Expert reveals the simple washing mistakes ruining our clothes – and why you should NEVER put shoes in the wash
CONSIDERING how we wear trainers approximately 99% of the time, it goes without saying that they're downright impossible to keep clean.
Up until now, we would always just bung them in the washing machine whenever they got too grubby - but an expert has revealed that this could be damaging our shoes beyond repair.
Speaking to the , Will Lankston - Operations Director of dry cleaning company Jeeves of Belgravia - claims the washing machine can damage the glue in trainers. Even if it's a cool wash.
He said: "We would strongly advise against putting shoes in a washing machine. And we definitely wouldn't recommend putting them anywhere near a tumble dryer, as the heat can warp the shoes and damage the glue that holds them together.
"Tumble dryers can often shrink shoes depending on the fabric that is used."
Instead of putting them on a delicate wash, you can get your trainers back to their sparkling best by carefully hand-washing them - or as one mum recently found out, using Mrs Hinch's favourite £1 spray.
What's more, the expert also claims that putting tennis balls in a tumble dryer actually DOES make your towels fluffier - like the old wives' tale says.
He explained: "If you want your towels to be nice and fluffy, we would recommend popping a couple in with your towels, fluffy coats, pillows or anything else that could use a good fluffing when tumble drying.
"Tennis balls can also help laundry dry faster as they help to circulate air flow through your garments when in the machine."
The expert also debunked the myth that you can put jeans in the freezer to clean them.
Instead, Will recommends washing your jeans every five wears and turning them inside out to prevent them fading prematurely.
Although it's tempting to pour a generous amount of detergent over our laundry, Will stressed how important it is to use the correct amount for the weight of the wash.
He said: "Using too much detergent can actually create more problems, including stain or residue on clothes, odours left behind in the washing machine from trapped excess residue and loads not having a chance to drain properly - resulting in wetter clothes.
"It is important to dose correctly and consider the key facts, such as how dirty the clothes are, the size of the load, water hardness, etc."
And contrary to popular belief, Will also revealed that laundry detergent or putting a wash on a higher temperature doesn't actually kill bacteria - instead, he recommends adding a chlorine bleach to your wash if you're worried about bugs.
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