The Laundry

The Laundry Department

Laundry Products:

1. Read the labels on all packets of laundry products before you use them
2. Don’t use more laundry detergent or soap than recommended. You will waste money, and may damage the washing machine and make an inefficient job of the wash as a normal cycle cannot rinse away excess detergent and the clothes are left with a residue and this can weaken the fabric and make clothes look old and dirty
3. High temperatures dissolve powders more quickly
4. If the washing machine overflows with suds, pour in a little fabric softener, the suds will subside
5. Before soaking anything in a solution using a dry ingredient, dissolve the powder completely or colour spotting may occur.

Washing machine:

1. Read the manufacturers booklet that comes with your washing machine
2. Never overload the washing machine or clothes will not wash thoroughly
3. Remember to clean your washing machine.  Fisher & Paykel top loaders, you can unscrew the centre column and clean away all the soap scum.  If you have persons in your house that are doing manual labour and lots of very dirty washing you may have to do this each week.

Face cloths:

1. To keep fresh, wash until clear of soap, soak in water containing lemon juice or vinegar, rinse and hand out to dry
2.  We have facecloths for removing makeup – you can purchase these from QueenB  www.queenb.co.nz

Bed Sheets:

1. How often should you change your bed – at least once a week.  Its not only about hygiene, cleanliness, but about a good nights sleep. It can effect your well-being and mood!
2. On average an adult sheds 1.5 grams of dry skin each day and a large amount of it is found between the sheets
3. Dry skin can lead to dust mites, allergy or asthma symptoms like coughing, sneezing and itchy eyes
4. Wash sheets on high temperature to get rid of dust mites etc

Sorting the washing:

1. Sort items as to the fabric, coloured/whites and your washing machine settings. 
2. White synthetic materials such as nylon, poly should not be washed with coloured garments, not even pastels.
3. Rayons, acetates, and other fragile fabrics should be washed as delicate synthetics and be separate from heavy fabrics and washed with a mild detergent.
4. Delicate items can be put in a pillowcase protector with a zip and this will help to protect them during the wash.
5. Cotton items can be washed together, but whites and colours separate as you don’t want your whites looking grey.
6. Permanent press and wash n wear garments should be washed accordingly to the garment manufactures instructions.
7. Close zippers
8. Pre-treat soil and stains
9. Buttons are best left unfastened
10. Pockets – turn inside out and check for coins, pens, tissues….
11. If clothes aren’t badly rumpled or dirty, an airing may be all they need
12. Button cuffs of shirts to the front of the shirt before putting in the washing machine and you will have fewer tangles and hand up straight away – less ironing.
13. A bath towel after one use is wet, not dirty, hand to dry rather than put in wash

Nylon turning yellow prevention:  (including white socks)

1. Soak in a solution of warm water to which a dessertspoon of bicarbonate of soda has been added.  Then was as usual.

Baby nappy rash creams:

1. Some contain a chemical which when combined with a chlorine or household bleach can cause brown stains.  Soak in a normal detergent solution and was in hot water

How to care for fabrics

Cashmere

1. Cashmere sweaters and jumpers need careful hand laundering
2. Use very cool suds made with a wool washing mixture
3. Cashmere must not be wrung, but it can be spin dry on a low setting.  Put a towel or other soft clothing in the drier to act as a buffer or roll the wet garment in a large towel and press out water and this will keep its shape better
4. Cashmere will stretch with the weight of water
5. Dry inside out
6. Steam press when dry

Silk

1. Generally, it is better to have silk dry cleaned.
2. If the label says colourfast and washable, handwash as for wool and the last rinse should be cold.
3. If silk is washable and multicoloured, wash in cold water and add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to 4 litres of water
4. A little white vinegar in the final rinse helps restore sheen to silk
5. Drip dry silk to avoid unnecessary squeezing.
6. Dry silk in the shade
7. Sugar in the rinsing water will stiffen silk, also lace and muslin, if you need it

Cottons

1. Soak colourfast, close-weave cottons if necessary, then wash vigorously in hot water or cold water with the appropriate detergent
2. More delicate cottons may need to be washed by hand

