Washing temperatures - helpful hints

With the advancements of new washing powders and machines, you will probably see that it is now possible to wash your clothes at 30 degrees, but do you really get the value and results out of your powder at the lower temperatures that you want? If you raised this point with someone else and they replied with the question  “What’s the best temperature to wash clothes?” would you know the answer? First of all, do not be afraid of those two giant white machines of mystery! Washing clothes in the right temperature is not rocket science; there really isn’t a best temperature to wash clothes in because it almost always varies. If you know how to press buttons and read tags then learning the basics is easy!

Hot water:
You should hardly ever use hot water to wash your clothes because hot water isn’t very gentle. It also likes to shrink things. Hot water is usually used for linen that needs to get extremely clean, like bed-sheets or towels.

Warm water:
Warm water is good to use with most trousers, jeans, and t-shirts. It doesn’t usually shrink anything, because it’s half hot water and half cold water, but it definitely can. It is recommended to only wash jeans, socks, and some t-shirts in warm water just to be safe. Most garments are made of a mixture of different materials, and broken up into percentages. Check the t-shirt’s tag. If it has a high percentage of cotton it’ll probably shrink a little, but not by much.

Cold water:
You can wash anything in cold water because it won’t damage or shrink clothing. It just won’t clean it as well as warm or hot water would, so if there’s a stain that needs getting out, buy a good stain remover and scrub the garment hard before throwing it in the wash. Anything that’s made out of “natural fibres” will shrink easily, so wash them in cold. That means 100% cotton, wool, and silk among others.

So those are just a few quick tips on the best temperature to wash your clothes in. And don’t forget, the dryer can play a huge part in making or breaking your clothes. So read those tags and follow what they say. Your clothes will last longer and over time, you’ll spend less money!

For all your laundry, ironing and dry cleaning needs, contact iron-maids.co.uk or call Iron Maids on 01622 870111 or 01233 779009

Natural fibres versus man made ones

In this day and age, as more people are becoming more environmentally aware and adjusting their lifestyles accordingly, it is no surprise that clothes are also under scrutiny. There is a long standing debate going on regarding the viability of synthetic and natural fabrics in the manufacture of clothing, linen and other home furnishings. It may seem obvious at first glance, but this is not as clear cut as you might think. There pros and cons to both types of fabric.

Synthetic fabrics have been under attack for some time now. Pro synthetic people argue that they are cheap to produce but there are some major drawbacks. They are made from petrochemicals which are fossil fuels. This is a resource that the planet is rapidly running out of.

To stop the clothing from shrinking and wrinkling, man-made fabrics are often coated with formaldehyde, a chemical which has been associated with cancer. Also, in order for these fabrics to hold dye better, they are further coated with chemical fixatives which contain heavy metals. These are not biodegradable and impact on the environment

Natural fabrics contain fibres that originate from animal or plants such as cotton, hemp, sisal, wool, alpaca, silk, jute and bamboo. These are generally more breathable than synthetic fibres. They are biodegradable and renewable. Because they are natural, these fabrics often don’t last as long as their man-made counterparts.

Although natural fabrics are renewable, they are higher in resource terms when it comes to water for the plant based fibres and grain to feed the animals which produce wool, Some man-made fabrics are also more expensive to maintain and clean than wool or cotton. In addition, some natural fabrics actually last longer thanks to advances manufacturing processes. So how do you choose? Ideally, you’ll inform yourself of the manufacturing process of whatever garment you purchase and wear. It’s time-consuming but if you wish to be more aware and make better choices for your health and the environment, it’s a small price to pay.

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