What’s the best way to wash your clothes?

When to wash?

Firstly, consider how often you wash your clothes and household linen. We tend to over-wash our garments, which is costly and reduces their lifespans.

Only underwear, socks and sports gear need to be washed after every wear. Jeans can be worn for up to 2 weeks without washing, and even then, you could air them as an alternative to a wash.

• One wear: underwear, sports gear, swimwear.
• Up to three wears: bras, dresses, whites, shirts.
• Three to seven wears: skirts, sweatshirts, trousers, pyjamas, towels.
• Seven+ wears: jeans.
• Once a year: duvets.

Airing clothes

Instead of a wash, consider airing clothes that aren’t visibly soiled. Airing outside is recommended, especially on a windy day! If you’re concerned about clothes fading in the sun, just turn them inside out.

TIP – freeze your jeans! If your jeans are getting a bit smelly, then chuck them in a plastic bag and whack them in the freezer for a day. It won’t clean them, but it will kill off the bacteria that have created the odour, saving a wash cycle.

Before you wash

If you have stains on your fabrics, check our stain removal guide first.

For special or unusual items, check their garment care labels for washing and drying instructions.

Then prepare your clothes for washing – zip up zips, buckle up buckles, and Velcro up Velcro, but don’t button up buttons as it puts extra strain on them during the wash.

Check pockets unless you like the mottled tissue look on your black trousers. Delicate items can be placed into mesh zip bags for protection. Unravel your socks too, you lazy lot!

How to wash

Wash full loads where you can (with some exceptions: see our tips for types of garments). But don’t overload your machine – just because it’s rated to 9kg doesn’t mean you should cram 9kg in, as dirt removal performance will suffer.

Whites

We all know to wash whites separately, right? You can also wash at higher temperatures this way without getting colour run. For extra “whiteness” use oxygen-based detergents and hang your whites out in the sun to dry.

Blacks

If you’re a goth, then never fear, you can get dedicated black-wash laundry detergents to stop your blacks becoming greys (Persil, Fab and Radiant all offer one). We’ve yet to test their colourfastness, but in previous tests these types of detergents wash as well as a normal formulation.

You don’t have to use a specialist product, though. Wash blacks inside out on a cold delicate cycle, and air dry inside out and away from direct sunlight, and you should avoid 50 shades of grey.

Underwear and sportswear

Even though laundry detergents are formulated to clean effectively at low temperatures (20°C), you might prefer to wash undergarments and sportswear at higher temps for a more hygienic wash – washing at above 60°C kills most bacteria. Alternatively, you can buy an antibacterial laundry sanitiser or a detergent with added enzymes that will kill germs.

T-shirts, sweaters, trousers

Colourfast garments can be washed at 20°C. Ignore the 30°C or 40°C on the label, as higher temps don’t remove much more dirt – our tests found only a 1-2% increase in dirt removal for a 40°C wash, compared to a 20°C one.

Woollens

Wool garments will be labelled either hand wash only or machine washable. Many washing machines will have a cycle for hand washing woollens, though, to add to the confusion!

If you do machine wash your woollens, then do small loads. It’s best to dry woollens flat: hanging them up can stretch them, unless it’s woven wool like a jacket. You can dry flat on a towel or a drying rack. Avoid direct sunlight when drying woollens.

Some woollen garments can be tumble dried on a low setting without shrinking. The garment care label will state if this is the case.

Silks

Preferably wash silks by hand. Put cold or lukewarm water in a bowl, add a small amount of detergent (around half a tablespoon), soak and lightly agitate for about 5 minutes, then rinse with cold water. Air dry flat or on a coat hanger out of direct sunlight.

Some silks can be washed on the delicates cycle in a washing machine. Check the label first and use a mesh bag.

Linens

Linen garments can be washed on a delicates cycle, or gently by hand, but don’t wring or twist the fabric. Wash linens separately and air dry flat to avoid stretching.

If you need to iron linen to remove creases, ensure the garment is damp first.

Towels

Towels can be washed at a higher temperature if you are concerned about hygiene.

For towels to be soft and fluffy they need to spend a decent amount of time submerged in water – fine if you have a water-hungry top loader, not so great if you have a front-loading machine. For the latter, wash the towels separately and run an extra rinse cycle. Or you could try using a gentler wash cycle, which will involve more soaking than agitation. Set your rinse speed to the lowest possible to reduce flattening of the pile.

After washing, vigorously shaking the towels will help to fluff them up. Using less detergent can also help improve softness.

Five to 10 minutes in a tumble dryer after line drying will also aid fluffiness.

Re-usable nappies

These usually comprise of an inner absorbent pad and outer cover. Remove all solids first, separate the pad and cover, and store the dirty nappies in a nappy bucket with the lid closed. When ready to wash, hold your nose before opening the lid and loading the washer, and use the pre-wash function, if your machine has one. Alternatively, you can let the cycle start, then pause the machine once the water has been added for a soak prior to restarting. Pads and covers can be washed together at a high temperature.

Duvets and pillows

A large capacity washing machine should be able to fit a queen duvet. Wash on a gentle cycle using cold or warm water. The difficulty is getting it dry afterwards – an extra spin cycle can help, but a decent amount of time out on the line in the sun and wind is necessary to fully dry a duvet. A large tumble dryer can help, but check the garment care label beforehand.

Mattress toppers

These can often be machine washed – check the label first though. For thicker toppers, you may find it hard to fit them in your machine, as they don’t tend to compress as much as a duvet. In this case, your only options are a hand wash in the bath or a trip to the laundromat.

Waterproof garments

If you have to wash waterproof gear – jackets, pants, or even tents – then you should invest in a specialist product such as Nikwax Tech Wash or Sno-Seal Sport Wash. Regular laundry detergent is too harsh and can damage the waterproofing. Dry your waterproof gear on the washing line.

Down and feather-filled products

Down-filled garments and outdoor gear, such as sleeping bags and puffer jackets, need to be washed occasionally, as the down can clump together reducing its insulative properties. Use a specialist detergent, such as Nikwax Down Wash Direct, in your washing machine, making sure first that the detergent drawer has no residue from your normal laundry detergent.

Wash on a delicates cycle, ideally in a front loader. If you use a top loader, it should be one without a central agitator. You can also wash by hand in a bathtub.

Drying down garments can be tricky and really requires a dryer. So, if you don’t have one, then it’s off to the laundromat for you.

Before using the dryer, squeeze out as much water as possible and roll the garment in a towel. Pop the garment into the dryer, but don’t use too hot a temperature, and periodically pause the cycle to shake out any clumps in the down.

TIP - chuck a tennis ball in the dryer. Add a tennis ball or two (or more) to your dryer when drying down garments. The balls will bounce around and help break up any clumps in the down.

Shoes

Casual sneakers and sports shoes can often be washed in a washing machine, but never clean leather or suede shoes this way. Before washing, give the soles a clean, removing any mud using a small brush. You should also remove the insoles and wash them by hand as they can be damaged in a washing machine.

Wash separately, inside a mesh bag and on a low-temperature delicates cycle with the lowest spin speed possible.