You’re likely reading this article today because you often get tasked with washing your family’s clothes among your regular household duties. You may also put each family member’s clothes away, including your own, in their respective wardrobes.
The trouble is, some guys make some pretty epic mistakes when it comes to caring for clothing. If you don’t want to incur the wrath of your kin, your clothing care needs to be on point. With that in mind, here are some steps you can take for achieving that goal:
Ensure Everyone Has Suitable Storage for Clothing
As the main man in your home, you’re probably the person responsible for carrying out various DIY tasks (or organizing a pro to do the work). Each family member in your home will undoubtedly have lots of clothing and fashion accessories they need to store away safely.
Has everyone got suitable storage for their clothing? If the answer’s no, you need to build or have built some decent-sized wardrobes. That way, clothes can get organized and put away, and each family member will know where their apparel gets stored.
You could always look at simple clothes storage solutions from places like IKEA. Alternatively, keep an eye out for some bargains on eBay or Facebook Marketplace if you prefer the idea of refurbishing old or vintage wardrobes.
Always Read the Labels
When it comes to doing the laundry, one thing you must always do without fail is check the washing instructions labels on each garment. What you don’t want to happen is to have clothing shrink or get damaged when it gets laundered.
Some garments, such as prom dresses and suit jackets, can only get cleaned by a dry cleaner. Others might even be too delicate for dry cleaning and can only get cleaned by gently wiping the surface with a cloth and some water.
Following the laundry instructions on garment labels will save you time, money, stress, and probably your marriage!
Always Check the Pockets
Everyone has at some point in their lives forgotten items in their pockets and put those garments straight into a washing machine. Some things like coins might end up in the washing machine’s filter housing and not cause any problems.
However, if there are items like money or tissues in the pockets, they can end up getting torn into hundreds or thousands of tiny pieces and ruin several articles of clothing. Prevention is better than the cure, as they say.
If you do get caught in such a situation, the best thing to do is air-dry the affected garments and use a lint remover or packing tape to extract the tissue fibers stuck to the clothing. Such problems are time-consuming to resolve, but they don’t cause any lasting damage.
Air-Dry Garments Instead of Using a Clothes Dryer
There’s no denying that clothes dryers make it convenient to dry clothes, especially during wet weather. They also have the side effect of helping to heat your home and potentially lowering your heating bills during winter.
Unfortunately, clothes dryers can also cause problems, such as shrinking garments, if you use the wrong heat settings. The best way of avoiding such issues is to air-dry your clothing instead of using a clothes dryer.
Yes, it will probably take longer to dry your clothes, especially if the ambient air temperature is low. But, you can guarantee your clothes won’t get damaged, and it won’t cost you a cent either.
Close Zippers to Prevent Snagging
Make sure all zippers get zipped before their attached garments see the inside of a washing machine. Why? The answer is simple: it prevents snagging. The last thing you want to happen is for zippers to catch on delicate fabrics and ruins one or more garments.
When it comes to air-drying and storing garments with zippers, ensure that the zippers are still in their zipped positions. It’s a tip you can apply to jeans, jackets, and any other articles of clothing that have zippers.
Separate Your Laundry Into Different Piles
Last but not least, you should ensure that you have separate laundry piles whenever you use your washing machine. Doing so ensures that fabric dyes don’t “bleed” onto other garments, such as a red custom-printed t-shirt dyeing a white one.
When you sort your laundry out into piles, you’ll also need to keep in mind the washing instructions on each garment’s label.
Final Thoughts
You may already know some of the above tips. But, there’s no denying that they are all useful to remember and will help you care for everyone’s clothing for longer.
