As a college student time is costly however, so is buying clothes. So it is important to take the time to take care of your clothes. Here are just some helpful tips on how to properly wash your clothes, eliminate stains and to help make them last longer.

1.) The washer and dryer

 Many college students simply throw their clothes into the washer and then into the dryer without even considering what level to set the machines. Have you ever noticed how your clothes would come out smaller? Or the color would be sucked right out of them? This is because clothes come in all different kinds of fabric. Some fabrics are more sensitive to warm and hot temperatures in the washer and dryer than others. In order to make sure you don’t make this mistake, first check the tag inside your clothing. Either on the front of the tag or on the other side, it will tell you how to wash it. For instance it might say “Wash with similar colors on cold and tumble dry low with cool down”. Or the tag might say hand wash.

2.) How to hand wash clothes

You can technically wash all your clothes by hand. Just how they did it before washers and dryers were invented!  It is important to again, check the tags of your clothes because some fabrics can only be washed by hand. When reading the tag it will tell you to either wash it in warm or cold water. Most often  though you would hand wash your clothes in cold water because warm water will make it ten 10 times more difficult to get any stains out. First make sure to clean the sink or tub in which you are going to hand wash your clothes. The idea is that it is perfectly clean before you begin washing them. Depending on the amount of clothes you are washing the amount of detergent you put in will fluctuate. If you are doing a full load put 1/4 of detergent. However, I normally wash five shirts at a time and use just a dime amount of detergent. This is because if you use to much for a small load it will make them really stiff. Once you have filled the sink up with water and added the detergent with the clothes, let them sit for 5 minutes. Knead the clothes and the twist them while taking them in and out of the water. Once you have washed all the clothes drain the sink. Then, turn the water on to what ever temperature the tag said to wash your clothes in. After, start rinsing out the clothes making sure you have gotten all the detergent out of the fabric. Lastly, hang up the clothes to dry on a drying rack until dry. Hand washing clothes although may take a little more effort than using the washer and dryer, the results are better. First off you save a couple of bucks and you eliminate the risk of your clothes shrinking or getting ruined.

3.) Dry Cleaners

Another way to clean your clothes is by taking them to the dry cleaners. Most suits and formal outfits are dry clean only. However, this can be costly over time so if your the sort of person who doesn’t have the time to hand wash or take it to the cleaners make sure to read the tags on clothes before purchasing them. That way you wont get frustrated when you have a bunch of dirty clothes or an outrageous cleaning bill.

4. How to get rid of stains

Stains are about the worst thing that happen to your clothes, besides a tare or whole in the fabric! Here are just a couple of ways to get rid of those stains.

Cold water and soap

If you are out at a public event or on a date and you spilled  food or drink on your clothing the best trick is to rinse it in cold water. Once you have done that take the napkin and pour a small amount of soap on it and then begin rubbing it on the fabric.  Once you have layered the soap to the point where foam appears start rubbing the fabric together to get the stain out. Rinse and then repeat until the stain is gone.

If you don’ t think you can get the stain out by doing this the best decision is to wait. Once you get the stain out and it dry’s, but you notice the stain isn’t completely gone than it is likely the stain will never be removed.

Tide to go pen

Tide to go pen is about the simplest and easiest way to get rid of stains when on the go. You simply just rub the pen over the stain. It also is very convenient because you can easily put it in your pocket, purse or glove compartment in your car.

Bleach

If you have a stain in any white clothing fixing it is pretty easy. Bleach is the best way to get this kind of stain out. However, make sure to be careful when using bleach. Make sure you don’t spill it or get it on the clothes you are wearing. Only use bleach as a last resort because bleach can also damage the clothing if you soak it in it for too long. Soak the stain in water, then dab the bleach onto the stain. Make sure to wear gloves while doing this. Then rinse and lay out to dry.