laundry and fabric care

• How to classify fabrics

  • Classify a variety of fabrics into natural and synthetic
• Types of detergents

  • Biological (enzyme) detergents
  • Low-lather detergents
  • Grease-solvent washing powders
  • Light duty detergents
  • Cool water detergents
  • Synthetic detergents
  • Soap powders
• Washing machine features to look out for

  • Capacity
  • Water efficiency
  • Energy efficiency
  • Motor
  • Noise
  • Length of wash
  • Programmes
  • Controls
  • Base
• Preparing clothes for washing

  1. Mend tears

  2. Empty pockets

  3. Close zips

  4. Tie strings

  5. Remove stains

  6. Sort clothes

  7. Select temperature

  8. Select detergent

  9. Select washing action

  10. Select rinsing and drying actions
• Natural fabrics

  Fibres from animal coats, silkworm cocoons, plants' seeds, leaves, and stems
• Wool


  • Used for knits, flannel and jerseys
  • Very warm to wear
  • Absorbent
  • Shrinks and weakens when wet
  • Weakened by sunlight
  • Best to dry clean
• Cotton


  • Versatile
  • Quite strong
  • Used widely for summer wear and work clothes as it is very comfortable and absorbent
  • Accepts dyes easily
  • Wrinkles and shrinks if not treated
  • Free from static electricity
  • Weakened by mildew and sunlight
• Silk


  • Luxurious touch with a deep lustre
  • Smooth, pearly sheen
  • Crease-resistant
  • Very absorbent
  • Weakened by sunlight and perspiration
  • Expensive
  • Best to be dry cleaned
• Linen


  • Durable
  • Used for summer dresses, suits and blouses
  • Very strong and stiff
  • Comfortable, cool and highly absorbent
  • Wrinkles very easily
  • Weakened by mildew
  • Shrinks unless treated
• Other natural fabrics

  • Hemp
  • Ramie
  • Jute
  • Coir
  • Pina
  • Abaca
• Synthetic (manufactured) fabrics

  Man-made through chemicals
• Rayon

  • Regenerated fibre from wood pulp
  • Used for dresses and blouses
  • Weak fabric
  • Absorbent
  • Wrinkles and shrinks easily
• Acetate

  • Luxurious silk-like fabric
  • May wrinkle and build static electricity
  • Weakened by light
  • Resistant to stretching and shrinking
  • May melt if ironed at high heat
• Spandex

  • Mostly used in sportswear and swimwear
  • Lightweight with great elasticity
  • Very strong
  • May turn yellow with exposure to light
• Polyester


  • Used for dresses, ties and curtains
  • Resistant to wrinkles, stretching and shrinkage
  • Accumulates static electricity
  • May need little to no ironing
• Nylon


  • Used for suits, dressed and also seat belts
  • Strong with good wrinkle resistance
  • May fade in sunlight
  • May also melt with high heat
• Acrylic


  • Mainly used for jumpers, cardigans and scarves
  • Maintains warmth
  • Very tough
  • Resistant to sunlight
• Detergents are necessary to remove dirt from fabric. They work by wetting the fabric and loosening the dirt, which is then removed by mechanical action.
• Detergent


  A type of cleaning agent which removes dirt by a process of wetting and emulsification. They can be in the form of powders, flakes, liquid or soap bars.
• Types of detergents

  • Biological (enzyme) detergents
  • Low-lather detergents
  • Grease-solvent washing powders
  • Light duty detergents
  • Cool water detergents
  • Synthetic detergents
  • Soap powders
• Biological (enzyme) detergents


  • Contain enzymes which break down protein stains such as milk and blood, useful for soaking stains before washing
• Low-lather detergents


  • Can be used in front-loading washing machines as they will not cause the machine to malfunction
• Grease-solvent washing powders

  • Remove greasy marks and stains from clothes
• Light duty detergents

  • Suitable for hand-washing lightly soiled clothes or for delicate fabrics such as wool
• Cool water detergents

  • Work well at low temperatures, saving electricity needed to heat up water
• Synthetic detergents


  • Don't contain soap, usually cannot be used in front loading automatics because they produce a lot of lather
• Soap powders

  • Based on soap and made from natural fats, do not work very well on hard water
• Laundry additives

  • Bleach
  • Fabric conditioner
  • Colour catchers
• Bleach


  Helps maintain white colour and remove stains
• Fabric conditioner


  Makes clothes feel softer and smell nice, adds body, keeps dirt from being attracted to the fabric. It does not clean clothes.
• Colour catchers

  Help prevent colour runs and allow mixed colour washes
• Eco-friendly detergent practices

  • Use refill packs
  • Choose concentrated products
  • Don't use more detergent than needed
  • Use a dispensing ball
  • Use environmentally-friendly detergents
  • Choose biodegradable detergents
• Washing options

  • Launderette
  • Laundry
  • Washing by hand
  • Washing by machine
• Front loader washing machine

  • Clothes washed by tumbling action
  • Gentle washing action
  • Can't open door to add more clothes
  • Fits under worktop
  • Lower ongoing costs, higher initial cost
  • Faster spin and shorter drying times
  • More cycle settings
• Top loader washing machine

  • Clothes washed by agitator action
  • Can add clothes after start
  • Uses more space
  • Usually cheaper
  • Large capacity available
  • Less energy/water efficient
  • Uses more detergent
• Factors to consider when buying a washing machine

  • Capacity
  • Water efficiency
  • Energy efficiency
  • Motor
  • Noise
  • Length of wash
  • Programmes
  • Controls
  • Base
• Drying methods

  • Drying outside on a line
  • Clothes horse
  • Tumble-drier
• Dry cleaning

  Solvents which clean clothes without causing damage by dissolving grease and removing dirt, suitable for suede, leather and wool
• Ironing

  1. Set iron to correct temperature

  2. Ensure ironing board is cushioned

  3. Check if fabric needs steam or dry iron

  4. Iron on wrong side of fabric

  5. Lightly dampen surface

  6. Iron until fabric is dry
• Irons

  • Dry iron
  • Steam iron