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Use Washing Machine or Hand Wash?

There is a washing machine in every household these days. Operating the washing machine is not difficult, but which laundry actually belongs in the washing machine? With the following tips and tricks, it will be easier to clean your clothes correctly in the washing machine or by hand in the future.

Do I still have to wash the laundry by hand?

Doing laundry wasn’t easy in the past. Because in the last centuries it was usual to clean the laundry by hand at any time. The housewives soaked their clothes in a large cauldron for 24 hours before they worked them by hand with various tools such as washboards. Since this washing process could take several days, people only put in a washing day every few weeks. Today we have high-tech devices that make life easier. This includes the washing machine. But not every piece of clothing is suitable for the washing machine.

1) When is hand washing of textiles necessary?

Although a washing machine is now standard equipment in a household, many people wash their textiles by hand. Even today there are some situations in which there is no way around handwashing. Consequently, you should also prefer hand washing in the following cases:

  • Silk and wool are delicate textiles. They can be damaged in the washing machine despite the appropriate washing programs. It is better to wash these textiles by hand.
  • Garments that rub off can in principle be washed in the washing machine – in individual wash cycles. However, this procedure consumes a lot of electricity and water and is time-consuming. It can therefore make more sense to hand wash textiles that stain.
  • A defective washing machine due to a move or other unplanned situations makes hand washing a suitable means again. If you don’t feel like laundry service, wash the laundry by hand in a water bath.

2) Observe care instructions and sort laundry accordingly

When washing clothes with the washing machine, it is customary to sort the laundry according to color and material beforehand. It is also important to pay attention to the care instructions for the clothing when washing the clothes. Because washing a garment wrong ruins the fabric and makes it unsightly. In the worst case, the clothes can no longer be worn after washing.

Consequently, it is advisable to find out about the explanation of various laundry symbols in order to avoid mistakes in the future. Furthermore, it makes sense to only wash identical fabrics together. White laundry, colored laundry, and special items of clothing made of fine fabrics such as wool or silk should be washed separately. And for some items of clothing, hand washing is explicitly indicated, especially here you should take the washing recommendation seriously. The symbol usually shows a hand reaching into a kind of tub.

3) Which detergents are suitable for handwashing?

Delicate items of clothing should only be soaked briefly before washing. Liquid detergent is preferable to powder detergent for washing by hand. Because the powder is anything but skin-friendly and makes your hands rough. As far as the detergent is concerned, special delicates or wool detergents are suitable for sensitive textiles. Detergents for coloreds are more suitable for the clothes that go in the washing machine. Also, it doesn’t hurt to use rubber gloves when washing by hand to protect the skin from inflammation. You can also use this to make a mild detergent yourself.

4) Dry laundry after cycle or hand wash

The washed laundry – regardless of whether it comes from the washing machine or the water bath – can be dried in the air. The following applies to hand washing: It is best to wrap the textiles in a bath towel beforehand and let them lie flat to dry. If a dryer is used, only non-sensitive fabrics may go into the dryer. Either way, it’s important to flatten and hang up the finished laundry. If the laundry is left in the laundry basket or washing machine for a long time after washing, there will be musty smells in the washing machine and clothes. And it is then more difficult to iron the textiles. Therefore, note further tips on how to dry laundry properly. These help for perfectly dry laundry.

5) How can the washing machine be used in an energy-efficient manner?

Costs can be saved in the household by using the washing machine in an energy-efficient manner. In principle, it is worth fully loading the washing machine and setting the washing program gently. The material is preserved in the long term and you can save electricity with the washing machine. In this context, washing at low temperatures (30 or 40 degrees Celsius) has proven itself, whereby a detergent containing bleach can be used once a month to prevent biofilms from forming on the textiles. If infections occur in the household, it also makes sense to wash the textiles at high temperatures. This applies to non-sensitive textiles such as linen towels, nightgowns, pajamas, or hand and tea towels.

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Lifestyle

Clean Smelly Washing Machine with Home Remedies

A smelly washing machine and smelly laundry are annoying. In order to effectively remove bad odors, you need to clean your washing machine regularly. Simple tricks and natural home remedies can help here.

Reasons for an unpleasant smell of the laundry

Laundry that is freshly removed from the washing machine and smells unpleasant is very annoying. But why is this? Experts agree that liquid detergent and fabric softener are the main causes of this problem. Of course, the liquid detergent is a win for the environment, but the washing machine doesn’t like it that much. In order to be able to avoid smelly laundry, you should look around for clever detergent alternatives.

