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Shrinkage and discoloration of cotton garments can be avoided by proper laundering. In the article, we will share the secrets: what to do if cotton shrinks after washing, how to wash cotton items in CMA and by hand.
Prepare
There are a few simple rules for preparing cotton laundry for washing:
- Cotton clothing should be turned inside out.
- Fasten all zippers and buttons.
- Soak clothes overnight for heavy stains.
Remove stains and remove yellowness
After frequent washing of cotton items, you may encounter the fact that the clothes are gray or stained with yellowness. It is not recommended to use substances with bleach to solve this problem, so as not to damage the fabric even more. There are many folk recipes that will help get rid of such spots:
- Combine peroxide, ammonia and water in the following proportions: 30ml – 15ml – 10 liters.
- Heat water to 60 degrees, pour in the rest of the ingredients.
- Stir. Place things in a container of water for about half an hour.
- Rinse well.
- Arrange for drying in a well-ventilated area.
With this washing method, it is easy to achieve a snow-white color and remove even old stains. If you want to wash cotton so it doesn’t shrink, remember this method as it is 100% effective. After planting a “difficult” stain – coffee, chocolate, wine or berry juice, use soap or dish detergent. Then boil with bleach. Wait for the water to boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Hand washing cotton
Not sure how to wash cotton by hand? Consider all the nuances of such washing. Most often, thin, lace and embroidered clothes are washed by hand. Soaking in such cases is not required. When hand washing, use gentle detergents that do not contain chlorine and other aggressive substances. When washing, you need to rub the fabric very carefully, without applying a lot of force, so as not to damage the fabric. It is forbidden to twist clothes – wring out lightly so that as much water as possible is glass. Rinsing is recommended in water with a temperature of 37-40 degrees. Rinse until the soap scum is washed off.
Removing tough stains
If you don’t know how to wash heavily soiled cotton, it’s simple. This will require pre-soaking. Fill a basin with warm water, add washing powder or gel, soak clothes for a couple of hours before sending them to the washer drum. There is another way to easily remove stains and dirt. Moisten the item in water, and rub the stains with 72% laundry soap. Rub gently and thoroughly. After removing the stains, you can start the normal wash. If your washing machine has a prewash or prewash function, use it for the same purpose.
Important! Avoid vinegar. Do not soak items in questionable solutions so that the clothes do not lose their color and shape.
When you need to remove stains from white cotton clothes, use products with bleach or a non-chlorine stain remover.
How to choose a mode
If your machine has the “Cotton” function, it’s simple:
- Turn on the clipper.
- Put things in the drum.
- Pour washing powder and conditioner into the cuvette if necessary.
- Close the hatch.
- Set the program selector wheel to the “Hlopok” modes.
- Press the wash start button.
Optimum washing temperature
Undecided at what temperature to wash cotton? Then we will tell you the details. Colored items are prone to staining when in contact with water, and the higher the temperature, the greater the likelihood of discoloration. Therefore, when washing a cotton colored dress, the optimum washing temperature is 40 degrees. When washing white clothes, a temperature regime of 90 degrees is suitable – this will not hurt the color. But remember that frequent washing in almost boiling water will thin the fibers of the fabric.
Recommendation! Select the temperature for white cotton items based on the degree of soiling. To refresh the laundry, 40 degrees is enough. To remove the stain, you will need a higher temperature regime.
When choosing the automatic mode, pay attention to the fact that modern models of washing machines include the “Cotton” program, which is suitable for washing cotton items.
Additional tips
To prevent shrinking clothes, there are several ways to prevent this. So the first option:
- Put the clothes in a bowl of warm water for half an hour.
- After: delicate mode and 30-degree temperature – what you need.
- Take out and gently stretch the clothes with your hands to the desired shape.
- Spreading clothes from time to time, wait until completely dry.
Option №2:
- Cover the product with wet gauze and iron it, slightly stretching the edges.
- Use the iron until the item is completely dry.
“Shrinkage” of products
Sometimes shrinkage of things is also required. If you already know how to make cotton clothes not shrink, then “planting”, that is, reducing it, is much easier. If you have lost weight or linen has stretched, wash at 60 degrees. If the clothes are colored, in order not to lose the brightness of the color, use a color-preserving powder. Spinning and machine drying will only contribute to shrinkage.
User Tips
There are hundreds of useful tips on washing cotton products on the housewife forums. We have selected the most useful of them:
Olga, Tyumen
I wash cotton items on the “Wool” mode at 30 degrees. In this mode, both washing and rinsing are carried out at the same temperatures, so nothing shrinks.
Svetlana, Orel
I use only liquid powders for cotton – they practically do not shrink.
Alice, Moscow
I set everything manually: temperature 30 and spin at 400. Liquid detergents, for colored and black fabrics separately. I dry it exclusively on a coat hanger – then no ironing is needed.
Irina, Pushkino
I do not buy 30% cotton clothes, I choose at least with a minimum percentage of synthetics. If not laziness – I wash it with my hands, and in a typewriter – at 40-XNUMX degrees.
Now you know how to wash cotton in the washing machine and by hand. Although cotton fabric is finicky in care, you can find an approach to it. Knowing which temperature and mode to choose, you will remove dirt and yellowness, keeping your favorite blouse. Happy and efficient washing!