***Always empty the pockets of everything going into the machine. Sharp objects can ruin your laundry. Be very aware of anything that can melt or stain. A personal peeve with me - tissue. Tissue in the wash gets all over everything! We use very few tissues in our family. I don't even think we use a box a year! We prefer hankies. Hankies are healthier for our planet, they're inexpensive enough to buy many at a time and you'll save much hard earned money over time. Keep a real close eye on pockets if there are kids in the house. Believe me, you don't want to pull a load of laundry out of the dryer that went in with a crayon or two in the pockets! I keep a sign over the washer just to remind me of this.

***Check your zippers! Keeping your zippers closed will make them last longer. Zipper teeth are much more likely to go out of alignment when left open during washing & drying.

***Fasten all your hooks and eyes before doing laundry. You really don't want the hooks getting caught on other articles of clothing and snagging them.

***We hand wash silk. We wash it in cool water with a gentle soap. Don't rub the silk, squeeze it! Rinse the silk in the same temperature water and gently squeeze rather than wring. Then pat the silk with a terry cloth towel. Lay the item out on a terry cloth towel, roll it up jelly roll style and press gently. This will absorb much of the water. Never, ever dry silk in direct sunlight or in the dryer. We use a raised screen in a dark place. Works like a charm.

***When washing corduroy, let it drip dry. Wringing corduroy will set lines and wrinkles and ironing does not take them out! I know. I have a beautiful pair of corduroy pants that looked great on me....until they went through the ring cycle!

***When washing any item that contains elastic, you're much better off to hang dry it. Drying elastic in the dryer causes it to stretch out and give out long before its time.

***Never hang a cotton sweater on a line. The weight of the sweater will pull it out of shape...forever! Wet cotton sweaters should be blocked. Blocking a sweater is easy. Just lay it out in its proper shape on a thick terry cloth towel in a well-ventilated space. Avoid direct sunlight. There are dryer screens that you can purchase, however, we use a storm window screen that we had in the basement. We replaced the screen and we place it on 4 cans of the same height. Works just as well as a pricey sweater rack.

***If you've washed a wool sweater and its shrunk and you didn't block it, this may work. Boil the sweater in one part vinegar and two parts water for 25 minutes. Use a big pot for this. You don't want to crowd the sweater. After 25 minutes, take the sweater out of the water - be careful!! Very gently press the water out of the sweater using a thick terry cloth towel. Then block the sweater as described above. Don't move the sweater until it's dry.

***Before you wash a new garment, try stretching it gently. If it stretches more in one direction then another, chances are it may shrink.

***We always use cold water to wash. Always!