Last Updated on 2 months by David Bergmann
Everyone does it, but not everyone does it right: Washing clothes. An often unpleasant task in an already hectic everyday life. It’s a topic you don’t like to think about, because you really just want to get it over with. However, the correct handling of the washing machine and laundry can save you a lot of trouble and money. After all, if you take good care of your laundry, you will enjoy it for longer and will have to buy clothes less often. We have therefore put together a little guide for you to ensure that your laundry not only gets clean, but also lasts a long time!
- Pre-sort laundry correctly
- Choose a suitable detergent
- The right loading
- The right washing program
- Drying laundry properly
- Clean the machine once a month
1. Pre-sort laundry correctly
To prevent unsightly discoloration or shrinkage of certain materials, it is essential to separate the laundry properly before washing.
Separate by material
As a general rule, you should first sort out all particularly delicate textiles such as silk, wool or viscose or all those marked with the hand wash symbol. These should only be machine washed on a special wool or delicate wash program.
You can safely wash non-sensitive cotton laundry such as towels and bed linen at a minimum temperature of 60 degrees and even up to 95 degrees if heavily soiled. Cleaning cloths can also be washed at 95 degrees.
The rest of the laundry made of cotton or mixed fibers such as T-shirts, shirts, dresses, skirts, etc. can be washed at 40 degrees.
Separate by color
After you have sorted the laundry by material, you should also separate it by color to avoid discoloration. In particular, you should make sure that you do not mix newly purchased laundry that is intensely colored or dark with lighter-colored laundry.
It is best to separate by:
- Light-colored laundry (white, light pastel colors, light grey, beige…)
- Light colored laundry (yellow, orange, light brown, pink..)
- Dark colored laundry (blue, green, red, purple, brown….)
- Dark underwear (black, dark brown, dark blue…)
2. Choose a suitable detergent
There is an almost endless selection of different detergents: Color detergents, detergents for black laundry, detergents for white laundry, mild or wool detergents and various fabric softeners.
But which of them do you actually need? To get all your laundry clean and properly cared for, we recommend the following three detergents:
- Heavy-duty detergent for whites: Contains bleaching agents and ensures that white laundry becomes white again.
- Color detergent for colored fabrics: Contains no bleaching agents so that the colors in the clothes are preserved. In addition, a special additive largely prevents the transfer of color between garments.
- Delicate detergent/wool detergent: For wool sweaters, silk blouses or clothes that need to be cleaned particularly gently. Most washing machines offer a special delicate or wool wash program that gently cleans textiles at a low temperature.
Special detergents for dark or black laundry, on the other hand, have not proven themselves in tests; they do not preserve the color any better than color detergents.
A second question that many people are probably asking themselves:
Powder or liquid detergent?
Tests have shown that heavy-duty detergents in powder form are more effective. The reason for this lies mainly in the bleaching agents it contains, which achieve an optical brightening effect. It also removes stains better.
These substances are not contained in liquid detergents, but they do not leave any white residue on the laundry. However, they contain preservatives to keep them fresh and these in turn can trigger allergies.
So, as you can see, there are pros and cons to both forms of detergent and ultimately it’s probably down to personal preference.
Last but not least, the question: Is it necessary to use fabric softener?
Yes and no. With regard to the environment and health, fabric softener should be avoided whenever possible. Because fabric softener is not really necessary. However, for particularly rough, old towels or stiff jeans, the moderate use of fabric softener can be useful!
3. The correct loading
Of course, you want to wash as energy-efficiently and time-savingly as possible and “process” as much dirty laundry as possible in one wash cycle. However, overloading is not only tedious for the machine, but also leads to a reduction in washing power.
Most washing machines are designed for 5-8 kg, but this does not mean that they should be loaded to the capacity limit. Many manufacturers even recommend only filling the machine up to 3.5 kg (with a capacity of 5 kg).
We therefore recommend filling the machine only 3 / 4 full and always leaving a hand’s width of space at the top. This ensures that the washing effect can develop optimally.
Our tip: The lower the temperature at which you wash, the less laundry should end up in the drum.
4. The right washing program
Once you have sorted your laundry by material and color, you need to select the appropriate washing program. Before you put the entire pile of laundry in the machine, you should take a look at the symbols on the laundry label to make sure that all items can be washed at the selected temperature.
To protect the environment and the fibers, the selected temperature should be as low as possible but as high as necessary. Most items of clothing get clean at 40 degrees with a good detergent. Even 30 degrees is perfectly possible for lightly soiled laundry.
However, a 60 degree program is recommended for towels, bed linen and underwear (cotton only!). This temperature is usually sufficient to remove dirt and kill germs and fungal spores.
Bed linen, towels or underwear can only be washed on a washing program of up to 95 degrees (i.e. boil wash) if there are special hygiene requirements (e.g. infectious diseases) or to remove very stubborn stains.
Silk and wool should always be washed on a special wool/fine wash program, the temperature can usually be selected between 30 and 40 degrees. This program is similar to a hand wash and is particularly gentle.
5. Dry laundry properly
Ideally, you should dry your laundry outdoors, i.e. in the garden or on the patio or balcony, as this is where the clothes dry best.
Of course, not everyone has a (sufficiently large) outdoor area and therefore has to dry their laundry indoors. It is therefore advisable to hang the laundry in a room with a “draught”, i.e. with the windows open. This ensures that the clothing dries faster and also prevents the so-called “dry stiffness”, which is particularly unpleasant with towels and leads to unpleasant scratching.
The quickest way to dry laundry is of course in a tumble dryer. However, the list of textiles that should not be thrown in the dryer is relatively long: silk, wool, viscose, lyocell, modal, polyamide, polyacrylic, lace underwear, swimwear, pantyhose….
However, bed linen and towels are very suitable for tumble dryers as they become particularly soft and cozy in the dryer.
Tip: Most textiles that can be machine washed at 60 degrees can also be tumble dried afterwards.
6. Clean the machine once a month
One aspect that many people tend to forget when doing laundry is the washing machine! Because it also needs to be looked after and cared for.
At the latest when the washed laundry smells musty or the drum of the washing machine emits a musty odor, it is time to clean the machine thoroughly.
You should carry out the following cleaning program once a month:
- Drum: Washing cycle at 90 degrees (without filling). Cleaning is even more effective if a special detergent for washing machines is added.
- Rubber seals: Special cleaning agents for the seals are also available at drugstores. Alternatively, you can also use home remedies such as a mixture of water with citric acid or vinegar.
- Lint filter: Be sure to place a towel underneath beforehand, then open or unscrew the door and allow the water to escape. Then rinse the sieve with warm water and clean the sponge.
- Detergent compartment: This can usually be pulled out completely and cleaned with a cloth or sponge.
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