Delicate clothes are often made of expensive materials that can’t be thrown in the washing machine like your standard cotton shirt and denim pants. While you don’t always have to take these items to a dry cleaner, learning how to care for them will ensure they can be worn repeatedly for a long time. Use this guide to better understand how to wash your fine knit, lace, silk, chiffon, and other lightweight fabrics.  

How to Wash Delicate Clothes

1. Read the Label

The clothing designer or manufacturer provided you with careful washing instructions for your garment. Check the label to determine if it should be hand washed or dry cleaned as well as what type of detergent and water temperature is best. Also, while you might take “dry clean” as a suggestion, always bring “dry clean only” items to a professional or risk damaging them. 

2. Use Mesh Bags

Don’t just separate your delicates from your sturdier clothing. It’s also necessary to sequester them from differing delicate materials. Lace should be washed with lace, velvet with other velvets, and so on. Throwing them all in the same load can easily result in snags, tangles, and lost shapes. 

However, you can avoid washing several loads of laundry by separating materials into individual mesh bags. This will also prevent trims, buttons, and other attachments from catching on the washer drum.

3. Pretreat Stains

Different stains call for different removal remedies, but usually, you can prevent the stain from spreading by removing the excess liquid from the material. Dab the area with cool water to absorb as much of the spill as possible, making sure not to press or rub it. 

Before applying any type of cleaning stain solution, test it on the inside seam. Let it soak for at least 30 minutes before rinsing, and if the fabric color runs off when you rinse the solution, skip handwashing and take it to a dry cleaner.

4. Press Dry & Lay Flat

No matter how you’ve washed your items, do not wring them out to dry. Instead, press down on the fabric to remove excess water. If your clothes are still soaked, lay them on a towel and roll it up to absorb the remaining moisture. Afterward, dry them lying flat in a location away from sunlight. Avoid hanging delicate items up. 

When you need a reliable place to care for your delicate clothes, head to Park Avenue Coin Laundry in Dothan, AL. This coin-operated laundromat is open seven days a week and features plenty of large capacity equipment made to handle all of your washing and drying needs. Their on-site staff is also available to provide wash, dry, and fold services and there are ATMs located inside of the facility for customer use. Visit their website or call (334) 678-0800 to learn more about what they have to offer.