Sometimes what may seem like common sense to us doesn’t always transfer to other people. It’s surprisingly scary how many of us don’t know how to properly care for certain fabrics. Whether it’s not dry cleaning them or not separating your dark colors from white, garment care
faux pas can destroy your favorite pieces. Here are 6 items you should never put in the washer machine.
Wool
If you’ve ever seen those hilarious “after” photos of tiny shrunken wool sweaters that were once full size adult sweaters, you know you should NEVER put wool in a washer machine. Wool is for dry cleaning only. Unless you’re looking to make a tiny, adorable sweater for your cat
.
Silk
Silk is another fabric that must be dry cleaned. Some people think they can get away with washing silk in the washer machine and while they may have gotten away with it, it’s really bad for the fabric and will dull and break it down over time, if not outright ruin it.
Embellished Items
Anything with sequins or embellishments should be dry cleaned. While you may get away with turning an embellished sweater inside out and putting it on a delicate cycle, we advise against washing embellished items in the washer machine as this will loosen the threads and cause the embellishments to eventually fall off.
Bras
This mostly applies to wire and formed bras. (You can get away with throwing unwired cotton bras in the washer machine.) However, laundering a push up bra
, formed, wire or embellished bra in the washer machine can cause damage and deformation. Instead, hand wash your bras in the sink. It’s not worth taking the risk and ruining them!
Fringe
Oh, we’ve made this mistake before. Disaster. NEVER put fringe in the washer machine. It will tangle, attach to other items, and possibly get tangled in the machine itself. Only dry clean or hand wash fringe.
Anything That Says Dry Clean Only, Obviously
Yes, people DO ignore this tag or fail to look at it altogether. Always check the garment care tag. If the tag says “dry clean only,” dry clean it only. That’s all. It’s simply not worth ruining your clothing to DIY delicate items.
