10
Washing and drying hints
Sorting the laundry
Follow the wash code symbols on each garment
label and the manufacturer’s washing instructions.
Sort the laundry as follows:
whites, coloureds, synthetics, delicates, woollens.
Temperatures
95°
for normally soiled white cottons
and linen (e.g. tea cloths, towels,
tablecloths, sheets...)
60
°
for normally soiled, colour fast
garments (e.g. shirts, night dresses,
pyjamas....) in linen, cotton or
synthetic fibres and for lightly soiled
white cotton (e.g. underwear).
(cold)
30°-40°
for delicate items (e.g. net curtains),
mixed laundry including synthetic
fibres and woollens bearing the
label «pure new wool, machine
washable, non-shrink».
Before loading the laundry
Never wash whites and coloureds together.
Whites may lose their “whiteness” in the wash.
New coloured items may run in the first wash;
they should therefore be washed separately the
first time.
Make sure that no metal objects are left in
the laundry (e.g. hair clips, safety pins, pins).
Button up pillowcases, close zip fasteners,
hooks and poppers. Tie any belts or long tapes.
Remove persistent stains before washing. Rub
particularly soiled areas with a special detergent
or detergent paste.
Treat curtains with special care. Remove hooks
or tie them up in a bag or net.
Maximum loads
Recommended loads are indicated in the
programme charts.
General rules:
Cotton, linen: drum full but not too tightly
packed;
Synthetics: drum no more than half full;
Delicate fabrics and woollens: drum no more
than one third full.
Washing a maximum load makes the most
efficient use of water and energy.
For heavily soiled laundry, reduce the load size.
Laundry weights
The following weights are indicative:
bathrobe
1200 g
napkin
100 g
quilt cover
700 g
sheet
500 g
pillow case
200 g
tablecloth
250 g
towelling towel
200 g
tea cloth
100 g
night dress
200 g
ladies’ briefs
100 g
man’s work shirt
600 g
man’s shirt
200 g
man’s pyjamas
500 g
blouse
100 g
men’s underpants
100 g
Removing stains
Stubborn stains may not be removed by just
water and detergent. It is therefore advisable to
treat them prior to washing.
Blood: treat fresh stains with cold water. For
dried stains, soak overnight in water with a
special detergent then rub in the soap and
water.
Oil based paint: moisten with benzine stain
remover, lay the garment on a soft cloth and dab
the stain; treat several times.
Dried grease stains: moisten with turpentine,
lay the garment on a soft surface and dab the
stain with the fingertips and a cotton cloth.
Rust: oxalic acid dissolved in hot water or a rust
removing product used cold. Be careful with rust
stains which are not recent since the cellulose
structure will already have been damaged and
the fabric tends to hole.
Mould stains: treat with bleach, rinse well
(whites and fast coloureds only).
Grass: soap lightly and treat with bleach (whites
and fast coloureds only).
Ball point pen and glue: moisten with acetone
(*), lay the garment on a soft cloth and dab the
stain.
Lipstick: moisten with acetone as above, then
treat stains with methylated spirits. Remove any
residual marks from white fabrics with bleach.
i
