Tips For Clothes Washing and Drying

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Tips For Washing and Drying Clothing and Laundry

Your grandmother might remember the days when a homemaker's skills were assessed by the white linens hanging from the clothes lines that were in just about everybody's yards. Grey heads nodded in agreement, "Yes, that woman always has the whitest sheets!" 

The title was like a badge, a stamp of approval! In fact, kids were identified in neighborhoods by saying, "He lives in the house that always has the white lace tablecloth hanging on the line!" (That also meant his momma set a nice Sunday table and the table cloth was laundered after every use!)

While we might think back with nostalgia, I remember that those good old days were also a lot of hard work. Mountains of laundry was sorted and a whole day was required to wash and hang it out to dry. Another tedious day was spent ironing, hanging, folding and putting things away.

In Grandma's Day

Homemaking was a full time job. Washing machines were ungainly things on wheels and had "wringers" on the top of the tub. You pulled the wet clothes out of the tub, then inserted a corner between the rollers of the wringer to squeeze out the excess water. Then, when you had the laundry basket full of wet towels, sheets, and clothes,  the basket was taken out to the back porch or the yard to the clothes lines. Each article of laundry was shaken by hand and then clipped to the line with clothes pins.

Obviously during winter months or rainy seasons, you wouldn't have much luck drying your clothes out of doors. There was often a room of the house devoted to drying laundry. It was usually in the basement where the central furnace resided or, perhaps, in an open upstairs room.

I often think about a young friend of mine - we were kids together. When she married and moved to Kentucky, I visited her after her first child was born. Electric clothes dryers were available but they didn't have one. She hung the baby's diapers and blankets outside to dry and it took 24 hours! Although it was summertime, the humidity was so high that the laundry just hung there, damp and limp. She finally brought it into their tiny apartment and hung them over the backs of her dining room chairs.

In those days, most mothers didn't work outside the home and it was a little easier to maintain the household routine of washing on Monday, ironing on Tuesday, deep housecleaning on Wednesday, etc. We've come a long way, baby!

Sorting and Washing Clothes

With the advent of modern clothing care systems (read: washer and dryer), keeping your clothing clean and presentable is no longer an all day chore, or a two day chore (wash one day, iron the next). However, there are still a lot of mistakes made in the laundry room because your nice clean washing is no longer an art form or a sign of being a great housekeeper!

Automatic washers have been a boon for the single man - he does not need to rely on the "little woman" to wash his socks and shorts, shirts and khakis. And if he buys everything the same color - black, dark blue, navy, brown - he doesn't need to sort the stuff before throwing it into the washer.

I remember once when my husband offered to wash our clothes. I was pregnant and our washer broke down so we needed to take them to a Laundromat. I should have separated whites from colors but I didn't so he just dumped everything into the same washer. Thereafter, I chuckled every time I saw him prancing around in pink under-shorts!

Even though automatic washers and dryers have taken the work out of the task, you still need to sort your laundry before washing. You not only need to pay attention to the colors of the clothing, but also the fabric. Even though that blouse is jet black, it might not tolerate being washed with a black t-shirt in warm or hot water. Don't throw it in with other dark clothing without first reading the laundering instructions on the label inside the garment.

Tips For Sorting Laundry

• Separate white articles from the laundry basket or hamper. This includes underwear, socks, towels, linens, all white or very light colored articles. Put them in a pile.
• Separate lightly colored articles - put them in their own pile
• Separate dark colored clothing or other articles - towels, jeans, socks, sweatshirts, t-shirts, etc. Put them all in a pile.

The Next Steps

• Go through each pile separately. Look at each article and read the recommended washing instructions.
• Some recommend hand washing in cold water only and laying flat to dry, or line dry.
• Some tell you to wash with like items, hot temperature and dry in automatic drier at medium heat temperature.
• Some say no chlorine bleach; some say tumble dry, with low or no heat.
• PAY ATTENTION TO INSTRUCTIONS. Ignoring the manufacturer's recommendations for laundry care is not smart. Don't learn the hard way by ruining that blouse you just bought for  $65.00 and wore once. When you pull it out of the hot dryer and find it shrunken to a child's size 3, you'll be sorry!

Separating Laundry

• Most towels can be washed together - dish towels, wash clothes, hand towels, bath towels, beach towels, spa towels. But, if you've just purchased some dark designer colored towels for your bathroom, read the instructions as the colors might run and dye your white or lighter colored articles.  Wash white and dark colors separately!
• Blue or black jeans, dark colored cotton underwear and socks can be washed together - remember, I said "dark colors can be washed together" but it's advisable to wash brand new items alone for the first few times to avoid unset dyes "running" and staining the other laundry.
• All delicate lingerie should be laundered separately on a gentle cycle. If you use a fabric softener or antistatic product in the final rinse, you may toss the articles into the dryer on low or medium heat.
• I've found that drying delicate undergarments in the dryer is very hard on them and causes the tiny elastic threads in the stretchy parts to break down. When the washing and rinsing cycle ends, I hang brassieres and panties on a clothes hanger and allow them to air dry. I have a rod for hanging clothing above my washer and dryer that runs the entire length of the wall.
• Wash fine, delicate blouses and similar articles on the gentle cycle. They should not be tossed into the dryer - including most sweaters made of synthetic materials. Put on hangers and allow them to air dry.
• Unless the item is marked "washable wool" never toss wool sweaters, scarves or slacks into the washer. If you do not have them dry cleaned, they must be hand laundered with Woolite or another gentle detergent or liquid soap.
• NEVER toss woolen articles into the dryer unless the manufacturer's instructions specifically give you the directions and proper temperature. Follow the instructions carefully.

Wash and Wear Clothing

This generation has grown up with the idea of wash and wear clothing and, as one who remembers when it wasn't common, I still say about the guy who invented wash and wear, "bless his little pea-pickin' heart!" Raising a family of three lovely little girls, I thoroughly enjoyed dressing them in pretty dresses like princess fairies! Alas, with romping in the yard, riding tricycles and playing hopscotch, their dresses didn't stay pristine too long. It was great to just pop them into the washer and then into the dryer and have them come out looking great - no ironing needed!

Wash and wear seems to be "dated" and I've noticed a trend back to linen or linen blends, and all-cotton fabrics. These do require special care. We cannot stress enough - look for manufacturer's recommended instructions for washing and drying. Again, I hang these garments on hangers, directly out of the washer and allow them to air dry. They need ironing. I use a spray fabric "sizing" or starch when I iron them; they come out looking like new.

I actually believe that dryers beat your clothes into poor condition and the only articles that I even put in the automatic dryer are jeans, cotton socks, towels, sheets and bed clothes. If I do dry t-shirts, sweat shirts, or any of my clothing that is washable and dryable, I remove them immediately from the dryer and hang them on hangers. Most often they come out pretty wrinkle free but putting them into a basket for folding or ironing later, is just asking for wrinkles to set in.