Washing machines are made to make life easier. These are one of the best inventions ever made for household works.
With the ever-growing technology, it might be difficult for some to get used to a washing machine. All the buttons and knobs might look confusing for a first time user. One also has to keep in mind the ideal temperature, timing for wash cycles and the load capacity of the machine, to avoid any harm to both the fabric and the machine.
As each fabric is different to each other, they require to be treated differently. For an extended life of your clothes, there are a few things to know before you start using a washing machine.
In this article, we have listed some easy steps which will help you to wash your clothes using a washing machine. Read on to clear all your doubts regarding washing clothes using a washing machine.
Check Also For
Segregate the Clothes into Different Piles
When separating the clothes, there are mainly two things to consider. Firstly, the material of the clothes. And secondly, the colour of the clothes. Several materials cannot handle the same kind of water pressure and tumbling. Also, if you wash all the colours at one spin, the colour of one fabric might stain the other one.
Therefore, there are two kinds of separation which needs to be done. They are discussed below.
- Segregate the clothes based on fabrics: Some of the fabrics like thick clothes such as towels or denims need a heavy wash cycle. While clothes like silky lingerie need a delicate wash cycle. So you have to divide the clothes pertaining to the wash cycle they need to be washed in.
- Segregate the clothes based on colour: Some clothes, especially the new ones release colour if they are of the dark shade, this colour might rub on the light coloured or white clothes and ruin them in the process. So you need to make two piles. One which contains the dark coloured clothes and the other which contains the light coloured clothes.
Go Through the Care Tag Attached to the Clothes
The tags attached to your clothes are not there to make them irritable for you. If you read them, you will understand that they are to guide you regarding their washing procedure. The care tags help you understand the fabric of the clothes. They also inform about the washing technique to be used on them and how they should be dried.
Temperature for Washing
Some kinds of colours and fabric require different kinds of heat settings when washed. So washing machines come with special temperature settings to help wash these clothes. The settings might vary in case of automatic and semi-automatic washing machines.
Some of the required temperatures about some fabrics are mentioned below.
- When the light colours get extremely dirty, you must use hot water. The heat from the hot water will help to get rid of the stains easily.
- Whereas the dark clothes are more suited to be washed with cold water. This way their colour will last longer.
- Cotton clothes should also be washed with cold water as they shrink faster if hot water is used to wash them.
Size load is important
Several machines have a switch or a knob which allows you to select the right size of the load for the total number of clothes you are washing in one spin. There are generally three options for the load of washing. They are namely, small, medium and large.
The small option is if one-third of the washing machine is filled with clothes. The medium option is if two-third of the machine is filled with clothes. And thirdly, the large option is if the machine is completely filled with clothes.
You should never squish the clothes in the washing machine. This might save some energy but might cause damage to the machine. The damage can cause a loss of a huge amount of money. So, it is advised to wash the extra clothes in a second cycle.
Washing cycle
Similar to the temperature, the washing machines have various kinds of cycles for different kinds of clothing. Different kinds of clothing need different levels of washing. Some of the examples are given below:
- Normal/ Regular cycle: This cycle is suitable for washing white clothes. The white clothes if washed in this cycle will be left fresh and crisp.
- Delicate: As the name suggests, this washing should be used to wash clothes that are delicate. The clothes like cotton dresses, bras, dry-fit shirts, cotton sweaters, etc). You should always check the tag before washing the delicate clothes to make sure that they do not need dry-cleaning or hand-washing them.
- Permanent press: This cycle starts washing the clothes with hot water and ends by washing them with cold water. The coloured clothes should be washed using this cycle. They help to keep your clothes brighter.
Use the Right Kind of Washing Liquid and Make Sure that you Close the Door
There are primarily three kinds of washing detergent. They are bleach, fabric softener and detergent. There are two ways of adding the washing fluid. Either, you fill the machine with clothes and pour the washing fluid in them. Or, you can fill the tub with water, then add washing fluid in it and then put in the clothes.
The use of all three washing fluids are discussed below.
- Bleach: The bleach can be used mainly for two reasons. The first is you want to get rid of tough stains from your clothes. Or, if you want to keep your whites, very white. There are two different kinds of bleach with individual purposes. The chlorine bleach is effective for keeping the whites very white. And, all fabric bleach can be used on coloured fabrics.
- Fabric softener: This liquid needs to be added during the rinse cycle. Some machines come with a dispenser where you can add the liquid in the beginning but the washing machine will add it to the tub during the rinse cycle.
- Detergent: The load of the washing machine determines the amount of detergent required for the particular cycle. Usually, the detergents come with cups. The large load needs the full cup of the detergent. The medium load needs ⅔ cup of the detergent. And, the small load needs ⅓ cup of the detergent. But, you should follow the instructions given for the detergent. Some detergents might be more concentrated than others and need less amount of the detergent.
Shift your Clothes to the Dryer and Select the Required Cycle
Similar to the washing cycle, the drying cycle also has different settings. The different cycles for the several kinds of clothes are listed below.
- Normal/ Regular cycle: The white clothes should be dried with the normal or regular method of drying. This drying system can be handled by whites as they are pre-shrunk and no colour can fade.
- Delicate: The clothes which were washed under the delicate cycle should be dried under the delicate cycle too. They turn the clothes slowly and blow the clothes with room temperature air.
- Permanent press: The coloured clothes should be dried with this cycle. These dry the clothes using medium pressure and heat so that the colours do not fade.
Final Word
We hope that all the doubts regarding washing clothes in a washing machine have been cleared. It is relatively easy to wash clothes using a washing machine once you get the hang of it. If you still have doubts, feel free to write to us. We will surely upload the solutions in the comments section below.
