Wash and Care Instructions
The best way to wash cotton fabrics is to hand wash in cold water with a mild detergent. If you must machine wash then use the delicate cycle and use cold water. Don’t use hot water as that will shrink pure cotton. Another problem with cleaning cotton with hot water is that it can cause some of the dye to leak. This won’t be a problem with cold water.
To clarify, cold water is room temperature for most of America and Europe. For a place like India, tap water needs time to cool indoors in a bucket before being fit for washing.
How to dry. Can you put cotton clothes in the dryer?
You can, but you shouldn’t unless you want to shrink them. It is much better to dry them in the sun while hanging on a line. Please note that there is a limit to the shrinkage. If the clothing is a little loose it may be all right to use the dryer.
How do you keep cotton clothes from fading / looking like new?
Turn the clothes inside out before putting them in the washing machine. This helps protect the garment. Same thing when drying them in the sun. Keep them inside out to prevent the sun from fading the outer side of the fabric. To restore faded clothing you can use salt and baking soda while washing them. Add half cup of salt or baking soda while washing.
Environment Friendly and Pocket Friendly
All the things mentioned above that take care of your cotton clothes are also really good for the environment while also saving you money. Taking care of clothes and making them last longer means less waste and less pollution in production, transportation and disposal. It also means fewer clothes you need to purchase. Also, using cold water for washing and the sun for drying both save electricity.