American women don't know how to wash their clothes!

[Anonymous]

I guess you should go shop in your country, since your laundry skills are superior to the rest of us?

[Anonymous]

OK, ok, count me as one who doesn't know how to wash her clothes. Please, someone tell me the secret to keeping my kids' things looking pristine. Seriously. Don't just hate, educate! What are your washing secrets???

[Anonymous]

The busier your life is, the less time you have to devote to painstaking laundry, regardless of where you come from.

To make clothes last:
1. Buy good quality fabrics to start with.
2. Treat all stains as fast as possible with mild stain remover. That way they can wait until the next wash.
3. Hand or machine wash on cold or warm , never hot.
4. Line dry as much as possible, or machine dry on lowest setting. This is a problem in our area because clothes can smell if not dried completely.
5. Use the least amount of chemicals possible: just a quarter of the recommended amount of mild laundry detergent is sufficient, no need for softeners, etc. Research has shown most of the "cleaning" comes from the mechanical action of clothes rubbing against each other in the wash, not the detergent itself. Which is why clothes are cleaned better in full-ish loads, provided they still have room to rotate.

There is no mystery: like your car and house, it takes maintenance to preserve your belongings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, all of you PPs are nasty. (Speaking as an American born US citizen who launders even the cheap stuff with care.) There is a huge difference in how clothes will "wear" based on laundering. But we also know how to do laundry so as not to ruin things.

Are you saying that if one does laundry by some special method -- then there's no such thing as clothes ever wearing out? That seems hard to believe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The busier your life is, the less time you have to devote to painstaking laundry, regardless of where you come from.

To make clothes last:
1. Buy good quality fabrics to start with.
2. Treat all stains as fast as possible with mild stain remover. That way they can wait until the next wash.
3. Hand or machine wash on cold or warm , never hot.
4. Line dry as much as possible, or machine dry on lowest setting. This is a problem in our area because clothes can smell if not dried completely.
5. Use the least amount of chemicals possible: just a quarter of the recommended amount of mild laundry detergent is sufficient, no need for softeners, etc. Research has shown most of the "cleaning" comes from the mechanical action of clothes rubbing against each other in the wash, not the detergent itself. Which is why clothes are cleaned better in full-ish loads, provided they still have room to rotate.

There is no mystery: like your car and house, it takes maintenance to preserve your belongings.

This, plus washing more delicate things inside out.

I have to say, though, the better quality fabrics you buy, the easier it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The busier your life is, the less time you have to devote to painstaking laundry, regardless of where you come from.

To make clothes last:
1. Buy good quality fabrics to start with.
2. Treat all stains as fast as possible with mild stain remover. That way they can wait until the next wash.
3. Hand or machine wash on cold or warm , never hot.
4. Line dry as much as possible, or machine dry on lowest setting. This is a problem in our area because clothes can smell if not dried completely.
5. Use the least amount of chemicals possible: just a quarter of the recommended amount of mild laundry detergent is sufficient, no need for softeners, etc. Research has shown most of the "cleaning" comes from the mechanical action of clothes rubbing against each other in the wash, not the detergent itself. Which is why clothes are cleaned better in full-ish loads, provided they still have room to rotate.

There is no mystery: like your car and house, it takes maintenance to preserve your belongings.

In all seriousness, this is a helpful post. Stains are my biggest concern and I need to start pre-treating right away (which is tough with a toddler - do I rip the clothes off him right after dinner)? I am ashamed at how dingy DS's whites are (heck, all of our whites). I use bleach and wash on hot, what else am I doing wrong? Is there any way to salvage and revitalize dingy whites?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The busier your life is, the less time you have to devote to painstaking laundry, regardless of where you come from.

To make clothes last:
1. Buy good quality fabrics to start with.
2. Treat all stains as fast as possible with mild stain remover. That way they can wait until the next wash.
3. Hand or machine wash on cold or warm , never hot.
4. Line dry as much as possible, or machine dry on lowest setting. This is a problem in our area because clothes can smell if not dried completely.
5. Use the least amount of chemicals possible: just a quarter of the recommended amount of mild laundry detergent is sufficient, no need for softeners, etc. Research has shown most of the "cleaning" comes from the mechanical action of clothes rubbing against each other in the wash, not the detergent itself. Which is why clothes are cleaned better in full-ish loads, provided they still have room to rotate.

There is no mystery: like your car and house, it takes maintenance to preserve your belongings.

In all seriousness, this is a helpful post. Stains are my biggest concern and I need to start pre-treating right away (which is tough with a toddler - do I rip the clothes off him right after dinner)? I am ashamed at how dingy DS's whites are (heck, all of our whites). I use bleach and wash on hot, what else am I doing wrong? Is there any way to salvage and revitalize dingy whites?

too much detergent can make whites look dingy.

[Anonymous]

They must also be known for smugness in your country as well as washing clothes. Congratulations!

[Anonymous]

My husband does out laundry.

[Anonymous]

"Stains are my biggest concern and I need to start pre-treating right away (which is tough with a toddler - do I rip the clothes off him right after dinner)? "

I fed my toddlers in the bathtub whenever possible.

[Anonymous]

09:20 here. I do "rip the clothes off" my kids if we are at home and I care about that particular outfit
Spray with Babyganics stain remover, let sit 5 minutes, rub stain in running water until the stain is gone, and hang on the side of the laundry basket until wash day.
When on the go, a friend told me to use baby wipes on stains: it works up to a point, but you still need stain remover as soon as you get home.
DC1 uses a white cotton dinner napkin that takes tomato and curry sauce all the time and I only wash it every few days. I put undiluted bleach on the dried stains then rinse in cold water before putting in the wash.
Obviously, the older stains are, the more likely they are to stick around.
For white collars, preventatively rub the inside with stain remover every few washes, otherwise skin cells and oil will make them look dingy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The busier your life is, the less time you have to devote to painstaking laundry, regardless of where you come from.

To make clothes last:
1. Buy good quality fabrics to start with.
2. Treat all stains as fast as possible with mild stain remover. That way they can wait until the next wash.
3. Hand or machine wash on cold or warm , never hot.
4. Line dry as much as possible, or machine dry on lowest setting. This is a problem in our area because clothes can smell if not dried completely.
5. Use the least amount of chemicals possible: just a quarter of the recommended amount of mild laundry detergent is sufficient, no need for softeners, etc. Research has shown most of the "cleaning" comes from the mechanical action of clothes rubbing against each other in the wash, not the detergent itself. Which is why clothes are cleaned better in full-ish loads, provided they still have room to rotate.

There is no mystery: like your car and house, it takes maintenance to preserve your belongings.

Thanks so much for this post!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The busier your life is, the less time you have to devote to painstaking laundry, regardless of where you come from.

To make clothes last:
1. Buy good quality fabrics to start with.
2. Treat all stains as fast as possible with mild stain remover. That way they can wait until the next wash.
3. Hand or machine wash on cold or warm , never hot.
4. Line dry as much as possible, or machine dry on lowest setting. This is a problem in our area because clothes can smell if not dried completely.
5. Use the least amount of chemicals possible: just a quarter of the recommended amount of mild laundry detergent is sufficient, no need for softeners, etc. Research has shown most of the "cleaning" comes from the mechanical action of clothes rubbing against each other in the wash, not the detergent itself. Which is why clothes are cleaned better in full-ish loads, provided they still have room to rotate.

There is no mystery: like your car and house, it takes maintenance to preserve your belongings.

Thanks so much for this post!

Excellent -- thanks!

[Anonymous]

Now that's a rant!

[Anonymous]

Ummm...OP, just buy new clothes, then.