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Step 1
Read the care tags on your clothing before anything goes into the washing machine! This may seem like an obvious step, but it's also the step that is most often missed, which can result in any number of laundry disasters.
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Step 2
Set aside any clothing that calls for hand washing and actually wash it by hand. It's more tedious than using the washing machine, but will give your hand washables more life in the long run. Avoid using overly-hot water when hand washing. Lukewarm is sufficient. Lay these items flat to dry or hang them.
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Step 3
Make a habit out of using cold water for the majority of your wash cycles, saving hot water for things like towels and socks. Not only will this greatly decrease the chances of shrunken clothes, but it will also cut down on your energy costs. There is even laundry detergent available that is designed specifically for cold water washing.
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Step 4
Hang any and all articles of clothing you are apprehensive about putting into the dryer. Even pre-shrunk cotton sometimes shrinks in the dryer. If you don't have an outside clothesline, simply put the clothes on coat hangers and hang on your shower rod.
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Step 5
Avoid the high heat settings on your dryer. The no heat setting is also a bad choice unless you have a year and a half to wait for your laundry to dry. Split the difference and go with a low knits setting, leaving the clothes inside until they've dried and no longer.
Comments
tadpole0368 said
on 1/10/2008 I have a problem with Step #5. According to Whirlpool & GE fabric experts, clothes do not shrink in the dryer because of heat. In fact, the heat of the dryer actually expands your clothes. Shrinking is a result of the high water temperaures used during the wash cycle and the physical tumbling that occurs during the drying phase. To reduce shrinking, wash clothes in cold water whenever possible and load dryers to capacity to reduce tumbling.