Fabric Care Unit

1. Laundry: An Essential Skill to being an Adult Fabric Care Unit 9th Grade Fashion

2. Sorting Clothes • Sorting clothes is important because it prevents colors from bleeding. It also prevents clothes from fading and keeps fibers firm, which makes clothes last longer • Sort Clothes by: • Color • Whites (Hot), Lights (Warm), Darks (Cold), Reds (Cold) • Amount of Soil (Dirt) • All clothes should have the same amount of “dirtiness” • Type of Fabric or Items • Silk, Rayon, Wool and Lace don’t wash well • Put all Towels together, just t-shirts, just jeans, etc. • Size of Items • Items in a load should be similar in size • Need to Sanitize? • Wash clothes with similar stains together. If they need to be sanitized they will need to be washed on HOT.

3. Laundry Products • You always want to use products that are in a moderate price range. Cheap products usually contain a lot of water and harsh soaps which fade and weaken clothes. • Detergent • Gets normal dirt out, makes them smell better, may or may not sanitize. • Stain Removers • Gets specific stains out, but you always want to test them! • Bleach • Whitens whites and sanitizes, but will change/bleach colors • Non-Chlorine Bleach • Gets stains out of colored garments • Fabric Softener for Washer • A liquid that “may” soften clothes, most liquid softeners are bad because they aren’t made for all types of garments. • Fabric Softener for Dryer • A Dry Sheet that softens fibers, freshens smells and gets rid of static cling

4. Getting Out Stains • General Instructions • 1. SCRAPE up all you can before doing anything else • 2. Treat stains immediately • 3. Never run it through the washer with a stain on it • 4. Absolutely don’t dry in dryer with stain on it • 5. Make sure your stain remover works before using it on a stain. It could bleach out your clothes if you don’t try it before. • The cheap removers are usually better because they contain more alcohol. • Hairspray is a good stain remover because it has a high alcohol content. • 6. Always try cold water first on a stain • 7. Last step is to take the stain to a dry cleaner, just ask if they can get the stain out. It’s always cheaper than throwing the garment out.

5. Washing Clothes • DO’S and DON’T’S • Don’t overload the washer. It leaves no room for your clothes to get clean, which can cause them to fade or weaken the fabric • Overloading can cause your agitator to shake violently, which weakens your machine and takes longer for your cycle to end • Routinely check your washer for change, bobby pins and other small items that can get lodged into the basin and cause the machine to break. • You can buy cleaning products that will clean your machines and make them last longer and perform better!

6. Washer Settings (will vary with machine) • Cycles: • Whitest whites—Heavy: Cleans the dirtiest clothes with most soil • Heavy Duty—Prewash: Extra wash time for dirty clothes • Normal Casual—Permanent Press: Sturdy good clothes, prevents wrinkles • Delicates: Very slow pace for clothes that are fragile and could tear • Hand Washables: Hardly moves for clothes that shouldn’t be washed in a machine (only found on expensive machines) • Temperatures: • Hot/Warm • Use only for Whites to keep bright. Will fade other colors. Sanitizes. • Warm/Warm • Don’t use, doesn’t do anything special and uses up energy and hot water • Warm/Cold • Best for Light colors that you aren’t afraid of fading • Cold/Cold • Dark Colors and Reds • Most energy efficient because it uses no hot water. Use this if you want to save money!

7. Washer Settings(Continued) • Spin Speed • High • Very dirty and heavy clothes • Medium • Permanent Press setting, used for more expensive clothes • Low • Delicates • Water Level • High: Large Loads (Just above clothes) • Medium: Medium Loads • Low: Small Loads • Extra Low: Delicate garments

8. Drying Clothes • DON’T’S! • Do not overload your dryer, if there is no space for air then clothes take longer to dry • Overloading can cause a fire • Dryers use a lot of electric energy. Overloading takes longer to dry the clothes, which costs you more money each month. • Always clean out your lint tray after unloading your dryer. Too much lint can catch on fire. • Never put items such as shoes in the dryer. They can dent your dryer causing it to go shut down more quickly. • Always choose a dryer with an Energy Star rating. They can save • you a lot of money in utility bills!

9. Dryer Settings(varies by machine) • Cycles: • Automatic—Censor can tell when humidity is gone and dryer stops • Heavy Duty: Heavy Clothes, Jeans • Normal: T-shirts, Sweatshirts, Pajamas • Bulky Items: Bed Spreads, Towels • Casuals: Permanent Press to prevent wrinkles • Delicates: Underwear, Bras, Lingerie, Items made of Lace • Manual • Timed Dry: Goes for a certain amount of minutes • Touch Up: Gets rid of wrinkles • Quick Dry: Very Hot to dry clothes quickly

10. Dryer Settings(Continued) • Temperatures • High to Regular • Jeans and Towels • Medium • T-shirts, Sweatshirts, Pajamas • Low • Light Weight items that you do not want to shrink • Extra Low (Delicates) • Air Only/Air Fluff • Prevents Wrinkles, Prevents Soils (No Heat) • Wrinkle Shield: Permanent Press • Goes for a while on heat and then on cold. • Prevents Wrinkles

11. Laundry Tips! • Ways to save energy: • Try not to wash clothes you have only worn once. Clothes that are worn two or three times are just as sanitary as clothes worn only once (even towels!). It saves you time, money and energy! • If you do need to wash clothes wash them on a COLD setting. This uses no hot water which costs you heat each month. • Only bleach your whites in HOT water when really necessary. • Don’t continue to run your dryer over and over until your clothes are super dry and HOT. Run the dryer on one cycle then hang them up in your closet to finish. • If you have the capabilities of drying your clothes on a line outside.. DO IT! It is Mother Nature’s Dryer!

12. Assignment • Work with a Partner or Independently • Using the textbook: • Turn to the Laundry Unit (starting on page 552) • Find diagram on stain removal • Write down specific steps to remove stains listed in Laundry Guide • If some aren’t listed then you must go online at home or in the library to find the steps for the other stains in your guide • You will share these steps with the class next time.