Yahoo Makers Contributors

12 Ways You're Doing Laundry Wrong

Yahoo Makers Contributors

October 6, 2015 at 3:48 AM

1. You’re sorting wrong You probably already know to separate darks and whites, but it’s more complicated than that. Don’t mix towels in with synthetic clothing (especially stretchy workout garb), because you may end up with serious pilling. Same goes for washing fleece jackets with anything else. Credit: iStock

2. Don’t wash after every wear Unless you constantly sweat or smell particularly rank, washing most things after a single wear is totally unnecessary. Overwashing wears out your clothes faster. Instead, simply spritz them with a homemade linen spray and rejoice in less frequent laundry days. Credit: Flickr/Celeste Lindell

3. You’re using way too much detergent You might think that more soap means a more powerful clean. False. In fact, using a lot of detergent will actually leave your clothes dirtier because it produces excess suds that collect dirt and trap it in areas that won’t rinse clean. If you’re used to measuring out half a cap per load, cut that in half. Credit: Flickr/Mike Mozart

4. Don’t put fabric softeners in with towels It actually reduces their absorbency when wet, which defeats the entire purpose of a bath towel. And don’t bother tossing towels in with wicking active wear either, since that prevents them from absorbing moisture too. Credit: Flickr/Bonnaf

5. Wash comforters and pillows twice For down comforters and pillows, you’ll want to take them to a laundromat’s high-capacity machine and wash them twice. The reason being that the feathers’ denseness causes some detergent to get trapped, so a second rinse cycle will assure everything’s cleared out. Lastly, toss them in the dryer with a clean tennis ball; it’ll fluff and redistribute the feathers while also reducing drying time. Credit: Thinkstock

6. Never wash a bathing suit Even though they’re designed to sit in water, you shouldn’t wash your bathing suits in a washing machine, since the wash will damage the fabric (particularly if it contains spandex). The trick is to wash them by hand in cold water with mild soap. Don’t even think about tossing them in the dryer. Credit: Thinkstock

8. Keep your machine clean It might seem weird to wash the appliance that you entrust to, well, wash stuff, but you should be doing it once a year so that gunk doesn’t build up inside. It’s fairly simple, and requires running an empty hot rinse cycle with vinegar and baking soda followed by minor scrubbing. Credit: Flickr/Bart Everson

9. Quit overloading your machine Not only will clothes not get as clean as they should, but the crowded barrel will actually cause creases. Credit: Thinkstock

10. Keep those zippers zipped Before tossing any garment with a zipper—no matter how small—in the wash, make sure it’s zipped. Their exposed teeth can wreak havoc on other fabrics while swishing around in a washing machine or dryer. Credit: Thinkstock

12. Unbutton your buttons Whether it’s an Oxford or a pair of chinos, make sure buttons aren’t secured before beginning a load. Otherwise you risk prematurely weakening their threading as they’re tossed to and fro in the machine. Credit: Thinkstock

1. You’re sorting wrong You probably already know to separate darks and whites, but it’s more complicated than that. Don’t mix towels in with synthetic clothing (especially stretchy workout garb), because you may end up with serious pilling. Same goes for washing fleece jackets with anything else. Credit: iStock

1. You’re sorting wrong You probably already know to separate darks and whites, but it’s more complicated than that. Don’t mix towels in with synthetic clothing (especially stretchy workout garb), because you may end up with serious pilling. Same goes for washing fleece jackets with anything else. Credit: iStock

By: Joe McGauley

Like death and taxes, doing laundry is one of life’s more unpleasant inevitabilities. And while it’s easy to pay someone else to do it all, you owe it to your grown self to learn how to do it right on your own.

With that in mind, here are 12 things you may not realize you’re doing wrong on laundry day. Step one: lay off the detergent, dude.

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12 Ways You're Doing Laundry Wrong

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