LAUNDRY TIPS
From fading fabrics to stubborn stains, let Fairy Non Bio answer some of your laundry questions
BOBBLING COTTON COLOUREDS'Bobbles' on cotton fabric, which can also look faded.
Solve by:
brushing, cutting or picking off the bobbles.
To help avoid bobbling:
wash your clothes in a detergent like Fairy Non Bio Gel which contains a softening agent to help protect clothes and improve their appearance.
PRINTED CLOTHES LOOK OLD AND WORNFabric fibres can break and stick up, making clothes look old and worn.
Solve by:
brushing, cutting or picking off these fibres to restore a lot of the original colour and appearance.
To help avoid fibre breakage:
wash your garments in a detergent like Fairy Non Bio Gel which contains a softening agent. Make sure you use the right wash cycle too.
GREY LOOKING WHITESEven after washing, whites look dingy or dirty. This can happen because the wash is too cool, you've used too little detergent or the machine's over-filled.
Solve by:
washing clothes with a detergent like Fairy Non Bio Powder, which contains bleach helping maintain whiteness.
To help avoid greying:
use the right amount of quality detergent for the size and condition of your load. Wash heavily soiled garments at the highest temperature on the care label, and mixed loads at the lowest recommended for any of the garments. And don’t over-fill your machine, as it won’t be able to do its best job.
DARK STAINSGrey or black stains, particularly around collars and shoulder areas.
Solve by:
soaking overnight in chlorine-free bleach like peroxide. Make sure no part of the garment is allowed to dry, then rinse and wash as normal following the fabric care label.
To help avoid dark stains:
lots of hair products can react with detergents during the wash, so taking your top off or covering your shoulders with an old towel when you apply them should solve the problem.
MILDEWPatches of small black spots, sometimes tinged with shades of red and green.
Solve by:
making sure the mildew doesn’t dry on the fabric and soaking it in chlorine-free bleach like peroxide for 2 hours. Then just wash as normal following the fabric care label.
To help avoid mildew:
wash dirty, wet clothes as soon as possible rather than leaving them damp. Also it’s best to dry all laundry immediately after washing
UNDERARM STAINSUnderarm stains on shirts, blouses and dresses. Colour can vary from pale yellow to black.
Solve by:
soaking overnight in peroxide bleach, making sure the solution doesn't dry on the fabric. Rinse and wash as normal following the fabric care label
To help avoid underarm stains:
changing your deodorant brand can help. Also, try to soak or wash clothes as soon as you can after wearing
HOT WASHED SYNTHETICSSynthetic fabrics like polyester, nylon and acrylics have creases which won’t iron out properly. Even after ironing, the creases re-appear on contact with water.
Is there a solution?
Sadly there's no way to reverse this kind of damage, although ironing after every wash may minimise the appearance of creases.
To help avoid creasing:
always following fabric care label guidance when washing clothes.
SHRUNK AND FELTED WOOLENSFibres in the wool shrink and lock together, making the garment smaller and giving it the look and feel of felt.
Is there a solution?
Unfortunately, once this has happened to a garment it’s too late to repair the damage.
To help avoid shrinking:
stretch woollens after washing and dry them flat to help them keep their original size. Read the fabric care label and always wash woollens at the correct temperature and cycle.
DOOR GASKET MARKSGrey coloured marks with a rubbery feel.
Solve by:
pre-treating the grey marks with a liquid detergent, then washing normally following the fabric care label.
To help avoid these marks:
make sure that you never overload your washing machine.
OVER-SUDSING Washing machines can sometimes produce too many suds – in extreme cases these may even come out of the machine drawer.
Solve by:
rewashing heavy fabrics like towels with just water to clear excess detergent which has built up.
How to avoid over-sudsing:
always follow your washing machine manufacturer's recommended dosage, taking into account the water hardness and amount of dirt in each wash
M.O. (MACHINE ODOUR) Deposits of dirt, grease, lint and hard water salt can build up in your machine, causing unpleasant odours.
Solve by:
doing a 'maintenance wash' at 60°C with no load in the machine and a heavy duty detergent containing bleach. You might need to do this more than once to fix the problem.
How to avoid MO:
always use the recommended amount of detergent for the dirtiness of your clothes, water hardness and load size. If you often use colour or liquid detergents, or usually wash at low temperatures, it can also help to do a monthly maintenance wash using a detergent containing bleach. After using the washing machine, wipe around the door seal, and leave the door open