Make Your Clothes Last with These Laundry Do’s and Don’ts

DO wash clothes in cold water. Using cold water doesn’t have to mean clothes don’t get clean. Features like Ecobubble, which you’ll find in many Samsung washing machines, dissolve detergent before the cycle begins. Cleaning agents penetrate fabric more thoroughly, removing stains without cooking clothes. And of course, using cold water helps reduce utility bills.

DO use the appropriate fabric setting. Delicate items will wear out more quickly if they’re wasted using a setting designed for towels. Samsung washers feature a variety of settings for both common and uncommon garments, including an Outdoor Care system for water-repellent clothes like Gore-Tex and a Wool Care mode that prevents shrinking and maintains the distinctive appearance and feel of wool garments. Samsung washers also let you save your most commonly used settings through the My Cycle mode.

DO use detergents with colour-safe, non-chlorine bleach. This helps keep colours bright while getting out tough stains. Regular chlorinated bleach is fine for whites.

DO wash sneakers, pillows and stuffed toys, but dry them using the appropriate setting. Samsung washer dryers feature a Rack Dry setting that gently air-dries without tumbling. Tumbling the wrong items can damage both the items and the dryer itself.

DO take advantage of the dryer’s Freshen Up setting. This cycle airs garments that are already dry to remove accumulated odours.

DO hang up clothes immediately after drying. This helps to minimise wrinkles and the need for ironing—a step that damages fabric by flattening fibres and exposing them to additional, often extreme, heat. The textured drum on many Samsung dryers minimises wrinkles by surrounding garments and linens with a cushion of air.

DON’T take a chance by trying to wash stains out of expensive or otherwise valuable garments. Leave it to your dry-cleaner. And remember, the sooner you take action, the better the odds of removing all traces.

DON’T use more detergent than necessary. Excess detergent doesn’t get clothes any cleaner and, in fact, it can cause problems. Soap can become trapped in the fabric, making items stiff and ultimately reducing their longevity. Over time, it can gum up the machine itself, encouraging mildew growth inside. Using more detergent than you need is literally pouring money down the drain.

DON’T dry laundry for longer than necessary. Excess drying shrinks clothing and damages the underlying fabric. The same goes for excess heat. So go easy on your clothing and linens. Many items can be dried effectively at a lower, safer and less costly heat setting.