5 Ways You’re Probably Doing Your Laundry Wrong

Drop in the dirty clothes. Pour in the detergent. Fill ‘er up and hit the start button. Doing laundry is that simple, right?

Wrong—as in, you’re doing it wrong! Or at least, you’re probably doing a few things the wrong way when it comes to your laundry.

1. Dark Clothing

Sure, you know to wash your dark clothes with cold water, inside out, to prevent them from fading. But did you know that the most damage to dark clothes occurs in the dryer? Heat will fade your colors into oblivion in no time, so the key is to actually air-dry your dark clothing, which will keep them looking bright and new.

2. Swimwear

You might think that washing your swimsuit after a dip in the pool is an obvious choice, especially if you carefully place your bikini or trunks in a mesh bag and use a cold water gentle cycle. What could go wrong, right? But actually, this washing ritual can destroy your suit after a while! Instead, skip the wash altogether and simply rinse your suit with cold water soon after swimming. To get the smell of chlorine or saltwater out, you can even mix in a teaspoon of white distilled vinegar.

3. Towels

Everyone loves a nice warm, soft, fluffy towel, no? Unfortunately, when you use fabric softener or dryer sheets, your towels become less absorbent—kinda defeating the purpose of the towel in the first place. In addition, you should always wash your towels on the longest and hottest cycle, and be sure to remove soon after the wash is finished as to avoid funky smells or mold buildup!

4. Comforters & Thick Blankets

Thick blankets and comforters can get terribly clumpy and heavy in the wash, so it’s important to put these through a second rinse and spin cycle to get all the soap residue off and remove excess water before drying. Even better, if you can take your comforter to a local laundromat and wash them in a heavy-capacity unit, that’s your best bet!

5. Detergent Overdosing

More detergent, more clean, right? Wrong. More detergent makes more bubbles which can end up lifting dirt above the clothes instead of actually washing it away. To this effect, more detergent can inadvertently lead to dirtier clothes! So be mindful with how much detergent you use, using only 1/3 to 1/2 of the cap instead of the whole thing.

Are you guilty of any of these laundry mishaps?