Doing your own laundry means you’re likely to be making mistakes. As great as the home washing machine can be – and as hard as we try! – the results just aren’t up to scratch. Although making sure your clothes are clean is the priority, the way you do your washing also affects their appearance and longevity.

LAUNDRYHEAP – the on-demand laundry and dry-cleaning service – lists 5 laundry mistakes that can be avoided.

1. TREATING STAINS INCORRECTLY – we’ve all been there – we spill our lunch on our brand-new top or favourite jeans. Cue panic and frantically rubbing the stain with a variety of detergents. Rubbing a stain too much actually makes it worse, as it could wear away the fabric or spread it around. As soon as you notice a stain, rinse in cold water and dab gently with a stain remover or neat laundry liquid for best results.
   
   
2.  DETERGENT MEASUREMENTS – using too much detergent can cause excess soap suds to get caught in the fabric, which eventually leads to a build-up of bacteria. Yuck! How much detergent you use depends on the water hardness in your area – if your water is hard, use more than the box says, but if it’s soft, use less. Your clothes will be super-clean and bacteria free in no time!
3. OVERFILLING THE MACHINE – if you’re not keen on laundry, it’s no surprise that you find yourself waiting until there’s a massive pile waiting by the washing machine. Instead of squashing it all into one wash, split it up into two or more. Overloading doesn’t just damage the inside of the machine, it also means your clothes don’t wash properly and come out with creases.

    

4. FORGETTING ABOUT FASTENINGS – washing clothes can become complicated when it comes to accommodating the many types of zips, buttons and other fastenings. Of course, these items can be washed normally, but it’s only a problem when you forget to do them up before washing. Zip up jeans and skirts before washing – they can snag more delicate items in the same wash. However, don’t button up shirts as they can pop open.

    

5. LEAVING GAPS BETWEEN LOADS – it may seem like a false economy to do multiple loads of washing back-to-back, but that couldn’t be more wrong. Doing one wash after another is actually efficient, as the machine will have retained heat from the previous cycle, saving on energy usage. Who knew washing could actually save you money?

Instead of wasting time worrying about washing, let LAUNDRYHEAP do it all for you. We love the satisfaction of returning spotlessly clean clothes to our customers – even better, we do it all in 24 hours, making sure you always look great!