How often to clean the washing machine?

You should also clean your washing machine regularly to avoid smelly washing machines and smelly laundry. So you can benefit from the long service life of your device. But how often do I have to clean the device?

At the latest when your clothes smell bad after washing, you should clean your washing machine. It is also advisable to run a wash cycle at hot temperatures once a month without laundry. As a result, you can fight germs and bacteria. You should also regularly remove dust from the device with a damp cloth. You should also clean the fluff filter, the seals, and the detergent container once a month. In this way, you can prevent and neutralize unpleasant odors. Simple household remedies are sufficient for cleaning the washing machine.

1) Vinegar against limescale

If there are coarser deposits, you should instead use the home remedy vinegar essence. Then put this home remedy in the washing machine with an old bed sheet and let it work at 95 degrees to clean the washing machine. Then run a program 1-2 more times. This is the only way to completely remove the vinegar essence. Fat and other deposits are then effectively removed.

2) Citric acid for cleaning washing machines

Citric acid is cheap, environmentally friendly, efficient, and available in every drugstore. It will help you loosen limescale without damaging delicate rubber components as vinegar does. It is also a good way to descale the washing machine. Accordingly, put a maximum of eight tablespoons of citric acid in the empty washing machine (directly in the drum). Then choose a washing program with a maximum of 40 °C and start the machine without laundry. Once 50 percent of the wash time has elapsed, pause the wash program for two hours. This allows the citric acid to take effect. Then end the washing program. In the following video, you can watch the cleaning procedure with citric acid and find out why the acid must not be heated above 40 degrees.

3) Baking soda against dirt

Using baking soda can also keep the machine clean. To do this, mix two bags of baking soda with a little water. Then put the paste directly into the washing drum or detergent compartment. Then run the smelly washing machine on a hot wash cycle. You will quickly enjoy nice-smelling and clean laundry. In addition, note useful tips for descaling the kettle.

4) Cleaning with soda

Cleaning the washing machine with the home remedy washing soda is environmentally friendly and easy. Because you can add this to the laundry during a normal washing program. This saves water and energy. Consequently, simply add 1-2 tablespoons of soda directly into the detergent drawer with the detergent. In addition, soda has outstanding advantages:

  • more powerful than baking soda
  • gentle on seals
  • versatile usable
  • Cheap

5) Clean in washing machine with baking soda

If you don’t have soda at home, you can also use the popular home remedy baking soda to clean a smelly washing machine because baking soda helps against odors, limescale, and bacteria. It is used without washing: Put 50 grams in the washing machine and run a full wash cycle at a minimum of 40 °C.

Important tips for using the washing machine

In addition to the home remedies mentioned, there are a few tips and tricks that you should take to heart. Otherwise, it can quickly happen that you have to buy a new washing machine. But don’t panic with the following tip your washing machine will last for a long time without problems:

6) Allow moisture to escape

To keep your washing machine from smelling, you should always let the moisture escape. To do this, avoid closing the washing machine door. It must always be open so that the device can dry well after use and no mold forms. You should also keep the detergent compartment open so that the residual moisture can escape. In line with the topic, also note tips for reducing high humidity.

7) Occasional heat wash

As already mentioned, low temperatures are often to blame when clothes smell bad. Microorganisms multiply rapidly in humid climates. Therefore, occasionally run your machine at high temperatures (60 – 95 degrees. Then germs and bacteria die. At 30 – 40 degrees, only a small part of the microbes in the laundry is washed out. While at 60 degrees, significantly more Therefore, wash underwear, tea towels, and cleaning cloths at this temperature. For all other clothes, follow the care instructions for the textiles. However, if a family member is ill, it would be advisable to wash their laundry separately at 60 degrees.

8) Clean detergent compartment and lint filter

High temperatures at regular intervals are good but only help to a limited extent with dirt in the detergent compartment. Because detergent and fabric softener residues often remain in the compartments, causing mold to form. Since the entire detergent drawer can usually be removed in just a few simple steps, cleaning is possible without any problems. How to remove the element can be found in the instructions for use of the washing machine.

