Laundry tips that preserve your clothes

Sort, sort, sort

Sorting is everything when it comes to laundry. Yes, it is tempting to throw all the clothes in at once and get it done, but no, that is not recommended. Read and follow the care instructions carefully. There is good reason why some garments are labeled 40 rather than 60 degrees. The care label and temperature indicate the harshest treatment the garment can take, and are based on the properties of the material and how it was treated in production. In other words: you can perfectly well wash a garment at cooler temperatures than stated, and often you should, to spare the environment, but you should not wash it hotter, because then it may be ruined. Sort by color, wash temperature and recommended program, such as wool. Light and dark colors are washed separately, and by all means watch out for red stowaways. A single red sock in a light wash can be a disaster. The label tells you which fibers the garment is made of, and that helps you choose correctly.

Synthetics

Nylon, or polyamide, surpasses all other fiber materials in tear and abrasion strength. But that does not mean you should throw fine nylon tights straight into a 60-degree wash. Tights should always be washed at a maximum of 40 degrees in a wash bag. After washing they should be hung to dry or laid flat.

Sportswear in polyamide or polyester should be washed at the stated temperature (usually 40 degrees), without fabric softener. Softener can compromise the technical properties of sportswear.

Wool and silk

Do not mess with wool. If the wool is blended with other materials it should always be washed as wool.

Wool can pill and shrink if things get too rough in the machine. Wool must therefore be washed on a wool program, preferably with low or no spin. Choose a detergent without enzymes or bleach.

Remember too that wool should not go in the tumble dryer. It must be air dried. Heavy wool garments should also be dried flat, as they stretch easily when wet. If your wool garment has shrunk, you can in fact try stretching the fibers out while the garment is wet.

Bonus: wool does not need washing as often as other materials. Wool has natural antibacterial properties that prevent odour, and often you can simply air the garment after wearing it.

Silk should be washed by hand or on a special program in the machine. Use a wash bag and a low temperature, and choose a gentle specialist detergent. Our garments in wool and silk blends are best washed as wool, on a wool program.

Note: silk must not go in the tumble dryer.

Cotton

Cotton is plain sailing in the laundry room.

The wash temperature is largely determined by how the fabric is dyed. White cotton can usually take 60 and sometimes 90 degrees, but again, that does not mean you HAVE to wash it at 60 every time. Even underwear can and should come out clean at 40 degrees.

Pierre Robert underwear with patterns and colors should be washed at 40 degrees to hold the colors.

TENCEL™, microfiber and modal

Microfiber is a fine synthetic material that is compact yet airy and comfortable. Pierre Robert uses microfiber in both sportswear and some underwear. Microfiber should be washed at 40 degrees without fabric conditioner, which can affect the elasticity.

Tencel and modal are both made from cellulose fiber and give good durability, softness and sheen. We recommend machine washing at 40 degrees. We often use TENCEL™ Lyocell blended with wool, and then it should be washed as wool.