s/o Laundry... I need some tips, too.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

So, I've been making some investments into what my mom calls my "grown up clothes" - i.e. things that are not t-shirts and that are not gray in color, either from origin or from my laundry methods.  I would like for these things to stay nice.  

 

- How do I wash good quality bras so that they last?  Is the dryer what is causing my bras to die quickly?  Do I need to line dry them?

- How do you separate lights and darks when the item itself might have multiple colors?  I don't UNDERSTAND!!!  😩

- What about hot vs cold washes?  My DH prefers his socks and undies are washed on hot, but I don't personally care, so for mine to last longer, do I wash them on cold unless they are particularly dirty?  

 

Any other helpful advice?  Assume I've simply stuffed things into the washer with absolutely no discretion for my entire life...   

[Ottakee]

Air drying helps the elastic last longer.  

[Pen]

1 hour ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

So, I've been making some investments into what my mom calls my "grown up clothes" - i.e. things that are not t-shirts and that are not gray in color, either from origin or from my laundry methods.  I would like for these things to stay nice.  

 

- How do I wash good quality bras so that they last?  Is the dryer what is causing my bras to die quickly?  Do I need to line dry them?

 

Cold temp / delicate wash cycle in a mesh lingerie bag    Look at label for special instructions   Or hand wash

Air dry for real or air dry cycle    Look at garment label and your washer instructions 

 

 

1 hour ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

- How do you separate lights and darks when the item itself might have multiple colors?  I don't UNDERSTAND!!!  😩

-

 

Most multi color garments have colorfast dyes.  IMO All you need to separate is 1) items that will likely bleed color (newer jeans perhaps, natural dye garments, cheap knock off items...) You can sometimes test by rubbing them with a wet white rag to see if any color trace comes off.  2) things you will be washing in a way that would badly affect other things....     eg if underpants and towels will be washed hot and heavy duty that’s different than a typical load even if no bleach will be used

1 hour ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

 

What about hot vs cold washes?  My DH prefers his socks and undies are washed on hot, but I don't personally care, so for mine to last longer, do I wash them on cold unless they are particularly dirty?  

 

IME cold tends to be gentler on fabrics. Cycle also matters, especially if you have a top loader with agitator that will cause friction and perhaps twisting.   Make sure your soap or detergent will work in cold.  (Box or bottle should say)

1 hour ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

Any other helpful advice?  Assume I've simply stuffed things into the washer with absolutely no discretion for my entire life...   

 

Read labels.  Read washer and dryer manuals where it gives load and setting recommendations 

 

I have had this as part of a group of info for foster kids (in book form), and while it’s kind of dated, I think it’s still quite good:

http://itsmymove.org/docs/resources/MiniMicropedia-LOOKIN-GOOD.pdf

[fairfarmhand]

Your bras will last way way longer if you air dry them. The elastic dies in the dryer.

Multicolored things I put in with the overall tone. So if it’s light multicolored, it goes with lights because I don’t want darks bleeding on it.

i toss my colored undies and socks In with everything else. 

Towels are separate because of lint.

[Pen]

Material is very important.  

EG your Underpants could be any color and 100% cotton vs 100% silk vs polyester vs nylon would tolerate more or less heat, abrasion etc

I personally don’t use chlorine bleach due to its fumes

I do use: oxyclean, borax, baking soda, vinegar as additives for cleaning and soaking

as well as a free and clear detergent suitable for my washer

[almondbutterandjelly]

2 hours ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

- How do I wash good quality bras so that they last?  Cold, delicate or even better "handwash" setting if your washer has one.  In a mesh bag. 

Is the dryer what is causing my bras to die quickly?  Yes

Do I need to line dry them?  Yes

- How do you separate lights and darks when the item itself might have multiple colors? Personally, I do not separate lights and darks.  I have three categories:  whites (these will get bleach), pinks/reds/oranges/purples, and blues/blacks/all other colors.  (Note I do not own yellow but if I did, it would get washed completely separately).

- What about hot vs cold washes?  Cold helps colors not bleed.  I like warm for stuff that has a smell or is a little dirty.  Hot is only for bleachable stuff in our house.

