Garment Care

The Fabrics

Wool
*Shrinks if washed at high temperatures, and loose shape if hung out to dry
*Is a good heat insulator.
*Tends to go lumpy and turn yellow.

Cotton
*Shrinks if washed at high temperatures.
*Resists ironing well, and if coloured , must be washed separately the first time.
*Cool, Flexible and highly resistant.
*Tends to crease.

Linen
*Must always be washed by had, at low temperatures and not be spin -dried
*Resistant to ironing.
*Cool, pleasant to the touch & resistant to dirt.

Silk
*Cannot be washed at high temperature/spin-dried.
*Must be ironed without steam & at low temperature.
*Strong ,light, pleasant to the touch & holds colours well
*Delicate. Difficult stains requires professional care.

Acetate, Rayon, Viscose
*Must no be spin-dried, to prevent them from losing shape.
*Have a silky feel 7 hold colours well
*Have low resistance when damp, burn easily & become charged with static electricity.

Polyster/ Nylon
*Sensitive to heat, and must be washed in warm water & ironed at low temperature without steam
*Highly resistant , do not crease easily, & hold colours well
*Burn easily & become charged with static electricity.

General Rules

Should I wash a garment?
There are times when airing & brushing clothes is enough if they aren't dirty. If you do so , you save energy & your clothing will last longer.

Detergent
If you use a detergent with ecological labels, you'll help the environment. Try not to use more detergent than that shown on the instructions on the packet. Using larger amount may cause stains on the clothing and skin problems.

Softener
Softener is unnecessary expense and is highly damaging to the environment.

Bleach
Only use bleach in cold water and for a maximum of one hour. Do not use in containers made of iron , copper or tin.

Hand washing
Remember to desolve the detergent throughly before adding the clothing. During the first few washes, separate the garment as it may stain the water.

Washing machine
Fill up the washing machine. When washing a small number at items, it is advisable to use a programmer with low energy consumption, found on most modern machines. Remember to empty out the pockets.

Washing Temperature
Always respect the washing temperature shown. Colour garments that have to be washed at 60°C may bleed of they are washed at 60°C or by hand. It is not always best to wash at a lower temperature.

Drying
It is advisable to spin dry clothing before taking it out of the machine. Remember that fresh air is the best dryer, although take care not to expose clothing to direct sunlight, as it may lose colour.

Ironing
Classify your clothing according to the temperature on the table, and start with the lowest. Clothing should be slightly damp when ironing. Once you're finished, before the iron cools down, remove any particles that may have stuch to it.

Recycle
your clothesGive away clothes you no longer wear to organizations that hand them out to the needy. That way , you 'll extend the useful life of your clothes.

Denim
Denim owes its appearance to a special colouring technique that may cause pigment to bleed out when washed. Wash your jeans inside out so they don't lose colour, and prevent white stains appearing on the jeans.

Quilted jackets
Put tennis balls in the dryer so that the filling is distributed evenly.
Thick knitwearThick knitwear items must be dried in a towel & kept flat, so that they keep their original shape.

Waterproof clothing
To dry waterproof clothing, just leave to drip -dry. If you prefer to use a tumble dryer,remember to use very low temperature.