Caring for my clothes

Caring for clothes

Clothes drying tips

Follow garment care label instructions carefully for proper drying procedures.  

• Tumble drying: To reduce creasing, remove clothes from the dryer as soon as the cycle ends and hang or fold them immediately. Do not overload your dryer as it can overheat and cause damage to delicate fabrics. Overloading will also cause excessive creasing. 
• Line drying: Avoid drying clothes in direct sunlight to minimise colour fading. If you have to dry your clothes in direct sunlight, hang them inside out on the line. Some clothes will lose their shape if hung on the line. For some garments, such as woollens, it is best to lay them flat in the shade.       

What are the benefits of fabric conditioners? 

• Using fabric conditioner makes your clothes feel softer, more bouncy and more comfortable to wear. Softer clothes are less harsh and scratchy on your skin. Fabric conditioner lightly conditions each of the fibres, helping them to remain regular and smooth and retain their elasticity.
• Clothes smell fresh and clean.
• Using fabric conditioner can make clothes more comfortable to wear in a variety of temperatures. That's because the conditioners can reduce matting of natural fibre, so the garment retains its pore structure allowing air to move freely. In summer, perspiration evaporates freely whilst in colder weather, air pockets are trapped between the fibres which helps retain body heat.
• Using fabric conditioner helps prevent static. It coats synthetic fibres, preventing static from building up.This helps to overcome the annoying problem of clothes clinging to your body and restricting movement.
• Without fabric conditioners, fibres may become damaged and form fibrils on the surface. This build-up of fibrils distorts and scatters light, affecting your perception of colour and causing the garment to take on a dull appearance. 
• Clothes keep their original shape for longer because garments are more bouncy and flexible.
• They reduce wear and tear. Fabric conditioner can increase the life of your clothes by helping to protect key areas such as elbows, knees, collars and cuffs which are most susceptible to damage. This is especially evident on kid's clothes. 
• Fabric conditioner makes your clothes easier to iron. Creases fall out more easily and ironing requires less effort.       

How do I get the best ironing results?

Follow the garment care label instructions carefully. Remember that the iron's temperature takes time to change when you alter the setting. The indicator light shows when it has reached the right temperature. To prevent ironing with a temperature hotter than is suitable for a garment, sort clothes into piles of linen, cotton and synthetics. Set your iron to synthetics and iron the synthetics pile, increase temperature to the cotton setting for your 'cottons' pile etc. This will allow you to slowly increase the heat of the iron without having to wait for it to cool down. Avoid ironing over sharp objects like zips or buttons. 

Ironing temperature guide

• Cotton:  Iron slightly damp on the right side with hot iron.
• Linen:  Iron damp on right side with hot iron.
• Silk:  Iron slightly damp on right side with warm iron.
• Wool (knitted): Turn the garment inside out and press dry or nearly dry with warm iron or steam.
• Wool (woven): Press dry on right side with a pressing cloth to avoid scorching, using a warm iron or steam iron.
• Acrylic:  If needed, press on wrong side with cool iron. Do not use steam or damp cloth.
• Nylon or polyester: Iron nearly dry, on the wrong side with a cool iron to prevent glazing.
• Acetate: Iron evenly damp, on the wrong side with a cool iron.