The kids are officially back in school this week, which means two things.
Firstly, the house will be a lot quieter, but your washing baskets may start to pile up a little more.
But – when it comes to keeping school uniforms clean – you may have been washing them wrong for years.
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An expert said there are simple cleaning tricks you can use to make sure the clothes stay fresher for longer.
By following some simple steps you may be able to reduce the amount of washing you do, while ensuring the kids look spick and span.
After all, getting the little ones ready to go back to school is stressful enough, without having to worry about the washing.
Laundry expert Deyan Dimitrov, CEO of Laundryheap, said there are ways you can be more savvy with school uniforms.
All you need to do is follow these steps to keep on top of the laundry.
Make your own stain remover
School stains can be easily remedied at little or no cost if you consider making your own stain remover.
Take ⅔ cup of baking soda and mix this with ½ cup of white vinegar.
Apply the paste to any stains and scrub them thoroughly with a damp cloth or microfibre towel.
After five minutes, rinse with cold water and the stain should have disappeared.
If the stain is looking persistent, the paste can be left for an additional 10 minutes.
This will ensure that it penetrates the fibres of the fabric.
Wash items at a lower temperature
In order to take care of your child’s school uniform, make sure to wash it in different batches according to each item’s colour and required machine wash cycle.
A hot wash can cause some fibres to shrink, stretch or become dull.
Therefore, a lower heat will prolong a fabric’s lifespan and save you money in the long run.
Don’t overfill your washing machine
Be careful not to put too much laundry in your machine, as running one big load of washing instead of several smaller cycles can actually damage your school clothing.
An overfilled washing drum can cause fabrics to push up against one another, overall increasing friction and creating tears in your children’s school uniform.
The advice is to generally fill your machine to ⅔ of its capacity, as this will give uniforms enough room to spin properly.
Swap fabric conditioner for white vinegar
Using too much fabric softener can actually cause materials to fade and feel rough as residues build-up on your children’s uniforms.
A great homemade alternative to softener is white vinegar.
This can be bought cheaply from a supermarket or even found in the back of your kitchen cupboard.
It works exactly the same as softener, whilst also removing any unwanted stains and odours.
Don’t worry about the acidic smell of the vinegar itself – this will neutralise as your clothes rinse in the washing machine.
Avoid tumble drying
Since excessive periods of tumble drying can also damage your clothes, the expert recommends popping your clothes out to air dry – either on a washing line or on a flat and aired surface.
This will prevent jumpers or tights from stretching and shirts from creasing, while also helping to lower your electricity bills.
Make use of other resources
If your child quickly outgrows their uniform as the school year progresses, avoid buying brand new replacements.
Instead, take these down to your local tailor, and they’ll be able to adjust the clothes accordingly.
Likewise, if you fancy a challenge, you could opt to repair any faulty buttons or seam-tears yourself instead of chucking the uniform away.
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