Cheer Laundry Tips

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.