Laundry can be a daunting chore, especially if you’re not used to it. From different cycles to different fabrics, there’s a lot of factors to successfully washing without shrinking or damaging your clothes. We’re going to simplify the process from start to end so you can approach your laundry with confidence.
Washing machine load sizes
Every washing machine has a certain capacity from 6kg all the way up to 14kg. While you might want to get as much washing done as soon as possible, overfilling your drum can cause damage to your machine in the long-term. So, how much can your machine handle?
Small drum (6-7kg): 5 small towels and 6 tops or 2 pairs of jeans, a jumper and 10 pairs of socks or underwear. Or if you’re washing sheets, 2 bedsheets and 2 pillowcases.
Standard drum (8-9kg): 5 small towels and 10 tops or 4 pairs of jeans, a jumper and 20 pairs of socks or underwear. Or if you’re washing sheets, 2 bedsheets and 4 pillowcases.
Large drum (10kg+): 6 small towels and 12 tops or 5 pairs of jeans, a jumper and 22 pairs of socks or underwear. Or if you’re washing sheets, 2 bedsheets, a duvet cover and 2 pillowcases.
If you can’t tell whether or not you’ve overfilled your machine, put your hand in the drum sideways and make sure you can easily move it around the top of the drum. If you can easily move it around, you’re good to go.
In addition to how much your machine can physically handle, the programs or cycles on your machine can have a specific max load to ensure they are most effective for cleaning.
Laundry detergents
Detergent is a whole world of choice. Do you want liquid detergent or capsules or powder? Do you want non-bio or bio? And what’s the difference anyway? Let’s start by breaking down the different types of detergent:
Liquid detergent: Liquid or gel detergent is less messy and dissolves quickly in your wash. In a bottle of liquid or gel detergent, you generally get 20-30 washes but if you bulk buy beware that it can separate or expire over time.
Detergent pods: Pods are easy to dose, just pop one in, multi-functional and compact to store. They would be more expensive than powder. If you have pets or kids, make sure they’re stored well out of reach as they are extremely harmful if ingested.
Detergent powder: While this is the cheapest and is effective for stain removal, it’s easy to get the dose wrong and it dissolves slowly at lower temperatures. It’s messy to dispense and, if you’re not cleaning your detergent drawer, it can lead to a messy build up reducing the effectiveness of the wash.
Now we know a bit more about the physical types of detergent, let’s talk about the actual substance. In the shops you may see bio and non-bio detergent, but what’s the difference?
Bio: Bio detergent has additional enzymes in it to break down stains and lift dirt more effectively. It’s particularly good on white clothes but can cause coloured clothes to fade. Because of these extra enzymes bio detergents can work effectively even at the lowest temperature of washes.
Non-bio: Non-bio detergent basically exclude the enzymes, which could cause a reaction if anyone in your household has sensitive skin or there are babies in the house. It’s also better for fabrics like silk or wool.
Fabric softener
In addition to your main detergent, you might be considering adding fabric softener to the mix. Fabric softener adds a layer of chemicals to your clothes which soften the fibers and reduce any static.
Do you need it? Fabric softener is very much a personal preference. There are a few things you should consider before adding it to your washing:
If you’re not on top of your washing machine maintenance, it can cause a build up over time and damage your machine.
Its additional chemicals could cause irritation to those with sensitive skin.
If used on towels, it can damage the fibres and reduce their absorbency over time.
Washing machine temperatures
Whether you’re manually choosing a temperature or picking which program is best for your wash, it’s important to know when to choose a cold wash over a hot wash.
When to use a cold wash?
A cold wash is anything from 15C to 30C. It’s perfect for freshening up clothes, lightly soiled clothes, delicates like silk or wool, denim and dark clothes. It helps preserve colours as it prevents fading and any dye transfer. It’s also the most environmentally friendly temperature range as the machine doesn’t have to work as hard to heat the water so you use less energy and save money on your bills.
When to use a warm wash?
A warm wash is 40C. It’s an ideal everyday temperature as its suits anything that comes into contact with body fluids like underwear or workout gear. It’s also the most common temperature that you’ll find on clothes labels. It’s warm enough to remove stains but still cool enough to minimise colour loss or shrinkage.
When to use a hot wash?
A hot wash is anything from 60C to 90C. This is ideal for tackling tough, stubborn stains, whites, towels and baby clothes. Its also good for washing anything used by someone who has been sick, be it clothes, blankets or bed sheets. The downside of a hot wash is that it costs more to run as the machine has to work harder to heat the water to your desired temp.
You can learn more about everything laundry related in our washing machine guide, or browse our range of washing machines here.
