9
Coloured cotton
Coloured cotton items with the washing
instruction 60 °C should be washed at 60 °C for
the first time in order to remove any excess dye.
If you do not do so, there is a risk that the colour
will run. Use detergent without bleach in order to
preserve the colour of the fabric.
Unbleached linen
Unbleached linen fabrics should be washed at
60 °C, using detergent containing no bleach
or optical whiteners. Heavily-soiled linen can
occasionally be washed at higher temperatures,
but not too often because the heat can destroy
the linen’s shine and strength.
Advice and tips before washing
Here are some tips that may help you before
washing.
Sorting your laundry
Sort items according to:
• how soiled they are
• colour
• material
Clothing
1. Do up zips and close Velcro straps so that
they don’t harm fabrics.
2. New coloured items may contain excess dye
and should therefore be washed separately
the first few times.
3. Turn delicate items inside out. This reduces
the risk of burling and fading.
4. Empty pockets and wash them inside out if
possible.
Laundry labels
Look at the item's laundry label. The table below
shows suitable wash programmes for different
materials and wash loads. Using modern
washing machines and detergents, for example
compact detergents, you can usually wash at
lower temperatures. It is a good idea to use trial
and error to find out what produces the best
results.
Laundry label symbols
Examples of washing instructions and recommended programmes. Always follow the washing
instructions for each garment.
Laundry labels
Material
Program
Cotton, linen, white and light-coloured items.
Everyday wash 60 °C to 90 °C
Cotton, linen, cotton/polyester. Light and dark-coloured
garments.
Quick 60 °C
Acrylic, viscose, modal, acetate, polyester, polyamide
and elastane. Light and dark-coloured garments.
Easy Care 40 °C
or
Wool, silk and other very delicate garments
Wool/Hand 30 °C to 40 °C
