Laundry 101 and Clothing Care
The 4 Steps of Laundry
Step 1- Sort out the laundry
Sort into colors
Darks, Brights, Whites/Pastels
Sort by type
Towels should go together because of the pills
Denim
Clothing care labels- ex. Hand-washing or dry cleaning
Degree of Soiling
Don’t put nice clothes with dirty work clothes
The 4 Steps of Laundry
Step 2- Pre-treat fabrics
o To avoid damages in the wash prepare clothes so
they don’t get tangled, knotted, caught or ruined.
– Emptying pockets
– Shaking out loose dirt from cuffs
– Zipping zippers, buttoning buttons, hooking hooks,
etc.
– Tying sashes and strings loosely
– Mend rips and tears so they don’t get worse
– Remove any trims that cannot be washed
The 4 Steps of Laundry
Step 2 Continued
o Pre-treat any stains- most of the time you can just
spray with a pre-treater but here are some other
tricks.
o For gum issues- Ice cubes
o For ink problems- Hair spray
o Deodorant Stains- Vinegar
o Vinegar Smells- Baking Soda
o Blood Stains- Saliva (Spit)
o Everyday typical stains like ketchup-
Laundry Detergent
The 4 Steps of Laundry
Step 3- Washing the Clothes
• Use the right amount of detergent.
• Don’t overload the washer.
• Set the temperature and appropriate cycle.
• If using bleach, use the proper kind and the
proper amount at the right time. Add the bleach to
water, don’t pour it on clothes. If you don’t, clothes
will yellow and it will eat holes in the fabric.
• If using fabric softener, add it toward the end of
the wash cycle. Adding it too early will prevent
cleaning and softening.
The 4 Steps of Laundry
Step 4- Drying and Ironing
• Before you put clothes in the dryer, check to
make sure stains have come out- heat will make
them permanent.
• Clean out the lint filter.
• Don’t overload the dryer.
• Set the correct heat and time.
• Remove clothes promptly from the dryer and if
they are forgotten simply place a damp towel in
and dry for a few minutes again to get out the
wrinkles.
The 4 Steps of Laundry
Step 4 continued
• It is hard to iron really dry clothes so use a little mist to
help even out the wrinkles.
• Read the clothing care labels carefully because not all
fabrics are able to be ironed. Especially those with
glitter (glitter=plastic)
• If you are unsure of what the fabric is, always start with
the lowest setting and then work your way up.
• Hang shirts up immediately after ironing to keep them
from wrinkling.
• If an iron ever gets gummed up clean it before it
destroys other fabrics.
Care Label Symbols
• All tags must have laundering directions written
on them. Since not everyone speaks English there
are symbols that say the same thing.
• Tip: the more dots there are the hotter it will be.
• Guess what each of these symbols mean:
Dry: Delicate, Low
Wash: Very HOT Do NOT Bleach
Iron: High
Do NOT Dry-clean
Video Quiz
1. Top-loading washers are more efficient than
front-loading washers, because they use less
water and soap.
A. True
B. False
2. Detergents contain an ingredient that dissolves
surface dirt enabling water to carry it away.
What is this ingredient called?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Brightening or whitening agent
Phosphate
Surfactant
Ionic or non-ionic phosphors
Video Quiz
3. A detergent cleans primarily by…
A.
B.
C.
D.
Softening the fabric to release dirt
Whitening the fabric
Making water wetter
Using boosters and additives
4. When cleaning wool…
A. Avoid using a detergent
B. Always dry clean
C. Dry by hanging outdoors or in a room with good
circulation
D. Use the “gentle” cycle on the washing machine
Video Quiz
5. When working with a stain:
A. Work from the back of the fabric if possible
B. If a liquid is the cause, blot up as much as you can with a
paper towel or absorbent cloth
C. Do something right away
D. Don’t rub a stain deeper into the fabric
E. All of the above
6. Many detergents contain optical brighteners. These:
A.
B.
C.
D.
Are dyes that reflect ultraviolet light to give a “glow”
Are a type of ultraviolet bleaching agent
Brighten clothes by lifting ground-in dirt
Work much like non-organic boosters
Video Quiz
7. Which would work best to clean a wool sweater
or other delicate garment:
A.
B.
C.
D.
Laundry detergent without phosphates
Any laundry detergent
A non-chlorine bleach
Dishwashing soap
8. If you don’t remember to remove permanent
press clothes form the dryer in time, you can
toss a damp towel in the dryer and rerun the
clothes for a few minutes.
A. True
B. False
Video Quiz
9. According to the video, the most important
person in the dry cleaning process is:
A.
B.
C.
D.
The spotter
The presser
The owner
The sorter
Textiles
Fabric Layout
Selvage
Parts of the fabric
Bias
Weft
Warp
Piece of Fabric with Parts
Selvages
Fold
Frayed Edge
• Crosswise Fold
Fabric Layout
– Hamburger Style
Selvages
• Lengthwise Fold
– Hotdog Style
Selvages
Types of Weaves
• Plain Weave
• Twill Weave
• Satin Weave
• Basket Weave
Fabrics to Sew With
Plain Weaves
• Does not stretch
• Satin weaves are soft
but if you make a
mistake it shows!!!
• Plain weaves are easiest
to work with and cotton
Knit Fabric
• Stretches
• Great for wearing- this
consists of your t-shirts
• Hard to sew with
because it stretches and
rolls