Lipstick, make-up, wine and even deodorant can all cause damage to wardrobe favourites, but according to scientist Martin TerBekke, putting the item in the freezer before popping them in the washing machine can help to get a stain off.
Washing clothes ‘zipped up’ to avoid them causing damage to other items and turning jeans inside out during the wash, which will prevent the seams from turning white, are also among the tips. Other advice included buttoning up blouses to present stretching and leaving a fist-sized gap at the top of the machine to leave room for clothes to be cleaned properly.
Martin, a scientist at laundry and fabric care giant Ariel:
“It may seem strange, but next time you get your favourite lippy on your jumper, whack it in sub-zero temperatures in your freezer. It clumps the lipstick together meaning you’ll easily be able to scrape it off once it’s hardened. And when it comes to those stubborn stains, don’t be afraid to put your clothes through a cold wash.
“Washing at cooler temperatures can save you up to 60 per cent on your washing machine energy bills and can be better for clothes – even washing at 40 degrees can put up to double the amount of stress on fabrics. Protecting the quality of clothes helps keep them out of landfills and stop us needing to buy more.”
Top laundry tips
- Turning your clothes inside out will help protect them during the wash as it stops them rubbing against each other, helping preserve fabrics.
- Zip up all zippers before you put garments in the wash so they don’t catch on your other clothes and damage the fibres.
- Button blouses to prevent stretching and misshapen / mismatched sides.
- For stains like lipstick, first gently scrape off any excess. For particularly waxy makeup stains, place the garment in the freezer for 20 minutes then gently scrape off any excess frozen stain.
- Tackle gluey mess by brushing off any dried glue residue or dabbing the spot with clear tape to remove leftover pieces. Rinse fabric with cold water to dilute any remaining glue.
- Fill up the machine, but leave a fist sized gap at the top so water can evenly distribute and clean clothes properly.
- Wash on cold to save you up to 60 per cent on your washing machine energy bills.
The tips have been shared after research of 2,000 adults who do laundry, commissioned by Ariel, found 35 per cent of people wear their jeans five times before putting them in the wash. And 43 per cent admit to re-wearing underwear because they’re holding out from using the washing machine.
Bedsheets are only changed monthly by 14 per cent of adults, while 32 per cent do their washing on a Saturday. But 62 per cent are cutting back on the amount of washing they do to combat the cost-of-living crisis. And 57 per cent are more inclined to put their laundry on a cold cycle to try and save money and energy, according to the OnePoll figures.
These respondents believe the main benefits of lowering the temperature for a wash to be saving energy (52 per cent), money (46 per cent) and the environment (41 per cent).
Martin, a scientist at laundry and fabric care giant Ariel:
“Putting your clothes through a cold wash is a great way to help protect the fabrics from being discoloured. When it comes to those stubborn stains, don’t automatically think you need to revert to a hotter wash. Other tricks to keep your clothes looking their best includes turning them inside out during the wash.”
