Doing your laundry is actually one of those easy chores. At the click of a button, you just wait, sort, treat, and fold. Your washing machine does most of the heavy lifting. However, take note not to do some shortcuts! These mistakes with your washer can waste time and energy, compromise cleaning, and damage your garments.
Overloading your washing machine
Today’s washing machines are better than ever and most of us tend to crowd our laundry in one washing session— but don’t. Even large-capacity machines have limits. Water and detergent won’t reach everyt hing, dirt gets trapped, and clothing doesn’t get clean when a washing machine is filled to the brim. Overloading also causes unnecessary wear on your washer, and more wrinkled fabrics.
Guesstimating detergent use
It is important to follow your detergent’s directions and measure it. Inaccurate measurements can decrease cleaning performance, whether you add too little or too much. (Note: it’s alright o use a bit more for very dirty loads, or if you’re washing in hard water.)
Same cycles and settings
One cycle just doesn’t fit all. Don’t just limit yourself to using the “Regular” or “Delicate” cycles. There are other settings and options that are worth exploring too. There’s also extra rinses for bulky items, hotter water for better stain removal and whitening, and even slower agitation for less wrinkling.
Forgetting to flush out the dispensers
Remove and rinse them often, and at the end of the cycle. Your washing machine probably has at least one dispenser for fabric softener, detergent, or both, and it needs cleaning. Leave the detergent drawer open so any residual water evaporates to avoid those funky odors.
Not replacing rubber hoses with braided ones
If you can’t (or don’t) turn off the water to your machine when you’ve finished doing laundry, the most important thing you can do to prevent a burst hose is replace standard rubber ones with braided ones. Braided hoses are more durable and don’t dry out, crack, and split, like rubber hoses can. It’s an easy and smart fix.
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