machine itself needs to be thoroughly cleaned, too.
