Menu
7 Benefits Of Line Drying Clothes After Laundry
Table of Contents
People often advise using bleach in laundry for whitening and brightening clothes.
If you want to use bleach in laundry too, but you have never used it before, we are here to help. In this article, we have explained everything you need to know about bleaching clothes.
Disinfects Clothes Without Using Chemicals After Laundry
Bleach is a term used for any chemical product that can clean, remove stains or remove the colour from a surface. It is used domestically as well as industrially. In general, bleaches have antibacterial properties.
Powder or Liquid Bleach
Bleach is found in both powder and liquid form. Powdered oxygen bleach stays in a good condition for a longer period than liquid bleach. It can withstand exposure to air as well. On the other hand, liquid bleach is easier to use and store.
Whitens White Clothes After Laundry
Household and industrial bleaches are based on three diverse chemical components listed below:
Some bleaches have oxidizing agents while some have reducing agents. It is not recommended to use bleach with a reducing agent at home as it is quite harsh and requires expertise to handle.
Pro-tip: Use fresh chlorine bleach
While purchasing chlorine bleach check its manufacturing date. It is better to look for a recently-packed packet or bottle. Because chlorine bleach loses its effectiveness with time. Especially, when it comes in contact with light and air, it starts losing its effectiveness rapidly. So, if it’s already been six months, you should replace bleach as it may not bring any difference in laundry.
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Sodium percarbonate
- Sodium perborate
Here are some main uses of Oxybleach (Containing Sodium percarbonate or sodium perborate) in laundry:
- Helps in removing some stains from clothes, carpets and upholstery
- Helping in whitening both white and coloured clothes
- Enhances the cleaning ability of detergent
Here are the main uses of hydrogen peroxide in laundry:
- Helps in removing stains from clothes
- Helps in removing odour from clothes
- Helps in brightening both white and coloured clothes
- Helps in cleaning and disinfecting the washer
Pro-tip: Use a fresh hydrogen peroxide
Just like chlorine bleach, hydrogen peroxide also loses its effectiveness with time. So, you should use freshly-manufactured bleach to get the best results. If you already have it at home, test if it’s still effective or not. You can pour a small amount of hydrogen peroxide into a cup. If it fizzes then it’s good to use, otherwise, it will not give you the desired results.
When you should not use hydrogen peroxide in laundry
Even though hydrogen peroxide is safe to use on washable clothes, it can be harsh on some synthetic fabrics as it may not react well and cause a yellow tinge or stain. Some of those synthetic fibres include:
- Acetate
- Spandex
- Rubber (Clothes having rubber print or rubber element)
- Polypropylene foam
- Nylon
- Acrylics,
- Polyurethane
Whitens White Clothes After Laundry
Check garment care label: Manufacturers often give clear instructions on the garment care label. Read it carefully to check if the fabric can be bleached or not. If the garment care label says “do not bleach”, then you must not use bleach otherwise the garment will get damaged.
How To Use Bleach In Laundry
Generally, such machines do not have separate dispensers, so you will have to add bleach manually. Here is how to use bleach in laundry if you have a fully-automatic machine:
To whiten clothes, clean soil or pre-treat stains, take a 10-litre bucket. Fill it with cool water and add bleach. Soak the garment for 5 minutes. Take it out, and give it a rinse in cool water. Thereafter, launder as usual.
If you want to disinfect clothes, just let them soak in the same solution for 10 minutes instead of 5 minutes.
Note: Oxy bleach cannot disinfect clothes.
In case, a garment is heavily embellished, carries delicate embroidery or special elements like leather patches, etc. you should not handle them at home. Because such elements may get damaged due to bleach in some cases. If you want to brighten such clothes or remove stubborn stains from such clothes, rely on experts. Visit a professional laundromat as they know how to know the intricacies of laundry. They process all sorts of garments carefully. Hence, you will get desired cleaning results, without the risk of damage.
You can use any of the three types of bleach, depending on the garment care label and other fabric.
The process is simple and easy. You need to dilute the suitable bleach in cool or lukewarm water. Take 1 teaspoon of bleach and mix it with 2 teaspoons of water. Now dip a clean white cloth into the diluted bleach and dab it gently on the stained area. Keep dabbing until the stain is gone. Afterwards, wash the garment as usual.
Click Here To Know: How To Remove Colour Bleeding Stains Using Bleach
Removes Odour From Clothes After Laundry
Sunlight can actually remove scents and odours of smoke, mould & mildew, food, etc. In general bad odours occurs due to bacteria. As mentioned earlier, the UV rays of the sun break down chemical compounds and kill bacteria. This is how it removes the odour.
If you love to have a natural fresh smell in your clothes without adding any fabric deodorizers, you can line dry laundry. Unlike a dryer, you don’t have to add dryer sheets to the load.
Make Your Clothes Last Longer
While folding, hanging or storing bleached clothes, make sure that you don’t have excessive lotion, oil, soap or water in your hands. These things should not transfer to the garment as it may turn yellowish or get yellow stains. Next, store such garments in a cool, dry place.
Saves Money And Energy Spent On Laundry
Until here, we were explaining why you should line dry laundry for the sake of your clothes. However, at this point, we will discuss a different aspect.
You have to incur a certain cost to use a dryer machine for its electricity consumption and time-to-time maintenance. For some, it may be nominal, whereas some people may actually like the idea of cost-cutting laundry. Either, isn’t it good to save some money when you can do that easily? People who line dry laundry don’t incur even a nominal cost, it’s free.
Other than this, when you line dry laundry instead of using a dryer, you protect the environment as it conserves energy. By skipping the use of dryer machines you end up reducing your carbon footprint. It seems like a small step, but it definitely has its own influence. You can call line drying your baby steps towards the green laundry.
Increases Physical Activity
Last not least, line drying will let you move around the house. If you are a hyperactive person or someone who works out decently, this is not really a perk for you. However, if you are a bit on the lazier side and struggle to move without any reason, here is an excuse for physical activity.
It is even better if you have a lot of clothes to dry. It will let you do around 15 minutes of physical activity. You can line dry laundry inside or outside at your convenience. In the next section, we will see how exactly it is done.
Subscribe to us:
Sign up to get more such information & get the best deals on professional cleaning
