Nothing beats the feeling of freshly laundered cotton sheets. You can’t resist rolling on them a couple of times before tucking yourself into bed. It almost makes up for the arduous task of doing your laundry. Almost..
We’ve been there too. Ignored that overflowing laundry hamper. But, adulthood comes with certain conditions. Laundry is a non-negotiable one. Adults don’t run out of clean underwear! Well..not every week. But, adults also stick together. So we’ve got your back. With summer just around the corner, let’s review the basics of laundering your cottons.
Here’s our breakdown of Laundry 101 - The Cottons Edition:
1) Divide & Rule.. just your clothes!
We know it’s tempting to dump all your clothes into the washing machine and get the chore done. But, for the sake of keeping your clothes happy, bright and clean, we must segregate them.
Stack your laundry items by colour, fabric and size. Separate your whites, from the pastels and dark hues. This will ensure that the dark dyes don’t bleed onto the lighter clothes. Wash your sweatshirts in a different load from the linen. Place your lingerie, into cotton pillow cases so that the machine is gentler on it.
Pro tip: Turn your cotton shirts inside out. This will protect their bright colours. Also, don’t throw buttoned formal shirts with rolled cuffs into the washer. This will stress the fabric during the wash.
2) Slay your stains
Oops! Did you forget to rinse out that cappuccino from your favourite white tee?
It’s okay. Make sure you treat the stain before putting it in the wash. We don’t vouch for bleaches, normal or oxygenated. Why bother with chemicals when your kitchen staples can do the job? We recommend dabbing your shirt with a mixture of warm water, dish soap and white vinegar to get that brown coffee tinge out. For tougher stains like red wine or oil, caking the area with baking soda does the trick. Take a look at the chart below if you’re dealing with other pesky stains.
(Via Reader's Digest)
Rest assured if you’re using Born Good’s plant based laundry detergent then you don’t have to sweat the stains. Our eco friendly liquid detergent is enriched with the goodness of cyclic lipopeptides and protease, which breaks down upto 25+ stains. It’s cleaning efficacy was tested at Bureau Veritas for the most commonly occurring stains such as turmeric, oil, grease, mud, tea, coffee, blood, wine, ketchup and ink.
3) Keep it cool
In comparison to silks and wool, cotton is a low maintenance fabrics. But, it’s given to excessive wrinkling and shrinkage. So, ditch the heat. This doesn’t just slash your electricity costs, but also protects your garments. Washing your cottons with cold water keeps the shrinkage, colour bleeding and stretching to a bare minimum.
4) More is less!
When it comes to laundry, more is less efficient. Using too much detergent, causes it to cling to the dirt on the clothes, essentially protecting it from the washer. While using Born Good's Fragrance Liquid Detergent you only need a capful, around 40 ml for a normal load i.e. 6-8 kgs. If you’re apprehensive about germs, rest assured Born Good’s fragrance liquid detergent is reinforced with coconut oil, which is a natural germicide.
Pro tip: Don’t overload your machine beyond 100%. Make sure your clothes have enough space to enjoy a good tumble.
If you want to give those special shirts some extra TLC, you can ditch the machine and hand wash them. Soak the garments in warm water with a capful of Born Good’s eco-friendly liquid detergent for ten minutes. Wring, rinse and repeat if needed. Since it is a plant based laundry detergent, its non-toxic ingredients such as citrus and coconut extracts aren’t harsh on your hands.
5) To dry or not to dry
Avoid using dryers, and opt to air dry your garments instead. Hang them inside out over a clothesline or rack to dry away from direct sunlight.
Pro tip: Run a medium hot iron over them while they’re slightly damp to remove creases. A hot iron can burn the cellulosic fibers in your cotton garments and leave behind a yellow tinge.
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Congratulations! You’ve officially graduated from being a laundry novice. If you keep what you’ve just read in mind, we guarantee that your mother will be impressed too. Well, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and cart our biodegradable laundry detergent, and keep your clothes and the environment clean.
