Laundry Basics

Ok you college kids, got a phone call today, so listen up before you throw those jeans (etc) in the wash, here are a few laundry tips you should keep in mind to avert disaster…

 

Empty those pockets! If you don’t, in addition to money laundering (LOL) you may end up without a cell phone or worse yet, staining your entire wash load. I’m not sure which is worse actually.

 

Zip up those zippers, snap those snaps, hook those hooks.

 

Tie any strings, like sweat shirts or pant drawstrings, so they don’t get tangled or pulled out of the garment all together. It will save you about an hour of feeding the string back through the item with a safety pin. You have better things to do with your time, right?

 

Remove your belt and any pins that shouldn’t go through the wash – you’ll be paying for washing machine repairs.

Washing your new pair of jeans? Better turn them inside-out and wash them separately. That goes for your reds too, no matter how old they are. And do it in cold water!

 

Wash your towels and wash cloths separately from clothing, in hot water.

 

Read your garment’s care labels, especially if it is something you have never washed before.

 

Finally, the mother of all laundry rules – never overload the washing machine! When in doubt – split it out.

 

Same goes for the dryer, never overload the dryer and try not to over-dry the clothes. Overloading the dryer makes for a lot of wrinkles and over-drying clothes will wear them out in no time.