11 fantastic ways to take care of your clothes at home

Clothes should be taken care of so that they will last long and will always look fresh and pleasing. Depending upon the nature and type of fabrics the care is to be taken. The safest way to clean soiled clothes, to retain their lives and freshness is to launder the fabrics at home. Care of the fabrics includes:

(a) Washing for laundering of clothes;

(b) Finishing of clothes; and

(c) Storage of clothes.

Washing and Finishing of Cotton Fabrics

The process of laundering includes sorting, pre-treatment, soaking or steeping, washing, rinsing, starching, blueing, drying, ironing and airing.

1. Sorting

Before washing, clothes should be sorted on the basis of their.

(a) Fiber or texture:

Cotton together, silks and others separately.

(b) Size:

Bigger articles such as, bed linen and table linen and smaller articles such as kitchen clothes and dusters separately.

(c) Use:

Personal clothes together, household linen separately.

(d) Colour:

Dark ones separate from white and light coloured ones;

(e) Degree of dirt:

Heavily soiled garments in a group and slightly dirty ones separately.

2. Pre-treatment

(a) Garments that are torn or ripped or need mending in any way should be mended before washing.

(b) Stained garments should not be mixed with unstained ones and washed.

(c) Stain should be removed first before the stained stuff is put into the wash tub.

(d) Pockets and cuffs should be turned before washing.

(e) Soiled spots, like the neck, pockets, etc, which may be very dirty, should be washed with soap, before soaking.

3. Soaking or Steeping

Clothes should be soaked in water before washing.

(a) Lightly soiled clothes should be soaked for 10 minutes and heavily soiled once for about 30 minutes.

(b) If warm water is used, soaking time needs to be reduced, as it quickly dissolves the dirt.

(c) Do not steep for more than 24 hours in the same water, as bacterial action takes place making the water sour and the clothes may be damaged.

(d) Dissolve mild soap in water thoroughly before adding clothes.

4. Washing

Washing should be done in soft water. If the water is hard, washing soda needs to be added to soften it. The method used in washing is determined by the texture of the fabric, the type of material, its colour and the type of dirt present on it.

(a) Detergents are used for washing and the quantity needed depends on the quality of water and on how dirty the articles are.

(b) The temperature of the water used for cotton clothes 140°F (hot) and time taken is 15 minutes, if the clothes are too soiled or else cold water can be used.

(c) For coarse material and for strong cotton, friction can be applied by the use of scrubbing board or scrubbing brush.

5. Rinsing

Rinse clothes at least twice in clean water to remove all soap and other chemicals. If soap is allowed to remain in clothes it will make them yellow and weak. Hence, rinsing should be continued till the water is clean. The first rinse may be at the same temperature as that of the fresh water and the second may be in cooler water.

6. Wringing

After each rinse, wring out of the moisture of cotton clothes immediately.

7. Starching and Bluing

Starching and bluing may be done as a single process to save time, to avoid washing starch and blue and to obtain results in case of white cotton clothes. The necessary amount of blue should be added to the prepared starch and stir well and then the white clothes can be put into it. However in case of coloured cotton clothes, only starching can be done after the final rinse, is over.

8. Drying

Washed white cotton garments should be hung in the sun to dry, as sunlight bleaches clothes, quickens drying, disinfects and freshen them. Coloured cotton fabrics should be dried in a shady place. Cotton and linens do not hold much moisture and so are easily hung out to dry without causing any harm to the cloth. Articles should be hung out on a line by the selvedge thread and then clipped to the line with wooden clips. They should not be left out in the sun too long but removed as soon as they are dry. Hot sun causes white clothes to become yellow.

9. Ironing

Cotton clothes should be well dampened for ironing. Sprinkle warm water, roll and keep them covered for some time before ironing. Use a hot iron according to the suitability of the fabric. Cotton clothes may be ironed either on the right or wrong side. Iron all double portions of garments such as hems, seams, etc. on the wrong and right side to dry them thoroughly. Iron small parts first i.e. frills, waist bands, lace edgings. Place the garments flat on the table. Guide the work with the left hand preventing creasing. Special attention would be paid to tucks, pleats, collars, etc. Creases that are made accidentally should be lightly dampened them pressed out with a hot iron.

10. Pressing

It is the process of placing a hot iron on the creased portion of a garment and lifting it off and on. While pressing seams may be opened with the pointed tip of the iron. Clothes should not be stretched while pressing as in the case of ironing.

11. Airing

Ironed garments should be aired thoroughly before they are stored. This will dry them off and remove the heat left from ironing.