5 Common Laundry Mistakes We've All Made - Clothes Doctor

5 Common Laundry Mistakes We've All Made

We’re starting off this year with one mission: to change Laundry For Good.

According to Fashion Revolution, up to 25% of each garment’s carbon footprint comes from the way in which we wash and care for our garments, so we want to encourage you to make small but permanent changes to your laundry routine, to help detox and declutter your home, and to help the planet. 

What are your laundry sins, and new year’s resolutions?

  1. Use less plastic?
  2. Get my moth defences up to save my knitwear?
  3. Spend less on dry cleaning?
  4. Detox my home?
  5. Care for my clothing better?

Whatever your laundry resolutions are, we can help! And just as important, we want to help bring a little slice of pleasure and luxury to your laundry routine along the way, with beautiful products using scents made from real essential oils to detoxify and lift your mood and brighten your home.

We thought we would start out with sharing some of our customers' most common laundry mistakes. But that's not all...we also want to know your most epic laundry fail, and in return you can get the chance to win a year's supply (yes, YEAR!) of detergent, to change your Laundry For Good

Keep reading and find out how...

 WASHING CLOTHES TOO HOTunderstanding machine

Have you ever pulled your favourite sweater out of the washing machine and found it sizes too small? You’re not alone: shrinking clothes is one of the most common laundry mistakes, and sadly, there's little that can be done to rectify it once it's done.

Washing clothes in hot water (or drying them using hot air) can shrink the fabric. Fibres are normally stretched out when made into clothes, and applying too much heat can release that tension and make the fibres return to their natural and shorter state. It may be hard to say goodbye, but if this happens, then donating your garment to a child or a charity shop is all that can really be done to salvage it from landfill. 

All of our detergents are ideal for low-temperature washing, saving on water and energy during the washing cycle too. 

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NEW COLOURED ITEM IN A WHITES WASHwashing machine

Never have I ever: accidentally put my new red top in with my whites? Been there, done that! When a garment is brand new, you're more likely to see  "colour bleeding" on its first wash. This occurs when the fabric gets wet, especially if it's on a hot wash, and dye leaches out of the fibres. The result? Colour transfer between items in the load. Dammit!

LEAVING A TISSUE IN THE POCKETremove everything from pockets

How many clothes have you dumped in your laundry basket and forgot to empty your pockets of tissues (and other stuff too!)? Sometimes that tissue just gets tucked deep into the pocket of our jeans and inevitably gets inside the washing machine. It's a painful process to have to remove all those tiny tissue flakes, so make sure you remove everything from your pockets!


OVER FILLING THE WASHING MACHINElaundry

We’ve all overloaded the washing machine at one time or another...but did you know that overloading your machine you can actually damage its drum and decrease your washer’s efficiency? Also, by overloading, the clothes may not have space to move around in the water and get really clean, and it can also cause more microfibres to be released into the water system due to the friction against the drum. So, plan ahead, make sure to load your machine with a bit of space left over, and of course that perfect dose of scented detergent.


OVER WASHINGlaundry basket

Did you know that for an average shirt over a year, 80% of the emissions produced during the ‘in-use’ stage of its life cycle come from washing and tumble drying? Over-washing our clothes is the number one reason that a wardrobe favourite might fade, shrink, or lose its shape. Washing too often will age a garment prematurely by causing the fibres to deteriorate faster. The key is to only wash your clothes when they really need it!

Depending on the type of fabric, we recommend brushing the dirt off rather than washing. Try using our Clothes Brush to remove any surface lint, dust, hair and food particles and give the garment and overall refresh. Begin at the top and work your way down, always brushing downwards in a gentle motion. This is perfect for sturdier fabrics like wool blends, blazers and suit jackets. 

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WIN A YEAR'S SUPPLY OF DETERGENT

We want to know all about your laundry fails, and how we can help you save your clothes from more of them! Get the chance to win a year's supply (yes YEAR'S) of detergent, and change your Laundry for Good. Just let us know your biggest laundry fail and enter the competition. 

laundry

*Competition closes on 30.01.2021 at 23:59pm GMT
*Winner will be announced on 31.01.2021 and contacted directly  
*Want to increase chance of winning? Get your household to sign up!
Signature Eco Wash
Clothes Doctor
£11.50
Knitwear and Go Kit
Clothes Doctor
£58.00
Menswear Kit
Clothes Doctor
£99.00
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