redphoenixx
11-01-2004, 11:40 PM
Proper care of different materials will make them last longer
• For cotton, machine wash warm to avoid fading and shrinking. For preshrunk, white cotton, you can use a hot water wash and bleach. This is a life saver when it comes to diapers, aprons and the like.
• Cotton with metallic threads should be washed in warm or cold water and machine dried. Only use a cool iron if needed.
• Acrylics can be washed in warm water and machine dried. If you hang clothes to dry, pay special attention to the acrylic material. You may have to lay it flat to dry to keep it from stretching.
• Silk can be hand washed in lukewarm water with a mild soap. Lay flat to dry.
• Acetate must be dry cleaned. There is no other alternative, so look carefully at labels before buying.
• It's usually recommended that you dry clean suede, but you can wash it by
• hand or on the gentle cycle of your washer. Use lukewarm water and athorough rinse. Stop the machine before the spin cycle and squeeze the suede as dry as possible. Lay flat to dry. You might have to brush the suede to relax the nap when it's dry.
• Machine wash fleece in warm water on the shortest cycle possible. Remove it from the machine as soon as it has finished and hang to dry to avoid matting. A dryer will ruin good fleece.
• Hand washed linen will soften and make linen more aborbent. Dry cleaning will keep it crisp. If you wash linen, lay it flat to dry. Smooth the material over a white towel or other cloth folded for thickness.
• Lycra, lycra velvet and spandex should be washed in lukewarm water either by hand or on the gentle setting of a washing machine. Drip drying is best, but if you can't, machine dry it on the lowest temperature setting for the shortest period of time possible.
• Polyester is not as popular as it once was, but if you have some, wash it in warm or cool water. Hang or machine dry. Polyester usually needs a fabric softener, but use it with care, because it will create oily looking spots on the material that are next to impossible to remove.
• Wool comes in different types. Some can be handwashed and some must be dry cleaned. Never dry wool in the dryer. The key to keep wool from shrinking is to never change water temperatures when washing and rinsing.
......and here's the website the article is from:
http://frugalliving.about.com/od/caringforclothing/a/fabriccare.htm?nl=1
• For cotton, machine wash warm to avoid fading and shrinking. For preshrunk, white cotton, you can use a hot water wash and bleach. This is a life saver when it comes to diapers, aprons and the like.
• Cotton with metallic threads should be washed in warm or cold water and machine dried. Only use a cool iron if needed.
• Acrylics can be washed in warm water and machine dried. If you hang clothes to dry, pay special attention to the acrylic material. You may have to lay it flat to dry to keep it from stretching.
• Silk can be hand washed in lukewarm water with a mild soap. Lay flat to dry.
• Acetate must be dry cleaned. There is no other alternative, so look carefully at labels before buying.
• It's usually recommended that you dry clean suede, but you can wash it by
• hand or on the gentle cycle of your washer. Use lukewarm water and athorough rinse. Stop the machine before the spin cycle and squeeze the suede as dry as possible. Lay flat to dry. You might have to brush the suede to relax the nap when it's dry.
• Machine wash fleece in warm water on the shortest cycle possible. Remove it from the machine as soon as it has finished and hang to dry to avoid matting. A dryer will ruin good fleece.
• Hand washed linen will soften and make linen more aborbent. Dry cleaning will keep it crisp. If you wash linen, lay it flat to dry. Smooth the material over a white towel or other cloth folded for thickness.
• Lycra, lycra velvet and spandex should be washed in lukewarm water either by hand or on the gentle setting of a washing machine. Drip drying is best, but if you can't, machine dry it on the lowest temperature setting for the shortest period of time possible.
• Polyester is not as popular as it once was, but if you have some, wash it in warm or cool water. Hang or machine dry. Polyester usually needs a fabric softener, but use it with care, because it will create oily looking spots on the material that are next to impossible to remove.
• Wool comes in different types. Some can be handwashed and some must be dry cleaned. Never dry wool in the dryer. The key to keep wool from shrinking is to never change water temperatures when washing and rinsing.
......and here's the website the article is from:
http://frugalliving.about.com/od/caringforclothing/a/fabriccare.htm?nl=1