Everything we know about doing laundry we learned in childhood. “Most people will cook the way their mothers cooked. We learn laundry basics the same way,” says Jenifir Provateare, who has been developing laundry industry products for 20 years.
But it might be time to dump some of mom or dad’s outdated laundry habits. We asked Provateare, a product development manager at Nehemiah Manufacturing, a Cincinnati-based consumer goods company, to identify six common mistakes consumers make when operating washing machines.
• Never mastering the art of sorting: Many people just sort by color, especially if they plan to wash everything in cold water. Uh-uh. Sort clothes by wash temperature as indicated on the care label. Then sort those piles by color before washing.
• Being skimpy with detergent: Detergents are quite concentrated and can be expensive, whether you have a standard or high-efficiency machine. The majority of people use liquids and many believe they can get away with less than the suggested amount. Not true. If you are stingy, the dirt on clothes just redistributes itself in the wash instead of going out with the rinse.
• Stuck on cold: Consumers often select cold water since it’s a less risky choice: It won’t shrink your skinny jeans or cause your striped shirt to bleed. But cold water is not always best and may not be getting clothes clean or odors out. Read the care label instructions; they may say to use warm.
• The bleach effect: Do you use bleach on white socks and underwear that contain elastic? Cease and desist. Bleach eats elastic. Switch to a detergent with preadded bleach alternative or whitener.
• Not treating stains as fashion emergencies: Once a smudge or spot goes through a warm water wash and heated dry, it probably won’t come out. Carry a stain pen with you. If you have a spill, immediately put a cloth or paper towel behind the stain and rub with the pen. When you get home, spritz with stain remover spray and wash right away in the warmest water the clothing can tolerate. The exception: blood stains, which you should wash in cold water.
• Being too lazy to wash new clothes or linens before use: If you get a new polo shirt or sheet set, you should wash it by itself before you wear or use it. Washing first should remove any residual chemicals left over from the manufacturing process.
