Clothing Care Chapter 17 page 258

Routine Care Why set aside specific time to care for clothing? Learning about clothing care will help you save money. Learning how to remove spots and stains will save you money on cleaning bills. Proper care will help clothing last longer.

Routine Care Procedures Check for soil, spots, and stains-by checking your clothing after wearing it will be easier to remove stains. Check for repairs-no matter how careful you are with clothes, small repairs are often needed. Repair the garment as soon as possible so that the problem doesn’t worsen. Put clothes away-by putting your clothes away in a closet, drawer, or shelf they are less likely to wrinkle and you will be able to locate them faster.

Reading Care Labels Washing: “Machine wash” means that you can wash and dry the garment by any method at any temperature—hot, warm, or cold. Otherwise the label will indicate the appropriate wash cycle, such as delicate or gentle, and temperature to use. It must specific hand washing if needed. Drying: “Tumble dry” means that the garment can be dried in a tumble dryer at the specified setting—high, medium, low, or no heat. Otherwise the label will indicate “Line dry” or “Dry flat.”

Reading Care Labels Ironing: If ironing is needed, even for a touch-up, the label must say so. If it is not safe to use the hottest setting, then the label must indicate “Warm iron” or “Cool iron.” A label that states “Do not iron” means that even the coolest setting could be harmful to the fabric. Bleaching: You can assume that it is safe to bleach the fabric if the label does not warn against it. If only chlorine bleach is harmful, the label will state “Use only nonchlorine bleach when needed.” If all types of bleach are harmful, the label must warn “No bleach.” Dry Cleaning: If the label says “Dry clean only,” a garment must be dry cleaned.

Laundering Clothes Laundering means washing fabric by hand or by machine with a soil removing product. Different types of fabric need to be laundered by different methods. For best laundering results, follow the following guidelines.

Steps to Laundering Clothes Step 1: Read Care Labels Step 2: Remove any stains from fabrics before laundering. Step 3: Sorting Clothes 1st group together all of the clothes that can be machine washed at the same temperature. Next, separate the clothes by color. Then, consider the amount of soil on the garments. Finally, consider the type of fabrics being laundered.

Step 4: Select laundry products Step 4: Select laundry products. Add soap or detergent according to the machine’s manual—it may be added before or with the clothes. Step 5: Load machine. Check all pockets for any items. Close any zippers or hook and loop fasteners. Do not overload the machine—clothes must move freely for good cleaning action. Step 6: Select water level. Step 7: Select water temperature. Step 8: Select wash cycle.

Selecting Laundry Products Soaps and detergents are cleansing agents designed to remove soil from fabrics. Soaps are mild and work best in soft water. Detergents work well in either hard or soft water. All-purpose or heavy-duty detergents are suitable for all washable fabrics. Prewash soil and stain removers help dissolve or lift out stains before washing. They work well on oil-based stains such as cooking oils, cosmetics, and motor oils. Enzyme presoaks are used for soaking clothes to remove stains and soils prior to washing. They are effective in breaking down protein-type stains, such as blood, egg, meat juice, milk, and baby formula.

Bleaches remove stains, whiten and brighten fabrics, and destroy bacteria. Fabric softeners make fabrics feel softer and reduce static electricity. Water softeners help remove from hard water the mineral deposits that prevent thorough cleaning. Starches, fabric finishes, and sizings are used to give body to fabrics and make ironing easier. Disinfectants destroy bacteria on fabric and may be used when there is an illness in the family.

Drying Clothes Some clothes can be dried by machine. Others should be hung up or laid flat to air dry. Always check the care label for drying instructions. Manufactured fibers should be dried at a lower temperature than cotton or linen. For best results do not overload the dryer since this slows down drying time, increases wrinkling, and decreases fluffiness.

Ironing and Pressing Clothes Ironing is done with a back and forward motion of the iron. It should always be done in the lengthwise or crosswise direction of the fabric to avoid stretching. Pressing is accomplished by raising and lowering the iron from one area to the next. Different fibers have different sensitivity to heat. Most irons have several temperature settings that are labeled with the names of fiber types such as rayon, wool, cotton, and linen.

Dry Cleaning Clothes Dry cleaning is a process that uses special liquids containing organic solvents to clean fabrics. A solvent is a substance used to dissolve another substance. Clothing is placed into a machine that resembles an automatic washer. The solvent is released and agitated with the clothing to remove soil. Then the solvent is spun away, and the clothing is tumbled or air dried until all traces of the solvent are gone. Steam pressing restores creases and pleats.