How to care for your clothes - 10 tips to give your clothes a longer life

Everyone will probably have garments collecting dust at the back of their closet - old-looking, stained, stretched or faded. Many of these were new only a few months ago. Ninety percent of our garments are actually thrown away long before their intended lifespan. The culprit? Poor laundry habits.

Not only is this a waste of investment, it also contributes to fast fashion and environmental damage when you use too much water, energy and detergent. By adopting small habits every laundry day, you can help your clothes and the planet live longer. In this writing, Electrolux Hong Kong will share some tips for proper garment care.

1. Wash less

Not all clothes need to be thrown in the washer after every wear. Jeans, sweaters and coats can be worn many times before washing, otherwise, frequent agitation and exposure to water could wear them out. Gauge if you’ve sweated or spent a lot of time outdoors in them. If not, you get a free pass from hauling wet, heavy clothes from your washer — plus well-maintained clothes that look new for longer.

If an item isn’t dirty but just needs freshening up, rather than slinging it in the wash bin, try hanging it outside or in a steamy bathroom to breath first. Electrolux washers feature Vapour Refresh to give clothes a quick 33-minute refresh without the need for washing - saving on water consumption and extending the life of your clothes.
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2. Read the care labels carefully

Different fabrics need different water temperatures to retain color, sanitize, remove stains and heavy soils. As a general rule, use hot for removing bacteria and cold to gently clean delicate and bright colored garments.

Take a minute to read the care labels on each piece of clothing. You'll find the information you need to choose both the best water temperature and the type of washing cycle. It’s extremely important to follow the instructions on the label to ensure the lifespan of your garment.

3. Sort dirty laundry

After reading the label, it's time to sort the dirty clothes by color, fabric weight, and washing temperature. You'll have much better results in removing stains, preserving colors, and protecting delicate fabrics if you wash similar types of fabric together.

On a basic level, you can separate whites, dark colors, light colors, and dry clean only.

4. Clean on the spot

Don’t let stains set. The longer a stain stays, the more likely it will stick. Prevent this with immediate treatment using natural laundry stain removers. Simply saturate set-in stains with vinegar, rub the spot with a paste made from equal parts vinegar and baking soda, and pop in the washer for a cool rinse.

For convenience, you can carry a stain removal pen. This will allow you to avoid stains like red wine or food stains to ruin your favorite garment.

Check out Electrolux Washing machines EWF1142BEWA, EWW1141AEWA, with SensorWash technology that automatically detects dirt and soil levels and adjusts the cycle duration accordingly to effortlessly remove 49 different visible stains, including oil, red wine, mud and chocolate stains.*

5. Say No to Overloading your Washing Machine

Putting a wash on when you don’t have a full load obviously wastes water; but at the same time, cramming your whole wardrobe in and overfilling the machine isn’t good for your clothes. Not only do the clothes not wash properly, they will also rub against each other and cause damage and fading. Also, the detergent will not get washed away effectively.

6. Use the right program

The wrong ratio of water and cycle time can increase wear and tear on your clothes while unnecessarily using more energy — inflicting damage on your savings, your wardrobe, and the environment. Avoid this with Electrolux washing machine UltimateCare EWW1141AEWA with Load Sensor technology that intelligently adjusts time, water, and energy consumption based on your load size for the most optimal care.

7. Don’t use too much detergent

Excessive detergent leads to excessive bubbles, which can do the opposite of what the soap was formulated to do. Adding too much soap to your washing machine can prevent your clothes from getting clean, or worse: leave them dirtier than they were initially.

8. Master the ironing process

There are several pieces of clothing that require ironing, especially work clothes. It’s important to keep them look good. However, there are many things that can go wrong in the ironing process. Below is the basic ironing process to follow:

First, check the wash care label on the garment to understand if the garment can be ironed, and then check the product manual of your garment steamers or irons for correct usage instructions. For your regular clothes, check the wash care label on your garment to see the appropriate ironing temperature. Also, set an ironing order to make the work efficient. You may go by the order of collar, cuffs and then the rest of the areas.

Not to worry, thanks to Plus steam technology, Electrolux washer ends each wash with steam to reduce fabric creasing. Achieving a smooth finish without the heat of regular ironing.

9. Know how to store your clothes

It’s important to not overfill your wardrobe as clothes need breathing space too, especially those with natural fibers such as cotton, linen, silk and wool. Make sure clothes are clean before storage, as dirt and surface debris can attract clothes moths, which will damage your clothes.

It’s also important that they’re stored in a cool, dry, and well-ventilated area to prevent mildew. While hanging them retains their shape and keeps them wrinkle-free, make sure you’re using wooden or padded hangers. Heavy garments like sweaters may be folded instead so they don’t stretch out.

10. Keep your clothes in dry condition

Humid climates provide the optimal conditions for mold to grow, so keep the doors of your clothes open sometimes to allow air circulation. Also, after washing your garments, make sure they are completely dry before storing them away. Check out our ranges of Clothes dryer here!

With Electrolux UltimateCare washing machines, your clothes will be cared thoroughly. Now you can avoid the guesswork with a wide range of Variable Temperatures that this product range offers for all types of fabric. Just choose among six pre-sets so the washer can adapt the cycle temperature to ensure your garments receive the right level of care.

Discover Electrolux washing machines and washer dryers now!