We Want You to Stay Colourful
Use these tips and help keep everything from purple unmentionables to turquoise tees popping with colourful goodness.
- Sort oranges with reds, purples and bright hues; navies with blacks; and creams with tans.
- Turn garments inside out to prevent fading and reduce pilling.
- Don’t overstuff your washer. It can cause poor rinsing and leave detergent deposits.
- Wash dark fabrics in cold water to prevent fading.
- New coloured garments (especially red ones) should be washed separately first to avoid bleeding.
- Close buttons, zip zippers and fasten clasps to prevent damage to delicate items within the load.
- Avoid over-drying. Too much heat can set wrinkles, shrink certain cottons and wear out dark-coloured fabrics.
- Clothes can be air-dried anywhere but the bathroom. It’s too damp in there!
- Jeans should be air-dried on a hanger for best results.
- Before drying, separate lint-shedders (fuzzy sweatshirts, chenille robes, flannels and towels) from lint-keepers (knits, corduroys and permanent-press fabrics).
- Tie drawstrings on sweatshirts and pants to prevent knotting.
- Tuck the arms behind when folding knits to reduce wrinkling.
- Always fold sweaters. Hangers can stretch these garments, causing them to lose shape.
- Hang jackets on padded hangers to help them retain their shape.
- Store clothes in a cool, dark, well-ventilated place to preserve the life of your fabrics.
- Place a dehumidifier in your closet to prevent mould and mildew.
- Scatter cedar-scented satchels in your closet to repel moths and carpet beetles.
- Wrinkled clothing in your suitcase? Hang garments in the bathroom while you shower to naturally steam out the wrinkles.
- Pack individual outfits in plastic bags when traveling to minimize wrinkles. Don’t forget to squeeze out the air.
- Stuff socks into your shoes to help them retain their shape.
- Wool is naturally stain and wrinkle resistant, quick drying, antimicrobial and a fire retardant.
- The little balls that pop up on sweaters are called pilling.
- Cotton is hydrophilic, meaning it's very fond of water.
- Linen softens as it ages, dries quickly, doesn’t lint and resists deterioration from sunlight.
- Ramie resists heat, bacteria and moulds.
- Starch can encourage mould and mildew.
- You should iron natural fabrics (such as linen or ramie) while damp.
- Cotton absorbs water more easily than any other fabric, can withstand a range of temperatures and maintains colour.
- Poor-quality dyes, washing in too-warm water and over-drying are common causes for colour loss.
- Air-drying is easier on clothes, can reduce wrinkles and eliminates static cling.
- The friction of clothes rubbing together in the dryer causes static cling.
- You shouldn't wash sweaters until you’ve worn them six times or more.
- A lint roller will help loosen fibres in sweaters.
- HE washers use less water and energy, save you money and can be gentler on fabrics vs. standard top-loading washing machines.
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