The Ultimate Guide on How Often You Should Wash Your Favourite Clothes
Whether you are a laundry whizz or leave the load until you run out of clean clothing, an important factor to consider when carrying out this essential chore is how often items should be washed. You could unknowingly give yourself extra work and put clothing items under pressure by not following the recommended wash cycle for specific garments and fabric pieces. With the average washing machine going through four launch loads per week, planning the chore properly will save you time and money, plus it means less electricity and water usage.
One of the benefits of using a professional laundry service is that the experts can guide you on how and when to wash your favourite clothing pieces. Luckily, we are spilling the suds on what the recommended wash calendar should be for different items. From socks to shirts, keep reading to find out how to keep items fresh without causing damage through excessive or underwashing.
What Are the Recommended Wash Frequencies for Clothing Items?
No matter if you are a beginner learning how to do laundry or a seasoned pro, knowing when to wash items is not always the easiest of tasks. Furthermore, with the average Brit processing around 13,000 laundry loads in their lifetime, the chore can become monotonous, meaning that you are not always on the ball with choosing when it’s best to carry out a wash.
Below, we have included a breakdown of how often you should wash your favourite clothing items to keep them looking and smelling their best.
Items to Wash After Every Wear
Certain clothing should be washed or dry cleaned after every wear to keep them fresh. These items are often designed with features to keep them fresh, such as thick material, but they are still in need of regular cleaning due to the nature of what they are used for. It should also be noted that most of these products are designed to be more durable, as regular washing can put pieces under pressure. The following are clothing pieces you should launder after ever wear:
- Workout clothing, including leggings, tops and shorts (you will be able to wash running jackets and external items less regularly, but always be sure to check their freshness)
- Underwear and socks
- Swimming garments such as swimsuits, trunks and bikinis
- Tights and stockings
Items to Wash After Few Wears
Not all clothing needs to be laundered every time it is worn. Too much washing can cause items to deteriorate before their time, resulting in the need to spend more on keeping your wardrobe stocked for every occasion. Judgement should be used when a wash is needed for these clothing items. If an item starts to smell, has been pulled out of shape or has marks on it, it’s time to plan for a launder. These items are as follows:
- Tops and T-shirts
- Jumpers
- Sweatshirts and hoodies
- Dresses
- Skirts
- Shorts, trousers and jeans
- Bras
- Pyjamas and nightwear
Items to Only Wash When Required or Seasonally
Unless you get a stain on an item or it starts to have an unwanted smell, some pieces only need to be washed every few months or once a year. This could be because they are worn less or more complex in design, meaning regular washing is unnecessary. For these clothing pieces, it’s also a good idea to consider how to keep items fresh between washes, as that can reduce the occasions they need to be treated. Items that fit into this bracket are the following:
- Coats and jackets (Items with more delicate fabrics, such as light-colour trench coats, may need regular maintenance.)
- Hats
- Gloves
- Scarves
- Ponchos and other forms of cover-ups
When Should Clothing Be Washed More Regularly?
Although we have shared our advice above for when clothing should be washed, there will be occasions when items need cleaning. Leaving stains and odours on clothing for too long can cause permanent damage. This is the case as the fabric fibres can become stained, meaning it’s hard and sometimes impossible to remove.
Furthermore, another example is if items are excessively creased. While sometimes steam may be enough to work out any wrinkles, a wash is needed on other occasions to reset the clothing. This is important as creases left for too long in fabrics can damage the fibres’ structure and cause garments to lose shape. If you notice any of these unwanted effects starting to happen, no matter when you last washed your piece of clothing, you must re-clean it right away.
Another situation in which clothing should be washed is when items are new. It can be tempting to put a new purchase on straight away but you could be doing more harm than good. This is the case as items should be given a chance to relax back into their intended structure which can be lost during shipping. By washing these items straight away, this also removes any treatments added during the sales process which can impact the intended end result of a clothing item.
What Happens if You Over-Wash Clothing Items?
While you may think that no harm can happen from putting items in the wash more regularly, we are here to tell you that is not the case!
Overwashing will cost you more, and it wears down the fibres of clothing, meaning it won’t last for as long as it should. Results of this include colours becoming faded and the structure of clothing becoming lost. Additionally, if the fibres on a piece of clothing are weakened, it can also mean that stains and odours are hard to remove during washing or dry cleaning. In the worst instances, this can damage items even if the lighted touch is used during washing.
One of the benefits of our online laundry service is that our experts know the signs to look for if clothing is starting to become weakened. This can result in specialist processes being used, such as dry cleaning, to stop the damage that the item could potentially experience with regular washing.
How Can You Keep Clothing Clean in Between Washes?
When considering how often clothing should be washed, one must consider how to look after items between the recommended washes. Some items, such as underwear and gym clothes, must be washed after every outing. However, for pieces that can be cleaned after a few wears, using some tips to keep them fresh can extend the periods between washes. These tips are as follows:
- Use fabric refreshing sprays to freshen up items.
- Store items in a cool and dry place that always allows them enough room not to be pushed up against other items.
- When you are finished with more delicate items, such as suits or dresses, it’s a good idea to change out of them.
- Spot-cleaning any marks or dirt is also a great idea for eliminating the need for an entire wash.
- Even if your item doesn’t need washing after one wear, it can quickly become dirty if you keep using the same piece consistency. By leaving items to air out for a day, they can be naturally refreshed and ready to wear again.
Choose Love2Laundry for Keeping All Clothing Items Fresh.
Our laundry services are ideal for looking after your clothing as we will never subject items to cleans if they are not in need of it. When you use our laundry app, a range of services are available. We also have advice and support, like the content included in this article, to help you determine when items will need to be treated. As a laundry app that picks up clothing, we offer you the service available to treat clothing in a timely manner. We also offer an affordable price for getting laundry completed in London and other areas meaning items never have to experience damage as a result of not being cleaned during their intended window of treatment.
Book your next laundry load in now to experience our rapid and professional services for yourself!
