Washing
How we wash our clothes has a great impact on how they hold up over time.
Washing is a process that has evolved over the years, from carrying our clothes to a water source and slapping them against a rock, to the fully automated, multi-setting washing machines that we know today. In the meantime, all sorts of soaps and detergents have been introduced as part of the washing routine. Despite all of the branding and marketing of these products, the most important elements needed to do laundry remain the same: water and agitation.
“The first and most important article in laundry work is water... if other cleansing agencies were entirely absent, and plenty of time were given, water alone, with good scrubbing, would generally cleanse the clothes”
These days, we tend to use too much detergent, as we believe the detergent is doing all of the work. Detergent residue can leave white marks, clog the fibers and make our clothes a magnet for more dirt, all of which can shorten their useful life.
Water temperature also plays an important role on how long our clothes last. Our modern detergents are designed to work at cooler temperatures which helps to prevent the shrinkage and distortion often caused by hot water. When in doubt, using the cool or cold setting and a minimum of detergent is always a safe bet.