Laundry Tips

As a bachelor who has lived away from home since early in my teens I cannot remember a time when my washing was done for me. As a result I have developed methods to streamline the laundry process. To get clothes clean, really clean and of course presentable.

For a long time I used Laundromat’s. I would love to recoup even half of the money that I have put into Laundromat’s. Anyone back to the topic Firstly you need to have a washing machine which is in good working order. Unless of course you want to wash your clothes by hand which is not such a bad idea as your clothes will last much longer with hand washing.

Next separate out you whites and colors. Always wash whites separately that way they will remain white and not pick up any of the dyes in other clothes. As well you can usually wash whites at a much higher water temperature so that again gets out those stubborn stains.

Every few weeks I soak the whites in Napisan. Napisan is especially good on white towels. Them really back to the original color. All the stains are removed and this is quite satisfying. The shirts too regain a really good hue; which make them look much better. I use liquid laundry detergent because I do not want any chance that I will get powder granules’ anywhere when I am wearing the clothes. They can really irritate the skin. I tend to skimp a little on the recommended dose of detergent I figure the manufacturers will want you to use more than is needed.

I tend to hand wash all my socks and undies. It does not take long to do. I picked up this tip from an Air Hostess who did them in every hotel room she slept in. If you do them at night by the morning they are dry enough to wear. Another idea is to put the items into perforated laundry bags and put them in the washing machine. This reduces the wear and tear on these items and keeps them together for easy retrieval and storage later.

Ironing: I iron most of my shirts inside out. I figure wrongly or rightly that it is better to damage the fabric fibres on the inside than on the outside when it comes to presentation. My Auntie put me onto this. I figure the shirts will last longer. I then give them a very quick iron on the outside to finish. I use a very good steam Iron. Occasionally when I want a really good finish I will use a spray on starch sparingly.