Clothing Care and Laundering

You’ll be on your own! When buying clothing, remember: a. How comfortable is it? b. How much will it wrinkle, that you need to iron it? c. What are the hidden costs, such as dry-cleaning and taking time to hand wash? d. How will this garment hold up or stay in style?

In making wise clothing decisions, it helps to know the fibers: Natural- from a plant, worm, or animal source. Synthetic- made from chemicals and/or petroleum sources. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y479OXBzCBQ&feature=related c. Blends- These combine the best qualities of both synthetic and natural sources. Usually, it takes 25% of a fiber for its qualities to show up in the final fabric. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDtcKLXzHBg&feature=endscreen&NR=1 Exceptions: Nylon (for strength) & Spandex (for stretch)

Natural Fibers a. Cotton- comes from the cotton plant. Qualities: soft, absorbent, washable, shrinks, and wrinkles. b. Linen- comes from the flax plant. Qualities: very absorbent, made into suits because it’s cool in hot weather, wrinkles.

Natural fibers c. Silk- comes from the silkworm cocoon. Qualities: strongest natural fiber when dry, soft, must hand-wash or dry clean. http://science.discovery.com/videos/how-do-they-do-it-7-silk-from-worm-spit.html d. Wool- comes from a variety of animal sources. Qualities: Warmest natural fiber, wrinkle-resistant, flame resistant, for most people, it itches when against the skin, NEVER dry in the dryer! http://www.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,13594811001_1880491,00.html

Synthetic Fibers In general, these fibers are: Not absorbent- so they are uncomfortable in hot and humid weather. 2. Resists wrinkles- so they are good for traveling and laundering. 3. Dries quickly- so they are good for athletic sports wear.

Common synthetic fibers: Nylon- strong, naturally mildew resistant, turns yellow with heat. 2. Rayon- Made from cellulose pulp (from a by-product of plant sources), soft, weak, holds dye colors well, often have to hand-wash or dry clean or it will get holes in it. 3. Acrylic- a substitute for wool, tends to pill, lightweight but warm.

More common synthetic fibers: 4. Polyester- creates static, holds oily stains, mildew resistant, can be shaped into many types of fibers, from fiberfill to shiny material to fake fur to fleece. 5. Spandex- adds stretchiness, cannot dry in dryer or it loses its elasticity and shape. It only takes 3% spandex when added to another material to add stretch and elastic control.

Common synthetic fibers, cont. 6. Bamboo- Made from the pulp of bamboo plants, which is a plant that grows quickly. It requires a lot of lot of processing to turn it into a useable fiber, as does rayon. It is soft, strong, wicks moisture away from the skin, very absorbent, holds dye colors well, and drapes well. 7. Kevlar- a para-aramid synthetic fiber, originally used as a replacement for steel in tires. Used in body armor, racing sails, and bicycle tires. It is 5 times stronger than steel, weight for weight.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgBzqzSLdlY

Clothing Care Labels The Federal Trade Commission has required manufacturers to put use and care labels on all clothing since the early 1970’s. Exceptions to the labels are furs, shoes, and leather goods. b. If care label instructions are not followed, then the manufacturers are not responsible for any damages to the garment!

In general, care labels are based on: What is the fiber content? ii. What is the fabric construction? Woven fabrics are stronger, while knitted fabrics are and lose shape more easily. iii. What dyes are used to color the material? The dye colors that bleed most easily are red, navy, and black .

Look at the sheet for the clothing care symbols Washing: temperature of the water, which cycle, do not wash at all, or hand wash. B. Drying: temperature of the tumble dry, which cycle, do not dry, line dry (drying it how? By hanging it on a clothesline, dry flat (dry it how? (By carefully shaping it and laying it flat on a towel until completely dry.)Permanent Press needs the heat from the dryer to release the wrinkles, and must be removed a.s.a.p. to keep the wrinkles from setting.

Care Symbols, etc. C. Ironing: temperature of the iron, no steam, no ironing D. Dry Cleaning: They will tell you whether or not you may dry clean this item.

Other terms on care labels Water-repellent- water beads up on the garment, but will eventually soak through. Water proof- no water will go through the garment. These are coated with plastic, silicon, and/or rubber.

Other terms, etc. Soil release/soil resistant- prevents absorption of liquids and/or dirt into the fibers. It will usually be found in work clothing, table cloths, carpeting, and upholstery. Flame retardant- required for use in all children’s sleep ware, unless the garment is tightly fitting.

Doing Laundry a. Step One- Sorting i. Sort according to the colors, care method/water temp, amount of dirt, weight of fabric, and surface texture: is it a lint-giver(towels) or lint grabber (corduroy)? ii. Remember to shake dirt and lint off of clothes, check pockets, close zippers and hooks, remove belts or pins, and repair holes or tears.

Doing Laundy Step Two- Pre-Treat Stains / Soak i. Treat all stains and spots as soon as possible. ii. Read label and work on reverse side of fabric. Iii. Never place the garment in the dryer until you are sure the stain is out.

Step Three- Wash For best results, be sure the detergent is added to the washer before adding the load. Some detergents have cleaning agents which may leave bleached-out spots! Do NOT overload the washer. If the clothing cannot move easily through the water as it washes, the washer just moves the dirt around! Set your water level, remembering not to set it too low. You need adequate water to wash.

Step Three- Wash, cont. Choose the water temperature: hot is for white sturdy clothing, like socks. warm is for most items cold is only for dark or very bright colors Note: most new washers with a touch panel will simply ask you what type of clothing you are placing in the washer. You cannot choose the water level, water temperature, or speed.

Step Three- Washing, cont. Should you use bleach? Use chlorine bleach only for whites. Use non-chlorine bleach (oxygen-based bleach) for most other clothing. Fabric softeners- reduce static cling and make fabrics feel softer. You can also get softener sheets to use in the dryer for the same purpose.

Laundry detergent- be sure to measure the amount needed Laundry detergent- be sure to measure the amount needed. Most new washers and all front-load washers need high efficiency detergent, which has very low amounts of suds. Select your type of wash. Sometimes you need to set the speed separately.

Step four- drying- to remove moisture and wrinkles! Use the lowest temperature setting possible to avoid damage to clothing. The only difference between permanent press and other cycles is that perma-press has a longer time of tumbling without any heat at the end of the cycle. This helps to reduce wrinkles. ii. Do not dry your clothing too long, as over-drying causes more wrinkles.

Step four- drying, cont. iii. Do not overload your dryer, as that causes more wrinkles. Trying to dry only one or two items at a time will also cause wrinkles, because there’s not enough clothing in there for them to tumble properly. iv. Line drying helps to prevent shrinkage, but watch for sun-fading. v. Do not machine-dry anything with spandex (elastic) in it, or it will ruin the garment.

Step four-drying, cont. vi. Be sure to clean the lint filter every time and make sure the dryer is vented to the outside properly. Otherwise you may have a dryer fire! vii. Be sure to remove, fold, or hang up your clothing as soon as the cycle is done, or your clothing will all wrinkle!