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8 Surprising Facts About Laundry

In all honesty, when most people think about facts to do with laundry what springs to mind first are things like stain removal tricks, or when did mankind start washing their clothes. The truth is laundry has lots of surprising tales and facts associated with it. This post will highlight 8 of the most surprising facts about laundry!

  1. How Vikings did their laundry.
  2. Ancient Roman’s use of urine to clean clothes.
  3. Chinese were the first people to use the iron. 
  4. H.Sidgier invented the washing machine.
  5. Astronauts incinerating their dirty laundry. 
  6. Pochon invented the early tumble dryer.
  7. Washing detergent was invented because of soap shortages during the First World War.
  8. 70% of dirt on your clothes is invisible.

How Vikings did their laundry.

Early sea voyagers like the Vikings used to tie their laundry up and hang it off the back of ships to wash as it passes through the waves.

Ancient Roman’s use of urine to clean clothes.

In Ancient Rome they would heat urine with water, insert the clothes into the cocktail and stomp on the clothes to clean them.

Chinese were the first people to use the iron. 

Ironing as we know it today was invented by the Chinese. They were the first people to iron clothes with metal over a thousand years ago.  

H.Sidgier invented the washing machine.

1782 was the year the first washing machine was invented. Its creator was H. Sidgier of Great Britain. This was a very primitive version of what we have today, Sidgier designed a rod cage that would crank. Years later inventions like the hand-powered drum machine helped form the machine we use today. 

Astronauts incinerating their dirty laundry. 

Astronauts have historically incinerated their dirty laundry in the Earth’s atmosphere on their way back down. This was initially a way to save water but Nasa does hope to use soiled laundry to feed plants in the future.

Pochon invented the early tumble dryer.

Dryers have been around for 200 years. Although this is new in comparison to the washing machine, they were not commonplace in houses until after the 1960s. You can thank Pochon from France who designed and created the first-ever hand-cranked dryer. Even after the first electric dryer was created in 1936, most people continued to use the old-fashioned model for many years to come. 

Washing detergent was invented because of soap shortages during the First World War.

Washing detergent as we know it today was invented because of soap shortages during the First World War. Chronic shortages of fat meant soap could not be made which led to the creation of synthetic detergent. It was first marketed as ‘Dreft’

70% of dirt on your clothes is invisible.

70% of dirt on your clothes is invisible. According to scientists’ even if your clothes appear to be clean what makes them dirty isn’t necessarily what you can see. Various types of human matter like dead skin cells, sweat, natural body oils and even the wrong type of detergent can make your clothes much dirtier than they may appear.

If you are too busy reading surprising facts about laundry instead of getting some done then let Laundryheap help with our convenient and professional service.


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Why You Need To Wash New Clothes Before Wearing Them

Question: You just bought fresh, new clothes and you’re super excited to wear them out!

Do you:

A) Put your new clothes in the wash first? or,

B) Prepare them to be worn without washing?

If you said A, congratulations, you’re right. If you said B however, I think you better re-think about how ‘fresh’ your new clothes really are.

Many of us think that it’s okay to wear newly bought clothes straight away without washing because it’s already ‘clean’. Truth is, new clothes are dirtier than they seem. They’re full of chemicals and likely germs, so you NEED to wash your new clothes before wearing them.

Here are the reasons why:

  1.  Exposed to harmful chemicals

    During the production process of your clothes, most synthetic fabrics are dyed with azo-aniline dyes, and a preservative chemical gas called Formaldehyde resin is used on the clothes to prevent wrinkles and mildew from developing. These chemicals are not particularly skin friendly and can cause severe skin irritations and reactions, especially to those who may be allergic to them. The reaction will create rashes which are liken to that caused by poison ivy. 

  2. Transferable germs

    It is often that you find people trying on clothes in the store because what better way to decide to buy it than to see how it looks on you?! The problem with that is, you don’t know how many people have tried on the item of clothing you bought, let alone how unsanitary those people may be. Just think about the possible ‘invisible’ bacteria that may have been transferred onto the garment from multiple people. Also, other bacteria such as fungus and even head lice may be transferred onto the garment/s on too. 

Final thoughts…

Though these issues may not be as alarming as you might have thought them to be, it’s best to stay on the safe side and ALWAYS wash your newly bought clothes before you wear them. Keep up with good hygiene and keep your skin safe from unwanted chemicals.

If the thought of laundry is the reason you’d rather not wash your clothes, then schedule a laundry & dry cleaning collection with us today and we’ll get that sorted for you for tomorrow!


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How Often You Should Be Washing Your Clothes

Raise your hand if you’re guilty of not knowing how many times you’ve worn a specific piece of clothing, so you smell it to see if it’s still okay to wear ?

Fun fact: There are a certain number of times you should wear your clothes before washing them. For some it’s after every wear, for most it’s after 3 wears, it all depends on what garment it is.

Below is an infographic guide on how often you should wash your clothes, determined by the number of wears..

The reason why some garments have to be washed after more than two wears is because washing them often than necessary will cause damage to the fabric and decrease it’s longevity.

These are just general guides, for normal days, if you don’t over sweat or soil your clothes easily. However, should you be perspiring heavily, or get your clothes dirty, then you need to put that straight in the wash! Or book a laundry collection service with us, we’re not just your 24 hour dry cleaning service you know.


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Are You Using The Right Laundry Detergent?

With a huge variety of laundry detergents, it may seem a little overwhelming choosing the right laundry detergent for you. Many decisions are made based on what your mothers use, and some people just go for what’s on sale. Nevertheless, your choice of detergent can really impact the cleanliness of your laundry.

One thing for sure is that ALL forms of laundry detergent will clean your clothes well. The only difference is how each type of detergent is designed specifically to clean.

Let’s take a brief look at the options:

  • Powder: For a one-size-fits-all detergent, powders are suitable for all types of fabrics. With a bleaching and optical brightness agent, they are extremely effective in removing stubborn stains and leave clothes ‘squeaky’ clean. Best for use in high temperatures and long wash cycles.

Quick note: There are powders designed for coloured laundry that do not contain bleaching agents.

  • Liquid and gels: These versatile laundry detergents are bleach free and are great for keeping colours bright! For stain removal, they can be used as a pre-wash spot treatment. These detergents are great for washing at low temperatures, delicate cycles, quick wash cycles and hand washes.

  • Capsule: This compact liquid detergent comes with just the right amount of liquid for each laundry cycle, so you don’t need to worry about over or under filling your load with detergent. Great for washing at any temperature.

Other things to consider…

To choose the right detergent, it’s best to consider the cycle type and temperature you’ll be washing the clothes at. Don’t forget to think about the type of fabric you’re dealing with too.

Ask yourself: Is it white? Colourfast? Wool or silk? A good stain removal? What temperature and type of cycle?

We at Laundryheap can imagine the struggles you’re put through in choosing the right laundry detergent, that’s why we do the dirty work for you. Schedule your laundry with us so you don’t have to worry about a thing.

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