You feel better wearing your clothes because they are softer. Everybody knows that using fabric conditioner makes your clothes feel softer, more bouncy and more comfortable to wear. Softer clothes are less harsh and scratchy on your skin. Fabric conditioner lightly conditions each of the fibres, helping them to remain regular and smooth and retain their natural elasticity.

Ironing is made easier because by using a fabric conditioner in your wash, your clothes are easier to iron. Creases fall out more easily and ironing requires less effort.

General Tips:

Follow the garment care label instructions carefully. Remember that the iron's temperature takes time to change when you alter the setting. The indicator light shows when it has reached the right temperature.

In order to prevent ironing clothes with a temperature hotter than is suitable for a garment, sort clothes into piles of linen, cotton and synthetics. Set your iron to synthetics and iron the synthetics pile, increase temperature to the cotton setting for your 'cottons' pile etc. By doing so, you will slowly increase the heat of the iron and will not need to wait for it to cool down. This minimises the risk of ironing garments using too hot a temperature.

Avoid ironing over the top of sharp objects like zips or buttons.

Temperature Guide:

• Cotton: Iron slightly damp on the right side with hot iron.
• Linen: Iron damp on right side with hot iron.
• Silk: Iron slightly damp on right side with warm iron.
• Wool (knitted): Turn the garment inside out and press dry or nearly dry with warm iron or steam.
• Wool (woven): Press dry on right side with a pressing cloth to avoid scorching, using a warm iron or steam iron.
• Acrylic: If needed, press on wrong side with cool iron. Do not use steam or damp cloth.
• Nylon or Polyester: Iron nearly dry, on the wrong side with a cool iron to prevent glazing.
• Acetate: Iron evenly damp, on the wrong side with a cool iron.

Lace and lingerie:

Including bras, slips undergarments and delicate sleepwear

• Unless otherwise specified on the garment care label, hand wash in warm water using laundry soap or a detergent without enzymes. Use a gentle plunging action and avoid rubbing.
• Do not hand wring or tumble dry.
• Dry out of direct sunlight (dry lace flat).
• Cool iron if necessary.
• Pantyhose and stockings often lose colour when washed. To avoid dye transferring to other garments, always wash them separately.
• When washing delicate items in the washing machine, always follow the machine manufacturers' instructions and use the delicate or gentle cycle.
• To minimise the risk of damage to your delicate items, always place them in a delicates bag.

Silk and raw silk:

• Consult the garment care label.
• Silk marked "Dry Clean Only" should not be washed.
• Washing silk which is deeply coloured is risky as the colours may run.
• For washable silk garments, warm hand wash in soap or an enzyme free detergent and dry as per lace and lingerie.
• Warm iron when fabric is still slightly and evenly damp.
• For raw silk cool iron when dry.

 
Swimwear, gymwear and other delicates:

• Wash all coloureds separately, as dyes can easily run onto other garments.
• Do not soak.
• Do not drip dry as this can also result in dye transfer. Gently wring or spin dry first, or roll in a towel to remove excess water before hanging to dry.

 
Tips:

• Never use hypochlorite bleaches on wool, silk, flame-retardant fabric or easy-care finishes.
• Do not wash or soak wool or silk in a detergent that contains enzymes.

Give your precious woollens the special care they deserve:

Normal laundry detergents contain ingredients, which help get dirt out of heavily soiled clothes but at the same time, make the washing solution alkaline. Alkaline solutions can affect the dyes used in wool and can result in colours fading or running.
At high dosages, alkaline solutions can even attack the basic wool fibre, leaving the whole structure weakened and susceptible to breaking. This not only means your garment will wear out faster but it also won't look or feel as nice.
Do not use hot water when washing woollens as it can cause dyes to run and damage the wool fibres. Instead, the water should be at a temperature that is comfortably warm to the touch.
Hint: Avoid letting water run directly on to your woollens as this can matt the wool fibres.

Hand or machine washing?

Wool is a delicate fibre and should always be handled with care. Some wool garments are machine washable. These are made with a special process developed by the Woolmark Company. But, before putting any woollens in the machine, make sure:

• It carries the Woolmark Company's Machine Washable symbol
• The directions on the care label are followed
• The correct wash program is followed - the gentler the better. If in doubt, machine manufacturer's instruction booklet
• If the wool garment is not machine washable or you are in doubt, hand wash. This should be done by gently massaging the garment in a washing tub or bucket for a few minutes and then gently squeezing it to get rid of as much water as possible.
• Wet wool garments should never be twisted or wrung as this can lead to the garments being pulled out of shape.

Rinsing: Be gentle

After hand washing, rinse woollens well. Have the water at the same temperature as for washing. Squeeze gently to remove as much water as possible.

Drying: Do not spin delicate wools

The spin cycle of a washing machine is not recommended for very delicate wools, such as mohair and angora. Instead, simply roll in a towel and gently squeeze out as much water as possible. To remove excess moisture from other types of wools, you can use a very low spin cycle (check your care label for instructions).
When the excess water has been removed, turn the garment inside out and place on a flat surface to dry, easing it into its original shape and size. Make sure you dry woollen garments away from direct sunlight to prevent discolouration. Never dry woollens in a clothes drier or near a fire or radiator.

Ironing: Steam's the thing

Many woollen garments do not require ironing, but very smooth fabrics may look better if pressed. Always make sure you use moist heat. If a steam iron is not available, place a clean, damp cloth on top of the garment and iron lightly, lifting and lowering rather that pushing it along. Do not iron wet garments; wait until they are dry or nearly dry.