Important tips and tricks on how to wash cotton

Cotton is a natural material, products made from it are hypoallergenic, breathable, non-electrifying and pleasant to the touch.

But they get dirty quickly and are difficult to wash. And if washed incorrectly, they can fade, turn yellow or shrink.

Only if you know how to wash cotton correctly, at what degrees, how to dry it and what mode to iron, you can maintain the attractive appearance of your favorite things for a long time.

How to choose a detergent?

First of all, you need to choose the right detergent. There are many powders, gels and liquids on sale now.

You need to take those that are designed for washing cotton fabrics.. They contain substances that soften water.

All of them also contain compounds that dissolve fat and protein stains on fabric. They usually work even in cold water. Detergents may contain surfactants, enzymes, and phosphates.

For cotton powders containing bleaches are also used. Optical or oxygen ones are best, they are safer for fabric. But such products are used only for white fabrics; colored linen must be washed with special powders, they must be marked “for colored linen”.

It is also important to choose the right form of detergent. The dosage, effectiveness, and application features depend on this:

1. Powders are divided into products for hand and machine wash. The latter are characterized by reduced foaming. For cotton, the powder is best used. Disadvantages include impracticality, complexity of dosage and poor dissolution in cool water.

   The most popular powders for cotton fabrics include: “Persil”, “Dosya”, “Aist”, “Sorti”, “Losk”.

2. Gel is more economical and safe. It can be used at temperatures from 30⁰. For washing delicate items, it is better to use gel, as it preserves the color and softness of the fabric.

   But it cannot be used at high temperatures. Wellery, Power Wash, Pigeon gels are the best to wash.

3. Capsules are used in the washing machine. They are economical and dissolve well even in cold water. The capsules remove stains well and retain color, but have a strong aroma and are not recommended for use on children's laundry.

   It is worth paying attention to Persil Duo-Caps, Ariel Color 3 in 1, Tide 3 in 1 Pods Color, Losk Duo-Caps.

Some housewives use folk remedies for washing cotton the old fashioned way. For cotton most suitable:

• soda ash,
• salt,
• laundry soap.

Ammonia and hydrogen peroxide are used to remove stains.

Preparation for the process

A very important stage of washing is preparing things. This will help avoid deformation and discoloration. If you wash colored clothes together with light ones, they may fade.

Delicate items need to be taken away.They are washed separately at a temperature not exceeding 40⁰.

Before putting cotton laundry into the machine, you need to do the following:

• separate items by color, separate white linen (read about washing white linen Here), separately colored;
• sort them by degree of soiling; heavily soiled or stained items are washed separately;
• It is recommended to turn the clothes inside out, fasten all zippers and buttons, and empty the pockets;
• It is better to put small items in mesh bags; it is also recommended to wash duvet covers in them, this will prevent other laundry from getting inside;
• If the item is washed for the first time, you need to carefully study the label; it indicates at what temperature it should be washed, how to dry and iron it correctly.

At what temperature?

The washing temperature depends on the type and color of the laundry. White items, especially those made of thick fabric, can withstand temperatures up to 95⁰.

But such modes are not recommended to be used often, since cotton can become deformed and the fibers gradually become thinner. Therefore, high temperature is used when stains need to be removed.

Regular washing of white items takes place at 40-60⁰. Shirts, towels and other heavily soiled items made of thick fabric are recommended to be soaked or boiled first. This will help restore whiteness.

Colored linen may fade at high temperatures and the color will fade. To maintain its brightness, it is not recommended to select a mode above 40⁰. Only dark and permanently colored items can be washed at 60⁰, but not higher.

A It is best not to put thin, delicate linen or lace in the machine.. They are washed in cool water by hand, preferably with soap. It is also not recommended to machine wash items with fleece or pile.

You can check a colored item to see if it will fade. To do this, moisten a piece of cloth with soapy water and rub it with a white napkin. If it gets stained, it is advisable to wash this item separately or by hand.

How to wash so that cotton items do not shrink?

How to wash cotton items in the washing machine and by hand so that they do not shrink?

In the washing machine

The easiest way to wash cotton is in a washing machine; you just need to choose the right mode and temperature. To do everything right, you can use the step-by-step guide:

1. Sort things by color and degree of soiling.
2. Place in drum.
3. Add the required amount of powder.
4. Set the temperature from 40 to 90, spin speed 500-800 rpm. Select “Cotton” or “Delicate Wash” mode.

