5 Most Common Laundry Mistakes

Shrunken sweaters, lost socks, and torn shirts. If every time you open the washing machine you experience an “uh-oh” moment, don’t worry. You’re not alone. With the average US consumer buying one new item of clothing every 5.5 days, it’s clear that clothes aren’t being treated as well as they could be. And, poor practices in the laundry room play a part in that.

Here are quick fixes to some common laundry mistakes.

A splash of red wine or a drop of curry can spell disaster for your clothes.

It’s tempting to throw the stained item in the laundry pile and wait until laundry day comes around next week – or maybe next month for some of you. While you’re waiting to get the motivation to start your laundry day, the stain digs itself deeper and deeper into the fibers.

But, it doesn’t have to be this way!

Solution: Soak the stain immediately if possible. This will get the worst of it out before washing. You can use our stain treatment guide to help get started.

Or better still, send your laundry to a laundry service or dry cleaning. Letting the laundry service or dry cleaning know that it is stained by submitting a request our stain removal, will make sure the stain gets proper attention.

Ok, so it’s good to tackle a stubborn stain quickly. But there’s no need to rub so hard that you break a sweat. Rubbing stains too hard can wear the fabric out. You don’t want the color to fade or the clothing to get damaged.

Solution: Soak the garment first and then gently dab the stain. It’s best to pat it from the outside in. By doing this, you’ll push the stain out rather than further into the fabric.

These are some of the most common laundry mistakes. Please, please, please check your pockets and unbutton your buttons. As a laundry delivery service, we spend a ton of time checking pockets and unbuttoning buttons before pretreating any of our laundry service orders.

Unbottong your buttons prevent added stress on the buttons that might cause them to pop off during the wash and dry cycles. Hear that clunk, clunk coming from the machine? That’s the chapstick you left in your pocket or think pen that you forgot to take out.

If you only take away one tip for your new and improved laundry routine, let it be this: CHECK ALL OF YOUR POCKETS!

Check all of your pockets before starting the washing machine. Nothing ruins your day and your clothing like a rouge crayon that is run through the dryer. Think you don’t need to worry about it? Think again or you’ll be thinking about buying a new washing machine after a tiny bottle of lip gloss leaks in the wash cycle.

We’ve seen it all. And, there is a reason we check every pocket – every time.

Some people think the more detergent used, the cleaner the clothes.

But surprisingly, it’s the other way around. Too much detergent leaves a residue on clothes which can become a hotbed for bacteria. If the detergent to water ratio is off, this will not only prevent all of the laundry detergents from washing off but also the suds can prevent the clothes from spinning – while leading to a less than satisfactory clean. Instead, clothes should be able to tumble freely in the cycle.

As for pouring detergent straight onto clothes, that’s a surefire way to fade a favorite garment.

Solution: Use the measurement cap that comes with the detergent bottle and always follow the instructions. Or, just use pods!

It’s a straightforward fact that a dirty machine isn’t going to produce clean clothes. Bacteria build up in washing machines meaning they need thorough and regular cleaning – a chore but a necessity.

Laundromats should be kept clean and so should your home washer and dryer. Added emphasis on keeping your washer and dryer clean can help you avoid some of the most common laundry mistakes.

Also, don’t forget to clean the lint out of your dryer’s lint trap. Too much lint can be a fire hazard.

Solution: Carry out a regular rinse and spin cycle without any laundry in the machine. Or save even more time by using a professional laundry delivery service.