You value what you wear and want them to be as good as they were when you bought them after they went through your washer. Keeping the quality of your clothes will be easier if you’re going through your local launderette with your laundry needs. But it is more difficult to save up some money by doing laundry alone. Here are sure-fire ways to damage your clothes without knowing.

You may not notice it, but the things you do can damage your clothes if you do not pay close attention. You can gradually wear out the fabric on your clothes through simple actions or bad laundry practices. Here are some antics you should watch for and avoid doing on your precious garments.

“Is Washing It on My Own ‘Bad’ for My Clothes?”

Washing your clothes isn’t bad; bad washing practices are. Things you do in the laundry can affect and wear out your perfectly fine clothes the more you continue doing them. What are the things you do wrong when doing your laundry?

Ways to Damage Your Clothes: Sorting out of Materials and Dirtiness is Not Necessary 

Sorting is very important to do the laundry right. But do you often sort out clothes between light and dark only? Colour is as important as the fabric used in every piece of clothing and the dirtiness of your used clothes when sorting them out for washing.  

To avoid damaging delicate fabrics, denim clothing and other heavier materials must be separated from lighter and softer ones. The same goes for the heavily soiled garments mixing up with lesser soiled ones, as this will result in cleaner clothes picking up more filth in the water that could lead to white or light-coloured fabric getting a yellowish tinge.

Just “Stuffing” Laundry in the washer

You can easily miss it, but you don’t just put dirty laundry in the washer and let the washer do its job. One of the things that can affect the condition of the other clothes you mix is leaving the zippers undone. 

Not securing the zipper can snag softer and more delicate fabric through its teeth, leading to damage. Avoid damaging your clothes by closing zippers that might catch thin fabric or loose threads.

Velcro is something you should also watch for. They are as notorious as zippers for snagging clingy fabric in clothes. Make sure to watch the clothes you’ll wash with any garments that have Velcro. 

You should also check on the many things left inside the clothing pockets that could damage the washer or the fabric. Pens, coins, and lipsticks in pockets can lead to more stains, discolouration, and washer damage if left unchecked. 

Not Checking Clothes’ Care Labels

Sometimes, people forget or don’t check the clothes’ care labels. They miss out on essential measures to take care of their garments the way manufacturers intend them to. Different garments require different procedures for caring for them. You shouldn’t just stuff everything in your trusty washer. Not following how you should care for your clothes will inevitably lead to progressive damage to your clothes. 

Bad Washer Care Leads to the Bad Fabric

Not only should you watch out for the clothes you put in your washer, but you also need to check on your washer. If cleaned infrequently, grime and dirt build up in the washing machine, leading to dirt in your clothes. Always check and clean your washer because good washing practices won’t be enough when you have equipment full of the dirt waiting to seep into your clothing.

What Actions Should You Avoid?

After washing your clothes properly, the last steps are drying and storing them. Of course, bad practices could still damage your loved garments. That is why you should watch out for these antics to ensure that your clothes don’t wear out from washing to drying to storing.

Improper Storage Practices

Incorrect storage of dry clothes not only spell chaos when you finally wear them, but materials like leather can have creases on them that you might never get rid of. The place of storage can also damage your clothes. 

Always choose a cool, dry, and well-ventilated place since excess moisture can leave a musty smell on the clothes, and too much heat can damage the fabrics. Keep an eye out for pests that might snack on your precious garments. 

Over-Drying Your Clothes

After washing your clothes correctly, there’s nothing to do but dry them. However, dryers also do most of the damage to clothing. Over-drying clothes can cause shrinkage in the garment and warping elasticity (especially on workout clothes), and tumble dryers can be rough on the fabric.

The heat from over-drying can also cause the clothes’ colours to fade. Instead of using a tumbling dryer, laying your clothes on a rack would be a viable option. 

When drying big loads, you need maximum capacity, and if you want to avoid over-drying clothes, a heated clothes drying rack would be a viable option.  Heated clothes airers like the ones from ABIS Electronics provide you with maximum space for drying racks and 20.5m of drying space for a capacity of 15 kgs. 

You can also check the Wings Electric Heated Clothes Airer from ABIS, which has a volume of 1800 mm x 540 mm x 1105 mm, providing you with a drying space of 15m and a capacity of 15 kgs. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

There are many causes of damage to your clothes that you don’t always notice, especially when washing your laundry. It’s always safe to keep an eye out for everything on this list to ensure that you save money by doing your laundry and keeping your garments in perfect condition.