General tips:
- Separate your laundry by color. Put dark with dark, white with white and color with color.
- To stop color from fading: Check whether a garment will fade or not by placing a piece of white cloth underneath it while it's still damp and passing a hot iron over it. If the color comes through, you know you need to hand-wash it separately in lukewarm soapy water. New garments should always be washed separately the first time (using washing powder!) to get rid of surplus coloring. And never leave wet washing in a pile: the colors could run and stain other garments!
Cotton
Made from the fluffy fibers of the cotton plant, most cotton fabrics are preshrunk. That is an organic fabric.
How to wash: Machine-wash in cold or warm with all-purpose detergent.
Drying: Don't dry linen in the sun or in a tumble-dryer to prevent it from shrinking.
Tip: Sun yellows it; line-dry in shade.
Synthetics
Synthetic fabrics are textiles made from man-made rather than natural fibers.
Polyester, nylon, spandex, acrylic, and acetate won’t shrink and will resist water-based stains.
Synthetic fabrics have many different qualities—including some not achievable with natural fibers. Synthetic fibers can provide waterproof fabrics and elastic fabrics for swimwear and lingerie. Depending on the synthetic fabric, various added chemicals can make it softer, wrinkle-free, flame-resistant, water-resistant, stain-resistant, or moth-repellent. Most produce static and may permanently wrinkle in a hot dryer, so dry on low.
How to wash: Machine-wash in warm with all-purpose detergent.
Tip: Use fabric softener to curb static.
Viscose
Viscose is a semi-synthetic material containing natural fibers treated with chemicals.
Machine-washing: Wash viscose clothing inside out at a maximum of 40°C on a delicate p