14 laundry myths that are ruining your clothes
<p>Doing laundry is always a learning experience. Should you wash your clothes in warm water? Do all-purpose cleaners work for all stains? </p>
<p>Read on to hear from laundry experts on what you should (and shouldn’t) be doing to your clothes.</p>
<p><strong>More detergent means cleaner clothes</strong></p>
<p>One popular myth you’ve probably heard is that using more detergent means cleaner clothes. However, the truth may be a bit different. “Using more detergent doesn’t make it work extra hard. Instead, it can leave residue on your clothes,” Brian Sansoni, from the American Cleaning Institute, tells Reader’s Digest. </p>
<p>“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 washing machine, especially since many detergents these days are concentrated.”</p>
<p><strong>The hotter the water, the better the cleaning power</strong></p>
<p>Surely, the temperature of the water would have a profound effect. However, hot water may not have as much of an impact as you might think. “Hot water won’t necessarily get clothes cleaner. In fact, it can damage some fabrics or cause some stains to become permanent instead of being removed,” Sansoni says. </p>
<p>“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.”</p>
<p><strong>The more dryer sheets, the better</strong></p>
<p>Too much of a good thing can actually, well, sometimes be a bad thing. “There is such thing as too many dryer sheets,” Laura Johnson, Research and Development at LG Electronics, tells Reader’s Digest. </p>
<p>“Overuse of dryer sheets can reduce the efficiency of your machine by leaving behind a sweet-smelling residue and congesting your lint screen.”</p>
<p><strong>Wash clothes after every wear</strong></p>
<p>Sometimes, you may not need to wash your clothes every single time you wear them. “If you throw clothes in the washing basket to be washed after every wear, you may be over-washing some items and causing them to wear out prematurely,” Sansoni says. </p>
<p>Unless it’s underwear or there’s a stain, it may not need to be washed.</p>
<p><strong>Overloading your washer with too many bulky items can damage your machine</strong></p>
<p>“Any larger items must be placed in the washer in a balanced manner to prevent laundry casualties,” explains Johnson.</p>
<p><strong>You can ignore the fabric care label</strong></p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>“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 favourite clothes.”</p>
<p><strong>All stains are created equal </strong></p>
<p>If you think you can use the same laundry detergent for blood stains as grease, you might need to rethink that plan. The stain’s type actually determines how you can remove it. </p>
<p>According to household cleaning expert Shannon Lush, blood stains should be removed with cold water and common bathroom soap, while to get rid of grease stains, simple squeeze a few drops of dishwashing liquid on your fingertips without water and rub the spot until it has changed to a jelly texture, then rinse with cold water.</p>
<p><strong>You can use body wash to thoroughly wash clothes</strong></p>
<p>It’s happened to the best of us. You put in a load of laundry and then realise that you’re out of laundry detergent. As a last resort, would body wash do the job? While hand/body wash will clean your clothes, it will not do as an effective job as a laundry detergent, since body wash has more gentle chemicals. </p>
<p>“It is best to use items that have the right amount of stronger chemicals to provide a deep clean,” Leanne Stapf, of The Cleaning Authority, tells Reader’s Digest.</p>
<p><strong>You can only hand wash your bras</strong></p>
<p>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,” Jené Luciani Sena, intimate apparel and lifestyle influencer, tells Reader’s Digest. </p>
<p>“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.”</p>
<p><strong>Using hairspray to remove cloth stains</strong></p>
<p>This is untrue of course as hairspray makes stains worse, especially ink as it will spread it more. </p>
<p>Instead, “blot some water on the stain and to make it more effective, use a versatile stain remover powder,” Robert Johnson, founder of Sawinery, tells Reader’s Digest.</p>
<p><strong>Filling the machine conserves water and energy</strong></p>
<p>What is a full machine, anyway? “Your definition of a full machine may be different from the manufacturer’s definition,” Melanie Musson, an insurance expert tells Reader’s Digest. </p>
<p>“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.”</p>
<p><strong>Visible stains are the only types of dirt you need to worry about on clothes</strong></p>
<p>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. In fact, only 30 per cent of the soils in your laundry are visible – things like food, dirt and grass stains,” Jennifer Ahoni, Tide Senior Scientist, tells Reader’s Digest. </p>
<p>“The other 70 per cent 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 odours, dinginess and dullness. Deep clean removes both visible and invisible dirt.”</p>
<p><strong>You only need to sort laundry by colours</strong></p>
<p>This might be good news for people who may not have time to sort through their clothes by colour. “While sorting by colours is always a good idea, you also need to consider sorting by fabric type,” says Ahoni. </p>
<p>“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.”</p>
<p><strong>You should fasten buttons before washing</strong></p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>“It can also lead to the article of clothing getting stretched because of the uneven pressure the place of the button puts on the clothes when compared to a seam.”</p>
<p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>
<p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/food-home-garden/home-tips/14-laundry-myths-that-are-ruining-your-clothes?pages=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>. </em></p>