Cotton Jersey

1. Wash as for wool and then to keep their shape roll in a towel to remove some of the moisture and dry flat

Linen

1. Pure linen should be washed in wool detergent

Synthetics

1. Use a gentle cycle and don’t spin
2. Do not use bleach and rinse well

Unsure if items are colour fast – such as batik and Indian cotton

1. Wash in cold water with 2 tablespoons of salt and half a cup of vinegar
2. Do not soak
3. Let garments drip dry out of the sun

Black fading (very annoying)

1. If your black items are looking brownish after a few washes, to restore add bluing, coffee or strong tea when rinsing
2. To prevent the fading, add a few drops of vinegar to the wash
3. Hang out of sunlight
4. Jeans faded then add a new pair of unwashed jeans when washing the faded ones and it will add colour to faded ones

Fading of items

1. 1 teaspoon of Epson salts to four litres of rinse water helps keep many materials from fading or running
2. Do not hang out in sunshine

Fabric dye runs

1. It is possible to stabilise it by rinsing the garment several times in cold water and 2 – 3 tablespoons of salt have been added.
2. Hang

Dissolve the alkaline in soaps & detergents

1. By putting 1 cup white vinegar to the rinse cycle

Drying

1. Never leave wet washing in the washing machine and if you do, then rewash it
2. Never leave wet washing in the laundry basket i) The colour from dark items can run into paler coloured ones

ii) they can go mouldy, or just smell (re wash if smelly)

• Peg clothes on the line at their strongest part i) Men’s shirts and women’s dresses by the hem or by the shoulders if anxious about a garment losing shape

          ii) Shorts by the waistband and T shirts by the shoulders, socks by the toes

• After washing a permanently pleated skirt, gather pleats together tightly and slip a stocking down over the skirt.  Hang up to dry and the pleats will look freshly pressed.
• Don’t hang washing out to dry inside, as it will bring dampness inside.   During Winter, put on clothes horse outside during the day and then air infront of the fireplace at night.
• If you have miserable winter months of rain and snow, consider putting a hanging rack in the ceiling in your laundry or garage and hang your clothes there.
• Dark colours, particularly woollens, dry more slowly than pale
• Use gentle spin cycle for heavy garments to avoid creasing and wrinkling.  I also use for shirts and hang up on coat hangars immediately so no ironing is necessary
• Articles will dry faster and more evenly if the drier is only half full
• Don’t put dark coloured items with light coloured towels in the tumble drier as fluff may transfer

Ironing

1. For faster ironing place a strip of heavy duty aluminium foil over the length of the ironing board and cover with pad.  As you iron, heat will reflect to the underside of the garment.
2. I do use spray on starch – it makes ironing easier and the garments remain in good condition when you wear them
3. Some fabrics, are best ironed damp. You can have an old Tea Towel that you rinse out and put over the garment and iron on top. Clothes dampened with hot water will be ready to iron sooner than cold.
4. Nearly ironed garments will crease again quickly, so avoid wearing or packing them immediately.  Hang them for 24 hours first.
5. Iron starched items, especially table linen, on the right side to increase resistance to soiling.
6. If clothes and items are folded immediately when taken out of drier or off the line, it will make ironing easier.
7. Remember to turn the iron off, even if only called to the door bell or phone.  If you have small children, unplug and put out of reach so that they can not pull it down on top of themselves.
8. Do not overfill your iron or it will spatter on your clothes.  Allow for it to heat up before using on steam or it will spatter too.
9. Always empty your iron after use
10. Clean your iron
11. remove mineral deposits from inside steam iron, fill it with equal parts of water and white vinegar.  Let it steam for several minutes, disconnect and leave 1 hour, empty and rinse out with clear water
12. Remove brown or burned-on spots on an iron by rubbing with a heated solution of vinegar and salt
13. Bicarbonate of soda is a good scouring agent when the face of your iron needs cleaning to make it glide smoothly. Apply it dry or with a damp sponge, gently scrub the surface clean
14. When ironing newly knitted garments use brown paper instead of a damp cloth and it will not flatten the pattern out
15. If you down the hem of a garment and the old crease remains, dip a handkerchief in a bowl of white vinegar, place on crease and press a hot iron on it.  Repeat until the crease is invisible
16. Iron corduroy clothes on the wrong side to keep them looking new

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