It’s one of the most popular questions people ask me when they find out I now work at a laundry company. The short answer is yes. It’s a risk awareness thing. Once you know what can go wrong, you start to do things the right way to prevent anything from going wrong. In the past, if it meant saving a couple of minutes, I wouldn’t usually care if one of my t-shirts got dingy in my personal laundry routine. Since there isn’t much risk, I cut the corners. And, you can make that judgment call for yourself.

But, at The Folde, we separate wash cycles and dry cycles as much as possible to minimize that risk and maximize clothing care. Lights, colors, and whites are treated separately. Orders are separated into multiple dryers for varying treatment. And, your clothes are inspected multiple times throughout the production process. Separating garments by color will make them last longer and look much better. It is fairly common for dyes, especially in new garments, to run and spread to other garments during the wash cycle. Jeans (been there, ugh!) are a consistent offender of this, with red and blue items coming in a close second.

But, separating your garments isn’t the only thing that can help prolong the life of your items. Did you know that turning your items inside out before you wash will also help prevent colors from running? Most garments are only dyed on the outer surface. Color-transfer (look at me actually using all the Production Staff lingo!!) usually happens when two different color items come in direct contact with each other. By turning your items inside out, you help to ensure the most heavily-dyed outer surface does not rub against other garments.

To be honest, I never much altered the washer settings before my first day at The Folde. But, it didn’t take long to realize: 1) how many of you want hot water used and 2) how many of you shouldn’t want it!

Wash your garments in cold water, people! Most people think that you need to use hot water to get garments as clean as possible. This myth is…BUSTED! Hot water will fade and shrink garments fairly quickly and is unnecessary for most applications. Detergents are what get your garments clean. Hot water is really only necessary in certain situations. If you have a family member who is sick, especially now, washing in warmer temperature water can help to rid the garments of peskier germs.

It’s a Kasey Musgraves shirt from her Golden Hour tour – black shirt, tour dates on the back, cost about $185 + tax at the venue, you know the type. It has a massive bleach spot on it from a bleach jug taking a tumble in my laundry room. And, I’ve stayed away from bleach since then.

But, not anymore now that I’m a laundry pro! Like me, most people are afraid to use bleach because they aren’t sure how to use it and don’t want to ruin their garments. Bleach is a powerful thing! While a healthy fear of bleach is a good thing, it can make those dingy white items sparkle like new again. There is no need for fancy bleach. The regular run-of-the-mill Clorox bleach with the blue label works just fine – though commercial laundry services like The Folde use commercial alternatives.

Bleach is best used on stark white items with no color at all. If there is any color on the garment the bleach will cause the color to run and spread it to the rest of your items in the wash. Creams, light yellows, beiges, and black concert shirts, etc. are poor candidates for bleach. That white shirt with a small, red decorative stitch on the side… don’t use bleach.

When using bleach, it is always best for it to be added when the garments in the washer have just started the wash cycle and are properly soaked. Most modern residential washers will have a dispenser to put the bleach into that will be time-released when the clothes start the wash cycle. Don’t be afraid to fill that baby up to the top with bleach. If your washer does not have this feature, you will want to wait to add the bleach until the washer is done filling with water. This will make sure the bleach doesn’t just soak into the garments at the top of the washer but instead, will mix into the water and work its magic.