Laundry is where most household fabric damage happens, and nearly all of it comes from three decisions: the temperature, the detergent, and whether it went in the dryer before the stain had gone.
The machine itself
A washing machine that smells is a machine being run too cold and too full. Detergent and body oils build up in the drum, the seal and the drawer.
- A hot maintenance wash, 60C or higher, empty, monthly.
- Wipe the door seal and leave the door ajar between washes.
- Take the drawer out and wash it; it is usually the source of the smell.
- Clean the filter at the bottom front, over a towel. It holds more than you expect.
Temperature
- 30C is enough for most everyday washing and is far cheaper to run, see
- 40C for anything greasy.
- 60C for towels, bedding and anything from an illness, because it is the temperature
that actually kills things.
- Cold for blood, egg, milk and sweat. Heat sets protein permanently. See
Drying
Drying indoors without ventilation is one of the most common causes of condensation and mould in a British home, and it is worth knowing before you put the airer up: a wet load puts a couple of litres of water into the air. If it has to be indoors, do it in one room with the door shut and a window open, or run a dehumidifier.
What ruins clothes
- Biological detergent on wool or silk. Enzymes digest protein, and those fibres are
protein.
- The dryer on a stain that has not gone. It bakes it in permanently.
- Overloading, which stops anything rinsing properly and is why clothes come out stiff.
- Fabric softener on towels and technical fabrics, which coats the fibres and stops them
absorbing or breathing.