Five Items You Should Avoid Putting Into Your Washing Machine

Doing your laundry in your washing machine is easy. Load a batch of clothes into the machine, pour some liquid detergent and press the button. While most garments in your home can be machine-washed, there will be a few items that could get damaged in the washer.   

Here are five things you should ideally avoid washing in your machine.

1) Memory Foam Pillow

The motion in the washing machine can cause a memory foam pillow to weaken, lose its shape or even break into pieces. Unless stated in the wash care label, a memory foam pillow should not be machine-washed.

2) Clothes Covered in Pet Hair

Pet hair can stick to clothing and to the sides of the washing machine’s drum. It even clogs the machine’s drain pipe, making it less efficient over time. Always be sure to brush pet hairs out of your clothes before loading them into the machine.

3) Bras

The hooks on bras can snag and tear other items of clothing in the laundry, or even get caught in your machine’s cylinder. Often, the underwire of bras also gets damaged if machine-washed. It’s best to put these undergarments in a laundry-delicates bag while washing. You can also hand-wash such garments separately.

4) Clothes with Lace and Embroidery

Always consider hand-washing these items of clothing. Otherwise, they may get ripped and torn in the machine and might come out ruined. Even while hand-washing, use cold water to retain their original shape and look.

5) Clothes with Flammable Stains

Think twice before tossing clothes with flammable stains into your machine. Stains from cooking oil, alcohol and gasoline are highly flammable and can start fires. Always spot-treat those stains before loading them into the washer.

The next time you load a batch of clothes into your washing machine, make sure none of the above items is part of it. This will keep your clothes and your machine safe. Also, use a lint roller to get rid of pet hair before loading your garments into the machine.

Key Step:

While washing your clothes, it’s best to use a detergent such as Surf Excel Matic Liquid. Being a liquid, it dissolves completely in water and leaves no residue behind.