Let’s talk about doing your clothes. Clothes—shirts, blouses, sweaters, jeans, socks—need to be washed. There is no way out of it. Here’s how to wash your clothes right.

Tips for Washing Your Clothes

Here are some cleaning products and solutions for washing your clothes:

• Laundry detergent. A laundry detergent solution is essential. These days, detergents come in all shapes and scents and it’s important you choose one that suits your family best. For example, someone from your family could be allergic to a particular scent, so remove all detergents with that scent from your list of options.
• Stain removers. Stain happens. When it does, it’s time to pick up that bottle from the laundry basket with the label “stain remover”. Choosing a stain remover product requires some thought. For instance, you need to consider the type of fabric you’re going to be using the stain remover on. You can’t just blindly use every other brand and expect the results to come out right.
• Bleach. Bleach is a powerful cleaning solution and everyone who uses it on his or her dirty laundry should know that. Not long ago, there weren’t that many choices when it came to bleach. Not anymore. Nowadays, we have scented bleaches and concentrated bleaches and more as a result of many years of research on dirty laundry.
• Hot vs. cold water. Hot water is usually used with linens and white clothing, or when you especially need to clean your clothes thoroughly. However, hot water has a tendency to shrink clothes, so check the tags first before washing your clothes with hot water. Cold water is usually used with delicate items, or clothes tagged with instructions to wash with cold water. The best way to clean using cold water is to pre-treat your clothes with stain remover and soaking overnight. Warm water is the water temperature of choice for most people, although it is still wiser to check the tags to see if the clothes can withstand the slight difference from cold water.

Washing Label Symbols

When washing clothes, understanding what they mean is essential. Here are the symbols you would likely see on tags:

Circle Symbol

The circle symbol stands for dry cleaning liquid. If it’s just a circle, it means that using dry cleaning liquid is okay. If it has an “A” in the middle of the circle, it means all kinds of dry cleaning liquid is acceptable. If it has a “P”, it means use mild solvents or Perchlorethylene. An “F” means use only mild solvents or white spirit (a dry and mild cleaning solvent). An “X” through the circle means do not dry clean.

Hand Ironing Symbol

The hand ironing symbol accompanied by one dot means delicates or synthetics, and to use a low temperature (120°C and below) when ironing the garment. Two dots means wools and silks (150°C). Three dots means cottons and linens (200°C).

Bath Symbol

The bath symbol is usually accompanied with the recommended temperature to use on the article of clothing. If it has an underline beneath it, it means that you should use a more gentle wash cycle or a deep water level.

Triangle Symbol

A triangle symbol with the letters “CL” inside it means that you can use chloride bleaches without damaging the clothing article. If it has a large “X” over it, it means do not use bleach.

Tumble Dry Symbol

The tumble dry symbol is usually accompanied by a temperature that recommends what your dryer temperature settings should be. An X over the symbol means do not tumble dry.