Clothing Care: Tips and Recommendations
Are you tired of your favorite clothes shrinking, getting damaged, or losing their vibrancy due to a care mistake? Wash after wash, it's always the same story: they wear out, and you end up throwing away good quality items after just a few months.
You try your best to understand care labels, but it's always a real headache!
To put an end to this annoying problem, we've gathered our best clothing care tips for you! Decoding symbols, recommendations for cleaning different delicate fabrics and linens, as well as our tricks for effectively removing stains from your favorite tops or pants! Keep reading to preserve the beauty of your fashion pieces for as long as possible! 🧺👖
Table of Contents
- Clothing Care Symbols
- Clothing Care According to Material and Fabric
- Removing a Stain from Clothing
1. CLOTHING CARE SYMBOLS
To preserve your clothes, it is essential to follow the instructions indicated on the labels. You must carefully read the laundry care codes before washing, drying, ironing, or bleaching.
👀 Don't understand the symbols? We will decipher the different pictograms and their meanings for you!
- Washing is represented by a basin.
- The number inside (often 30°C or 40°C) indicates the maximum temperature at which the laundry should be washed.
- A line under the basin recommends a synthetic program.
- Two lines for a delicate cycle.
- A hand in the basin recommends hand washing.
- Drying is symbolized by a square with a circle in the middle.
- The dots in the circle indicate the temperature. One dot: 60°C maximum. Two dots: 80°C maximum.
If you do not respect the temperatures for your clothes' care, they could shrink. Who hasn't ended up with a crop top instead of a T-shirt, even though you carefully chose a garment in your size?! 😬
Spin-drying or natural drying is represented by a square with lines in the center interpreting different processes.
- One horizontal line: machine spin allowed and flat drying;
- Two horizontal lines: machine spin not recommended and flat drying;
- One vertical line: machine spin approved and line drying;
- Two vertical lines: machine spin forbidden and line drying;
- One or two lines in the upper left corner: shade drying recommended.
- Ironing is shown by an iron. The dots indicate the ideal temperature.
One dot: 110°C, two dots: 150°C, three dots: 200°C.
- Bleaching is represented by a triangular shape. A triangle approves all types of bleaching. Two oblique stripes indicate that it is possible to bleach your laundry only with oxygenated products. If one of these pictograms is crossed out, the process is strongly discouraged.
Many other symbols exist, but you have discovered the most useful ones for cleaning your laundry thanks to this care guide!
2. CLOTHING CARE ACCORDING TO MATERIAL AND FABRIC
The ideal woman's wardrobe consists of many quality pieces, which means it's important to take care of them during cleaning! Depending on the material of your sweater, dress, skirt, pants, shirt, or cardigan, the care will be different. 👚👗 To find out the fabric, refer to the label.
- Cotton washes at 30°C and irons with a hot iron.
- Silk is a delicate material; opt for dry cleaning by a professional. You can also wash it at 30°C, but be careful, silk requires special treatment.
- Linen is hand-washed and ironed with a very hot iron.
- Polyamide goes into the machine at 30°C and air dries.
- Viscose washes at 40°C and does not require spin-drying.
- Polyester cleans at 30°C, air dries without a machine, and irons with a cool iron.
Don't take risks with your delicate clothes; take them to the dry cleaner and entrust them to professionals. They will perfectly care for your clothes!
They will preserve the beauty of your embroidered tops, cashmere sweaters, leather jackets, or angora coats. For lingerie, there's nothing better than hand washing in lukewarm water to keep them looking radiant. Opt for Marseille soap or a gentle detergent, rinse them in cold water, and lay them flat to dry.
💡 Washing Tips: Before machine washing, don't forget to turn your clothes inside out, empty pockets, and close zippers. Also, choose a quality detergent and always wash new items separately the first time.
3. REMOVING A STAIN FROM CLOTHING
SOS! You just stained your favorite wardrobe item... 😱
Don't worry, it's always possible to fix this disaster. Phew! For that, you'll need to arm yourself with specific products. To avoid making the situation worse, do not use hot water, as this may set the stain.
Also, do not rub the mark; you will only spread it. Finally, do not wash your garment without using a stain remover to prevent the stain from becoming embedded.
To easily remove a stain, it is important to absorb it first.
Blot it with paper towels, then quickly go buy stain remover to apply before machine washing!
Can't get to a store to find the "magic" product that fixes all accidents?
Make your own stain remover with natural products you probably have in your cupboards. Depending on the stain, here's what to use:
🍋 Lemon juice for coffee, tea, and wine stains. Rub the mark on the garment, then head to the washing machine.
🧴 White vinegar for tea, coffee, wine accidents, but also lipstick and beetroot. Mix it with cold water and let it sit for a few minutes, then rub.
🧼 Marseille soap removes chocolate, grease, and oil stains. Wet the area, apply the soap over it, and rinse with cold water.
Follow our tips to get your fashion items looking like new again! Adopt the right habits for clothing care: deciphering labels, washing, ironing, and drying according to the textile.
Pamper the beautiful pieces in your wardrobe so they can adorn you for a long time to come!
