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Fabric Care Unit

9th Grade Fashion

Laundry:An Essential Skill to being

an Adult

+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.

+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

+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.

+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!

+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!

+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

+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!

+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

+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

+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!

+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.