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6 Quick Laundry Tips

Six quick laundry tips to better washing

Washing the laundry is about more than cleaning your clothes. Your wardrobe is a significant expense for most families, and if you want your clothes to look good for as long as possible, you'll want to follow the tips outlined below.

1. Turn your clothing inside out

Turning your clothing inside out will protect it from pilling and prevent colors from transfering as easily onto other pieces. Every time you put clothes into the washing machine or dryer, your clothing beats against the drum of each. All that friction can be tough on delicate surfaces and will eventually wear your clothes out. By turning your pieces inside out, you give them longer life. Turn them all out, including jeans and slacks. They'll last longer and look better.

2. Wash like colors together

Always wash like colors together. Dark colors may not leave an obvious transfer of color onto your lighter clothes, but over time, the lighter pieces will dull and you'll wonder what happened to them.

3. Don't use fabric softener on your kitchen toweling

Dryer sheets are great for making fabrics soft and fluffy. If you want absorbent towels, though, you'll need to leave the dryer sheets out of the dryer. The same goes for liquid fabric softener. The agents used to soften your fabrics interfere with the natural absorbency of cloth.

4. Treat stains immediately

Don't wait to treat stains on clothing. Set in stains are must harder for your detergent to remove. Treating a stain is as easy as rubbing some detergent on it or rinsing it with water and spraying with a stain treater like Spray-'N-Wash or Shout.

5. Avoid bleach

Chlorine bleach is a great whitener and can take out some really hard to remove stains on white clothing. Sheets smell and feel fresher when bleached, as do white towels and wash cloths. However, using bleach with every white wash will lead to weak clothing fibers. Your fabrics will tend to rip and tear easier and will thin much sooner they with natural wear and tear. So, avoid using bleach when it's not needed.

6. Wash cold and dry low

Finally, wash your clothes in cold water whenever possible. Always dry on the low setting. Both of these tips will help you save your colors and make it easier to get out any overlooked stains.