HINTS AND TIPS
Washing hints
You are advised not to leave your laundry too long, especially when damp. Damp laundry produces moult and unpleasant smells. Moult stains cannot be removed. Resistant white and coloured synthetics can normally be washed at 60°C but also in this case 40°C is sufficient if the laundry is not excessively dirty. Delicate synthetics, synthetics with non-fast colours and woollen garments must never be washed above 40°C. As you already know, your washing machine can also wash with cold water. However, it must be remembered that the detergents currently on the market have not been designed for cold washes and that in winter, when the water is very cold, they may not dissolve adequately. We suggest the use of liquid detergents.
Sort your laundry.
Study carefully the chart in this booklet explaining the symbols used on clothes labels (see page 14). The following points are particularly important : - a line under the bowl means that the garment cannot be washed using programmes for resistant fabrics such as cotton and linen; - do not mix coloured garments with whites; - anticrease materials like polyester/cotton should be treated as synthetics; - non-resistant fabrics like acrylic and most curtain materials should be treated as delicate fabrics; - the wool programme is designed specifically for pure new wool. Other types of wool and wool mixtures may shrink or felt if machine-washed. Woollen garments should be spun briefly immediately after washing.
How much laundry can be washed in one load?
Strictly speaking you should always weigh your laundry. The drum will take a maximum of 5 kg of cotton and linen. For synthetics and delicate fabrics, the maximum load is 2,5 kg and for wool, 1 kg. As weighing can be complicated, we suggest you estimate the weight according to how full the drum is: cotton and linen : drum full not too tighty packed resistant synthetics : no more than 2/3 of the drum delicate fabrics and wool : no more than 1/2 of the drum.
Prewash
Prewash is not normally necessary. Your new washing machine combined with modern detergents will give perfect washing results without prewash, thus saving energy, time, water and detergent. However, when the laundry is particularly dirty (for example if you have to wash mechanics' overalls or butchers' aprons), you are advised to use prewash with a biological detergent.
Before placing the laundry in the machine:
- mend all tears, holes and ladders; - secure loose buttons and close poppers and zips; - do not wash frayed garments - mend hems before washing; - remove all small objects from pockets. Nails, pins, clips and similar objects can seriously damage your washing machine and laundry; - remove curtain hooks; - wash coloured garments and in particular those with non-fast colours separately when washing for the first time. They are likely to lose colour the first time they are washed. - treat obstinate stains such as grass, rust, tar, paint, ink etc. with a stain remover before washing.
Temperatures
We suggest that white cotton and linen, if it is not excessively soiled, can be washed at 60° instead of 90°C. There should be no reduction in performance, but there will be an energy saving of approximately 30%. The same applies to a lesser extent to fast coloured garments. They usually require a temperature of 60°C but if they are not excessively dirty, you will have satisfactory results at 40°C. Garments with non-fast colours should not be washed at temperatures above 40°C. If fast and non-fast colours are washed together, they should be treated as non-fast colours and therefore the temperature should not exceed 40°C.
