Most Common Laundry Mistakes (And How to Correct Them)
Laundry can often feel like a very menial chore. We do it all the time, but rarely question our methods or reasoning on why we do what we do. However, the truth is that both your laundry garments and laundry appliances account for thousands of dollars worth of your personal hard-earned money. Just like you would tend after other expensive investments, it is important to know how to take special care of your things so you can get the absolute most out of your investments.
Below I have put together a solid list of the top biggest mistakes that are made on laundry. If you look through the list, there’s a pretty good chance that you are guilty of at least one of these mistakes (me included). If you want to commit to a better future for your clothes and laundry appliances, then follow me and make a few simple changes to make some BIG impacts.
Not Cleaning Dryer
This is a big one. Not having a clean dryer will adversely affect so many parts of your laundry life. For starters, if you don’t clean your dryer’s lint trap after EVERY load, then you will see a heavy decrease in drying efficiency on each subsequent load of laundry. You may have noticed in the past that you’ve had to do multiple cycles to get dry clothes. This would be the very first area I would check to resolve that issue.
Aside from cleaning the lint trap, it is also imperative that the interior ducting of the dryer get cleaned periodically. The easiest way to accomplish this is by buying a kit which includes a long narrow brush to scrape and clean out all the dust/lint build-up that didn’t get caught by the lint trap. If you’ve never done this before, prepare yourself for the shock of just how much can get built up over time.
Lastly, it should be noted that while not having your clothes dried quickly may be a pesky issue, the true issue with having dryer lint build-up is that it is very dangerous. Dryer lint fires are among the top sources of house fires.
Stain fighting with hot water
This is old advice, but it can’t be stressed enough. IF YOU HAVE A STAIN, WASH WITH COLD WATER and for Pete’s sake, please do not put stained clothes in a hot dryer until you are confident the stain is no longer in the garment. Hot water and hot air have a nasty way of “setting” the stain in the fabric and causing it to either be permanent or MUCH harder to remove afterwards. So, to reiterate, if you’re fighting a stain, it’s best to use cold water and then let your laundry air dry.
Over-use of detergent
More detergent equals more clean, right? WRONG. This isn’t the most intuitive fact out there, but a big mistake you can make is using too much detergent. What actually happens is that the excess detergent in the washing machine causes build-up and deposits on the laundry. Over time, this actually can cause the fabric’s fibers to breakdown prematurely. In the world of laundry detergent, it turns out that less is more.
Over-drying clothes
In my younger days, I used to do this all the time. If you’re frustrated with your clothes taking too long to dry, or not drying enough in one cycle, then the obvious solution may seem to be cranking up the heat on the dryer. Yes, it will get your clothes to dry much faster while getting piping hot, but there is quite the cost. When you blast your clothes with high heat, it is very stressful and therefore very damaging to the fibers in the laundry. This very commonly will prematurely discolor your clothing and over time give your clothes a very thin and delicate feel.
Not using permanent press
Goldilocks must have been excellent at drying clothes because too hot is bad and too cold is often not good enough to get your clothes dry. For many garments, the permanent press feature on your dryer is an unsung hero. This function uses a medium-heat setting followed by a no heat tumble dry cycle. This is a winning mixture because it gets your clothes nice and dry and also protects your clothes from looking wrinkly.
Not leveling washing machine
Your floor may look perfectly flat, but more often than not there are subtle slopes on your laundry room floor that you just can’t see with your naked eye. While this isn’t a big deal for furniture or walking around, it does present an issue for a machine that is heaving around heavy wet clothes in a circular motion. If your washing machine isn’t level, you’ll know it as soon as it goes through a spin cycle. Likely, there will be loud noises (sometimes squeaking), heavy vibrations, and in the worst scenarios your machine may start “walking” and skidding across the floor.
This certainly can be annoying, but more importantly the unnecessary vibrations cause additional wear and tear to your washing machine which could lead to damaged parts.
To fix your wobbly washing machine, try adjusting the leveling feet on the bottom of your machine. If the wobbling persists, give our anti-vibration pads a try.
Not zipping up
Almost everyone is guilty of this one. If your garment has a zipper on it, make sure you remember to zip it all the way up before loading it in your washing machine and dryer. Loose zippers commonly get lodged in the drum holes of washers and gaskets of dryers. This can cause tearing of your clothes, damage to your appliance, or both.
Leaving garments buttoned
I grew up thinking you should always button up your shirts before washing them so they will retain their shape. While that argument may have some merit, there is a much higher cost if you choose that route. While churning in the washing machine and tossing around in the dryer, if the shirt is buttoned up, this puts a ton of stress and wear on the button-threads. This will stretch the button-threads out and lead to premature breakage of buttons. If you want to button up your laundry game you’ve got to unbutton those shirts!
Rubbing Stains
During the panic of spilling some wine on your favorite shirt, you might be prone to quickly grabbing a wad of paper towels and frantically scrubbing that stain. Nothing like a little bit of elbow grease, right? WRONG
What you’re actually doing is forcing the stain deeper and deeper into the tiny fibers of the fabric while simultaneously wearing down and stretching out a small spot on your clothing. Next time, try to keep a cool head and blot the stain and let it have a nice cool soak. Your clothes will likely reward your coolness with releasing the stain and becoming clean again.
Adding detergent on top of clothes
I have a pile of sad discolored towels to prove this point. A very common laundry mistake is to add your laundry detergent on top of your clothes. Detergent contains powerful cleaning agents which are highly concentrated into a liquid or powder. When diluted in a tub of water in your washing machine, it works to perfectly restore your laundry back to its original cleanliness. However, at the beginning of the cycle, if you just dump the detergent on top of your dry pile of laundry before it can get diluted by the water filling in the washer drum, then you are highly prone to do unwanted damage to your laundry. The concentrated detergent can work into the fabric and remove the pigments of color from the fabric.
Luckily, many newer washing machines eliminate this issue by having a detergent dispenser which discharges the detergent at the right time and mixes it evenly with water. If you don’t have a model that has this function it is best to either add the detergent before adding the laundry, or even better add the detergent after the water has filled up all the way in your laundry drum. This will eliminate this problem entirely.