   It must be remembered that cotton shrinks not only from high temperatures, but also from strong spinning, so it is recommended to select maximum values ​​only for coarse fabrics and bed linen.

5. For laundry, it is recommended to rinse twice to completely remove the powder.

Manually

Hand wash delicate items, thin clothes and linen. For this purpose, you should not pour water with a temperature above 40.

The process of washing such things is not complicated:

1. First, dissolve the laundry soap powder or shavings well in water.
2. Dip the item into the solution and leave for 10-20 minutes.
3. Rinse gently with your hands, trying not to rub or pull the fabric.
4. Rinse several times to completely remove detergent.
5. Add a little conditioner or vinegar during the final rinse.This will give things softness.
6. Do not twist it too much, just squeeze it a little, then straighten it and hang it to dry.

What should I do to get it to shrink?

Sometimes it is necessary to reduce stretched clothing. It is easy to “plant” cotton; you need to use a higher washing temperature.

In the typewriter

You need to wash the item in the machine at a temperature of 60, if it is white and made of thick fabric, you can even set it to 90.

Handwash

You can shrink the product by hand washing. During the last rinse, you need to pour boiling water into the basin and add a little fabric softener.

The item is dipped into the solution and covered with something, possibly film. After 5 minutes, transfer to cold water, rinse a little and squeeze.

How to remove blood, grease, and grass stains?

Heavily soiled or stained items should be pre-soaked. If the stains are ordinary, you need to dissolve a few spoons of powder in hot water, put the item in and leave it for a day. Some machines have a pre-wash or soak mode.

Stains are more difficult to deal with. To remove them, you can use industrial stain removers or folk remedies.

You can use one of the most common methods:

1. Dissolve 2 tbsp in 5 liters of hot water. any detergent for cotton washing. It is better to choose those that contain optical brightener or stain remover. Keep the item in the solution for at least 3 hours.
2. Dissolve a quarter of a bar of laundry soap in 5 liters of water. Grind it first. The solution is suitable for soaking delicate fabrics.
3. If you add 9% vinegar to the saline solution, you can soak colored chintz and denim. Proportions for 10 liters of water 5 tbsp. vinegar and 3 tbsp. salt.
4. Blood stains should be washed in cold water. Then lather with laundry soap and leave for half an hour.
5. To get rid of greasy stains, apply a mixture of grated laundry soap, ammonia and turpentine to the fabric. Proportions 2:1:1.
6. Clothes stained with grass should be washed with laundry soap. If that doesn’t help, pour hydrogen peroxide onto the stain and sprinkle baking soda on top. After this, rub a little with a soft brush.
7. To remove stains from brilliant green, you need to rub the fabric with a solution of alcohol with lemon juice or ammonia.

How to bleach?

Only pure white items can be bleached.. There is no need to boil them or soak them for a long time. Nowadays effective bleaches are produced, which are added with powder during washing. They help get rid of the yellow or grayish tint of old linen.

You can return the whiteness of towels, tablecloths and linen with the following solution: add 1 tbsp per 10 liters. ammonia and 2 tbsp. hydrogen peroxide. You need to soak the item for 20-30 minutes.

A saline solution is suitable for handkerchiefs: 30 g of fine table salt per liter of water. This solution helps get rid of yellow sweat stains on white T-shirts or shirts.

How to dry it, can it be ironed?

It is not recommended to machine dry cotton. High temperature will cause shrinkage. Automatic drying is only suitable for rough fabrics. They will have a special sign on their label: a square, a circle in it, and 3 dots inside.

If a crossed out triangle is drawn, it means that the item can only be washed gently. It is advisable to dry the rest naturally.

After finishing washing, the items are taken out of the drum and straightened out well. Then they are hung on a special drying rack or on a rope.

It is better not to dry cotton items in the bright sun: white ones may turn yellow, and colored ones may fade.. It is better to lay out delicate items on a flat horizontal surface, straightening out all the folds.

During ironing, maximum temperatures can be set only for coarse fabrics, bed linen, and towels. For delicate ones, it is better to choose a different mode.

Video on the topic

Video instructions on how to wash cotton:

Conclusion

Washing cotton is not difficult, you just need to choose the right powder, temperature and mode. If you sort your laundry correctly and follow the recommendations on the labels, you can preserve the color and shape of such items for a long time.