While it’s true that today’s modern men can easily handle grooming tips, it would be fair to say that many believe laundry is still a terrifying and confusing task! For thousands of men, washing machines might as well be a NASA space shuttle for how complicated they look. The good news? Laundry really isn’t that hard, and in this article we’ll give some fantastic tips for gentlemen so that they can easily grasp everything to do with laundry.
Clothing Tags Help You Out
That white tag on your jeans or T-shirt is not just for looks – it provides some advice for how best to wash the item, such as hand wash only, dry clean only, do not iron, and even which temperature is best to set the washing machine for the cycle. To help decipher the laundry symbols, you could also look at Persil’s summary page and learn what all they all mean!
Separate Colors and Whites
To avoid whites turning a deep shade of pink because you threw your red socks into the wash as well, then always make separate washes for colors and whites. A tiny bit of black on an otherwise mostly white T-shirt is fine, but it’s best to avoid colors “bleeding” into your white garments by splitting the two. It might seem like extra effort and annoying to make two washes, but trust us, if it means you don’t get some weird shades on your favorite white shirt, then it’s worth it.
Water Temperature
The tags on the clothing will help you with this, but for a quick reminder, really hot temperatures are best for things like socks, underwear, towels, and bedding, as it kills the dust, grease, etc. much better than a low temperature. Conversely, cold water is better for things made from wool, as hot water may shrink the item. Mild water temperature is usually recommended for jeans, T-shirts, and hoodies.
Some Laundry Items can Last a Bit Longer Unwashed
When it comes to items that need to be washed every day, underwear, socks, and T-shirts definitely fall into that camp. Jeans can last around a week unless they are particularly smelly or dirty. Button-down shirts, depending on the weather, how close the fit is, and how long it was worn that day, can usually be worn at least twice before heading to the washing machine. Towels can go roughly 5 days and bedding should be switched every 2 weeks.
Types of Washing Cycles
Granted, this is probably where most men fall apart and vow simply to buy new clothing instead of washing, but steady on. Of course, there are many types of washing machines out there, but check this CNET guide for a basic intro on washing machine settings. You’ll have no trouble wondering what the difference is between delicate, permanent press, rinse & spin, or cotton washes afterward.
Using Detergent and Fabric Softener
As a consumer, you’ve got a lot of options when you stand in the laundry aisle at the supermarket. Different detergents from different brands… what’s a man to do? Most of it will depend on your budget and whether you have any particular allegiance to one brand, but in end, it’s safe to say that powder detergents are cheaper but don’t dissolve as well in cold water. Liquid detergents are more expensive and are great at getting out stains like blood, grass, or tomato (and good in cold water).
Pods are quite new in the laundry world and are useful if you hate having to pour out amounts and have no clue how to do this! You simply throw the pod into your washing machine, then the laundry on top, and start up the cycle. You can also use fabric softener in addition to detergent if you like your clothes smelling extra fresh and feeling super soft.