Common laundry mistakes that leave clothes with holes and stains

Doing load after load of washing can be a taxing task and the last thing you want is to make it more difficult with common errors that can leave your clothes in a worse state than when you started. 

Lifestyle experts from online electrical retailer AO.com have revealed the simple things people regularly get wrong, that can cause stains and even tiny holes to develop in fabric. 

From adding too much detergent to piling your socks in last, how many of these errors are you guilty of? 

From overloading the drum to putting your socks in last, how many laundry sins are you guilty of? (stock image)

LEAVING ZIPPERS UNDONE  

If you throw your jeans into a mixed load without doing up the zip, you could be damaging the more delicate items.  

When your clothes come out of the wash with plucking and bobbling or looking a bit more dishevelled zippers might be to blame. 

Take a moment to make sure they’re zipped right to the top so the metal teeth can’t catch or rub against anything. 

USING TOO MUCH DETERGENT

If you’re putting on a load of particularly soiled garments, you might think that the more detergent you add the better. 

However, too much washing powder or liquid can be damaging to fabric, leaving stains on your favourite clothing. 

The residue can also make the washing machine smell bad, as well as creating tiny holes in fabric that will eventually turn into bigger ones.  

If you’re guilty of regularly using too much, invest in a modern washer that dispenses the correct amount of detergent for you, such as the Miele TwinDos range. 

PUTTING SOCKS IN LAST 

To prevent them getting lost in the laundry, make sure your socks go into the drum first – right at the back if you can. 

This prevents them from being forward and ending up in the rubber seal, coming out soaking wet but not really washed properly.  

Socks should go in the drum first to ensure they're washed properly (stock image) 

Socks should go in the drum first to ensure they’re washed properly (stock image) 

OVERLOADING THE DRUM 

Packing the washing machine full might seem like a way of saving both time and energy. 

But if your clothes are too tightly packed there’s no room for the water and suds to make their way through and they will come out with areas unclean or underwashed.  

Natural ways to pre-treat stains 

Pre treating a stain with a natural solution means you’re more likely to get rid of it than merely throwing it in the wash.  

Chemical stain removal products can be useful in the right amounts, but too much can damage your fabrics. 

Most of them contain high amounts of bleaching agents, which, when used in excess can cause discoloration and even the wearing away of fabric fibres. 

Avoid scrubbing stains too heavily with stain removers, and make sure you check that you’re using the perfect amount for your load.       

• Oils: Baby powder

  • Tea/coffee/grass/glue: Vinegar or lemon juice  

• Make-up stains: Shaving foam

• Recent red wine stains: Salt

If you’re not sure what counts as too much, take into account the size of your drum. 

A full outfit – socks, underwear, t-shirt, jeans and a cardigan – weighs around a kilo, so you should put the equivalent of eight outfits in your 8kg drum, ten in your 10kg machine and so on.  

Towels are a bit more tricky to gauge, but in any instance ask yourself if there’s enough room around the top of the drum to allow water and soap to properly disperse. 

NOT EMPTYING THE LINT CATCHER  

Fine clothing dust that gets sucked from clothes during tumble drying gets collected in a special tray. 

But if you don’t empty it, your drier has to work much harder to dry your clothes and all that unnecessary tumbling can leave them damaged.  

Most instruction manuals tell you to empty the fluff filter after every single use, so make sure you do it, as failing to do so also creates a fire hazard.  

USING QUICK WASH FOR EVERYTHING  

It might seem like the most tempting option for speed, but quick washes are only really designed for barely soiled, small loads. 

If you put in a full load of dirty washing on a quick cycle, it won’t come out completely clean as most of the wash is taken up with the spin cycle. 

Instead, get to know your machine and chose the specific setting to match the load you’re putting in, whether it’s jeans or sports gear.   

 



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