Then hot water and a good brush are enough to remove dirt without leaving any residue. You can also use some citric acid if necessary. Then let all components dry thoroughly. Likewise, a foul smell can emanate from the fluff filter. If this is rarely emptied, hair, lint, and many other components accumulate. The machine manufacturers provide individual information about the correct removal and cleaning of the sieve.

9) Maintain door seal

The door seal in the porthole of the washing machine provides a perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Since the surfaces here are constantly damp and clogged with hair, fluff, and detergent residue, soiling is inevitable. Here, too, citric acid is a reliable helper. Accordingly, put a few squirts of the home remedy on a rag and wipe the entire sealing ring thoroughly with it. And your washing machine stays clean.

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Cooking Tips

Washing Fruit Properly: What to Do About Pesticides on the Skin?

You should wash fruit before eating it – especially fruit from conventional agriculture, because it is almost always contaminated with pollutants. We show you effective tips and home remedies.

Pollutants are everywhere

In conventional agriculture, pesticides are used as standard to combat pests, diseases and weeds – the consumption of which is usually also harmful to human health. Fruit and vegetables are also treated for transport so that they survive the long journey undamaged. You can find more information about pesticides here.

Consumers will therefore find food in the supermarket that is not suitable for immediate consumption, but should first be washed thoroughly. Although within the EU certain maximum residue levels of pesticides may not be exceeded, smaller amounts are almost always present.

In 2020, the Oldenburg Food and Veterinary Institute tested 79 samples of apples, of which only those from organic cultivation showed no residues of pesticides. Even if the EU only assumes a health-damaging effect above a certain value, the following still applies: the fewer pollutants, the better. We will show you what is important when washing fruit and vegetables.

Wash or peel fruit?

Most of the pesticide residues are on the skin of the fruit. So is it better to peel the fruit?

While this would actually be the most effective way to remove pesticide residues. However, most of the vitamins are also found in the peel. It is therefore advisable to wash the fruit well and eat the peel as well. Because it is precisely the peel that makes the fruit really healthy.

With organically grown fruit and vegetables, you can safely eat the peel after washing. You can read about the requirements that foodstuffs must meet under the EU organic seal in another article.

Wash fruit properly: This is how you remove the pesticide residues

Pesticide residues are mainly found on the skin. You have to wash them off before you eat them. However, some pesticides also penetrate under the peel and are not removed by simply washing.

For fruit with an edible skin, you should wash the fruit thoroughly under warm running water and then rub dry with a kitchen towel. The water jet and vigorous rubbing already removes a large part of the pesticides. Rubbing the apple quickly on the trouser leg, on the other hand, is of little use, as this only removes some dust and dirt on the surface. With more sensitive fruits such as berries or apricots, you have to be a little more careful when patting dry.

In general, only wash fruit just before eating it. Because fruits are surrounded by a natural protective layer. The water will damage it and the fruit will spoil faster.

Homemade fruit and vegetable cleaner

You can remove pesticides even more reliably than with water with a household remedy, namely with commercially available baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). This is according to a 2017 study at the University of Massachusetts. The scientists washed the apples treated with the fungicide thiabendazole and the pesticide phosmet in three different ways – with chlorine bleach, a baking soda solution and with tap water.

The baking soda and water mixture removed most of the pesticides on the skin, provided the baking soda solution was allowed to sit on the fruit for around 15 minutes. However, pollutants that had penetrated the skin of the apples were less successful in removing them with this method.

Washing fruit with a baking soda solution before eating is an effective way to remove pesticide residues. However, this means quite a lot of effort for a piece of fruit, especially the 15-minute waiting time. If you want to be on the safe side, organic products are still the best choice.

What you should also consider: Five tips for pesticide-free fruit

The easiest and most effective way to avoid pesticides is to buy organic fruit. There, chemical-synthetic pesticides are forbidden in cultivation.
Even if you peel the fruit, you should still wash it first. Because if you cut it up or peel it, pollutants on the peel get into the pulp. This applies, for example, to citrus fruits, avocados or melons.
Buy local and seasonal fruits and vegetables whenever possible. In this way you avoid long transport routes, for which the food is additionally treated. Fruit from the EU is also usually subject to stricter requirements with regard to the pesticides used. We help you to find regional products.
Avoid cleaning with dish soap. You get rid of a little more pesticides this way than just rinsing your fruit with water. However, residues from dishwashing detergent can also be harmful to health.

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