 

 

[sweet2ndchance]

I hate doing laundry. It just seems like a never ending chore. For that and other reasons, it is my second most hated household chore.

So I choose clothing with that in mind. My "grown up clothes" as you call them do not require special handling in the wash. They are light and breathable synthetic fabrics like nylon, acrylic rayon and polyester. If they "accidentally"  get tossed in with the regular clothes or get a stain or smell to them for some reason that really needs a dose of bleach to fix it, it won't harm the piece of clothing. Synthetics are not dyed, the color is part of the fiber. By the time you add enough bleach to take the color out of them, you will have eaten a hole in the fabric. Think of the man-made fibers that swimming suits are made of. You can go to the chlorine fill pool all summer and the color hardly fades at all.

When I was a teen/young adult, I had fancy silk shirts and 100% cotton dresses and the like. That's when I learned that as pretty as they were, I hated washing them and babying them to keep them looking nice. Some people might enjoy doing those things, but I'm not one of them. So I changed how I bought clothing to more closely match the amount of work I'm willing to put in to keeping them looking nice. Day to day, I'm a t-shirt and jeans girl but if I can get away with sweat pants instead of jeans, I'll take that option. I have a few nice outfits for when t-shirts and jeans are not appropriate attire but I made sure that they were just as easy to care for as t-shirts and jeans.

The only color I separate out is whites. But because our water is heavy on the iron, I try to avoid buying white clothes whenever possible (iron in the water turns whites orangey-brown and bleach makes it worse!). That and when I wear white, it is guaranteed I will somehow spill something on it that will stain. Underwear and socks go in with the towels and they are all washed in hot water. Our towels smell funky if I wash them in cold water and socks and underwear go in with them because.... I don't know, just because that's how I've always done it! Since I typically put bleach in with towels (though lately I've found that vinegar works just as well as bleach unless there are towels in there that were used to clean up a disgusting mess or something) I guess it just made sense to me that the clothing that tends to get the dirtiest with kids gets washed in hot bleach water. I was never taught to wash laundry as a kid so I know I didn't learn it from my mom or anything like that. It just made sense to me I guess when I was a new young mom handling the family laundry for the first time.

[Pawz4me]

I wash bras in a lingerie bag along with synthetic athletic clothing. Cool or cold water, no bleach or softener or anything other than detergent, delicate or permanent press cycle. I hang bras to dry.

I separate laundry by color and fabric as much as possible without driving myself nuts. Towels are a separate load, as are jeans and other dark clothing. Whites and light pastels are a different load. Pretty much everything else I consider colored clothing and that gets its own load. For multicolored garments I tend to go with whatever will likely do the least harm. So if the item is primarily navy but has some red I’d probably put it in with the darks. If it was primarily red but had some navy I’d probably put it in with the coloreds. 

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

Thank you, everyone, these are great tips!

[sweet2ndchance]

3 hours ago, Æthelthryth the Texan said:

If you have an agitatorless washer there is no way I’d put anything delicate in it outside of a lingerie bag. Those things are king at ripping/tearing clothes. (Even jeans). It’s sort of a known flaw in the industry like mold in front loaders when they first came back out.....

Huh. I was given a new agitatorless washing machine about a year ago when my agitator washer died. I haven't had any problems with clothing being ripped, torn or damaged in any way. If anything, I'd say it is more gentle than the agitator washer was. I usually run it on normal or heavy duty depending on how long I want it to "agitate" the clothes or whatever I'm washing. Really the only problem I've had with it at all is if you just throw blankets or sheets in there willy nilly. There will be a blanket mushroom cap when the washer is done which sometimes leaves bits of soap stuck to the top of that blanket. When it happens, I just have to reposition the blanket in the washer so that it isn't spread across the middle and run the cycle again. Inconvenient but it doesn't damage anything or rip it up. I wonder if it ripping up clothes is only certain brands or a flaw that has been addressed or something like that. I was skeptical at first about no agitator but I absolutely love it now... well as much as I can love a machine for the chore I hate lol.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

I have a front loader, so I guess the question is moot, but I wish it were larger.  Sigh.