14 Laundry Myths That Are Ruining Your Clothes
Updated: Mar. 13, 2023Your clothes and appliances will thank you!
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Laundry Myths
Doing laundry is always a learning experience. Should you wash your clothes in warm water? Do all-purpose cleaners work for all stains? Read on to hear from laundry experts on what you should (and shouldn’t) be doing to your clothes.
Then, find out what these laundry symbols mean.
More Detergent Means Cleaner Clothes
One popular myth you’ve probably heard is that using more detergent means cleaner clothes. The truth? It doesn’t.
“Using more detergent doesn’t make it work extra hard. Instead, it can leave residue on your clothes,” says Brian Sansoni, senior vice president for communications at the American Cleaning Institute. “You’ll probably just need to wash them again and over time these extra washings can make them wear out faster.
“Check the detergent label for how much detergent to use for your size load and washer, especially since many these days are concentrated.”
If you’re not sure, be on the lookout for some of these tell-tale signs you’re using too much laundry detergent. You can also switch over to laundry detergent sheets instead.
The Hotter the Water, the Better the Cleaning Power
Surely, the temperature of the water has a profound effect. But hot water may not have as much of an impact as you might think.
“Hot water won’t necessarily get clothes cleaner,” Sansoni says. “In fact, it can damage some fabrics or cause some stains to become permanent instead of being removed. This is the case of a myth that may have been true in the past, but detergents these days have been designed to work just as well, if not better, in cold water. Always follow the fabric care label.”
Add this to the list of ways to avoid ruining your clothes in the laundry.
The More Dryer Sheets, the Better
Too much of a good thing can actually, well, sometimes be a bad thing.
“There is such a thing as too many dryer sheets,” says Laura Johnson, a research and development rep at LG Electronics. “Overuse of dryer sheets can reduce the efficiency of your machine by leaving behind a sweet-smelling residue and congesting your lint screen.”
Instead, here are 22 genius uses for dryer sheets that will change your life.
Wash Clothes After Every Wear
Sometimes, you may not need to wash your clothes every single time you wear them. “If you throw clothes in the hamper to be washed after every wear, you may be over-washing some items and causing them to wear out prematurely,” Sansoni says. “Unless there’s a stain, it may not need to be washed.”
This might be one of the 10 bad cleaning habits you didn’t realize you had.
Overloading Your Washer With Bulky Items Can Damage Your Machine
“Any larger items must be placed in the washer in a balanced manner to prevent laundry casualties,” explains Johnson.
You Can Ignore the Fabric Care Label
As with everything, always read the instructions — and that includes the fabric care label.
“There are times when it’s tempting to throw all the clothes in the washer and be done with it,” Sansoni says. “However, every piece of commercial clothing has a tag with care instructions from the manufacturer designed to keep the item looking its best. Learn what the symbols mean and follow those instructions to extend the life of your favorite clothes.”
All Stains Are Created Equal
If you think you can use the same laundry detergent for coffee stains as baby formula, you might need to rethink that plan. Next time you want to deep clean your clothes, try laundry stripping.
“The stain’s type actually determines how you can remove it,” say the laundry experts at Carbona, who take stain removal seriously. Carbona has a collection of nine stain removers called Stain Devils that are specially formulated to remove tough stains every time.
Here’s a quick guide on how you can remove every type of stain.
You Can Use Hand Soap To Thoroughly Wash Clothes
It’s happened to the best of us. You put in a load of laundry and then realize that you’re out of laundry detergent. As a last resort, would hand soap do the job?
“While hand soap will, to some extent, clean your clothes, it will not do an effective job since soap for the body has more gentle chemicals,” says Leanne Stapf, chief operating officer of The Cleaning Authority. “It is best to use items that have the right amount of stronger chemicals to provide a deep clean.”
These are some of the safest laundry detergents you can buy.
You Can Only Hand-Wash Your Bras
Who here has hand-washed their bras and then found out there’s an easier way to wash them?
“There is a myth that you can only hand wash your bras, which is not true,” says Jené Luciani Sena, an intimate apparel and lifestyle influencer. “You can put them in a mesh garment bag, zip it up, and put on a cool water gentle cycle with a gentle detergent in the washing machine.”
Using Hairspray To Remove Cloth Stains
“This is untrue of course,” says Robert Johnson, founder of Sawinery. “Hairspray worsens stains, especially the ink ones by spreading it out more. Instead, blot some water to the stain. And to make it more effective, use a versatile stain remover powder.”
Filling the Machine Conserves Water and Energy
What is a full machine, anyway? “Your definition of a full machine may be different from the manufacturer’s definition,” says Melanie Musson, an insurance expert with USInsuranceAgents.com.
“Washing machines are designed to work optimally with a two-thirds full maximum. If you pack the machine to the top, the detergent won’t be able to spread around and clean all the clothes and you’ll have to wash them again, saving neither water nor energy.”
If you aren’t cleaning your washing machine, this might convince you to start.
Visible Stains Are the Only Ones To Worry About on Clothes
You might think that a shirt is dirty when you see a stain, but there’s a lot more than meets the eye.
“Your clothes might be dirtier than you think,” says Jennifer Ahoni, a senior scientist for Tide. “In fact, only 30 percent of the soils in your laundry are visible — things like food, dirt, and grass stains.
“The other 70 percent include invisible soils made up of body soils like sweat and body oils, which if not removed by a deep cleaning laundry detergent will build up over time and cause odors, dinginess, and dullness. Deep clean provides removal of both visible and invisible dirt.”
Looking for cleaning products to use around your home? Here are 18 cleaning products professional house cleaners always buy.
You Only Need To Sort Laundry by Colors
This might be good news for people who may not have time to sort through their clothes by color.
“While sorting by colors is always a good idea, you also need to consider sorting by fabric type,” says Ahoni. “Heavier fabrics such as denim can damage finer and more delicate fabrics. Make sure to always check the care label for the best guidance on washing and recommendations on other fabrics to wash with.”
Find out the things that should never end up in your washing machine.
You Should Fasten Buttons Before Washing
How many times have you buttoned up your shirt before placing it in the washer? In fact, you may not need to do this at all.
“Fastening buttons before washing can lead to the buttons falling off due to the stress the washing machine puts on the clothes,” Musson says. “It can also lead to the article of clothing getting stretched out because of the uneven pressure the place of the button on the clothes when compared to a seam.”
Ready to start washing your clothes the right way? You’ll need one of these best washer and dryer combos.
Sources:
- Brian Sansoni, senior vice president, American Cleaning Institute.
- Leanne Stapf, COO of The Cleaning Authority.
- Melanie Musson, insurance expert with USInsuranceAgents.com.
