Clothes wear out over time. While we know nothing lasts forever, we hate pulling a favorite shirt out of our closet and realizing it's stretched, shrunk or faded beyond recognition. The right laundry tips and products extend the life of your clothes.
1. READ WASHING INSTRUCTION LABELS
Pay attention to the washing instructions on your clothing labels. We’ve been guilty of tossing what felt like a regular t-shirt into the laundry and pulling out a misshapen or shrunken shirt an hour or so later. Only too late did we notice the label suggested hand-washing or dry-cleaning. With so many innovative fabric blends making up our clothes, taking the time to check labels can mean the difference between perfectly preserved clothes and discovering you’ve turned your favorite running tights into capris.
2. TREAT STAINS WITH CARE
No matter how neat you are, stains happen. Multiply that by infinity if you have kids, whether you’re talking about their clothes or your own. Treating stains always works best when you can get off the garment and apply a stain treatment as quickly as possible. So many of us put a lot of thought into our laundry detergent, but we reach for the same stain remover we’ve always used.
The Forever New Stain Remedy treats stains effectively while maintaining the same standards as our other laundry products. Stain Remedy doesn’t use bleach as a stain remover. Though it can be effective, bleach breaks down fabric over time. Instead, Forever New uses effective surfactants derived from coconut and palm kernels. Without harsh chemicals, you can use Stain Remedy even on your most delicate fabrics, providing they’re color fast. (We always recommend doing a small patch test to check for color bleeding before using Stain Remedy.)
3. CHOOSE LAUNDRY PRODUCTS DESIGNED TO PROTECT CLOTHING
Forever New maintains the highest standards of pure, organic and biodegradable materials. We designed our detergent to be gentle on your clothing — and on the environment. For further garment care, consider how you dry your clothes. Dryer sheets deposit chemicals onto your clothing, interfering with how well fabric can absorb water. That means your clothes can be more difficult to clean, not to mention you’re wearing those chemicals against your skin. Wool dryer balls cut down on dryer time and reduce static in your garments without harsh chemicals. If you miss the scent of dryer sheets, add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to the balls.
4. HAND WASH YOUR MOST DELICATE ITEMS
We wish we could skip this one and tell you gentle fabric detergent means you can kiss hand-washing goodbye for all time. Unfortunately, we just can’t do that. Using a wash bag helps protect delicates you want to toss in the washer, but washing your favorite or most delicate items by hand never hurts. Even in a wash bag, your delicates tumble and crash against other clothes and the walls of your washer.
For best results, use a small bit of gentle detergent, like Forever New Liquid, mixed into water at the recommended wash temperature. We like to use a small basin for hand washing, like a dish tub. Gently swish clothing through the water, making sure all material is immersed. Work the garment through your fingers, distributing detergent evenly. Rinse clean in cool water and lay flat to dry.
5. USE TOWELS TO REDUCE DRYING TIME
Even low heat eventually takes a toll on clothes. For items you don’t wish to air dry, toss a towel into the dryer with your wet clothes. The absorbency of the towel will reduce the drying time needed for the rest of your clothes. To keep towels at their most absorbent, don’t use fabric softeners or dryer sheets. The ingredients that keep your towels ultra soft interfere with absorbency. For best results, use a well-worn towel to cut drying time. It prevents the transfer of towel fluff to your other clothes.
Do you have any tried and true laundry tips to share?
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Forever New Delicate - Powder Original Scent Detergent
$1.00 - $20.00
