If you have ever pulled a favorite shirt out of the wash to find it shrunk, faded or misshapen, you are not alone. At our dry cleaning branches in Kensington and Marylebone we see the consequences of laundry mistakes every single week garments that have been washed at the wrong temperature, dried incorrectly or treated with the wrong products.
London’s climate makes this worse than most cities. The damp, cold winters mean clothes get washed far more frequently than in warmer parts of the country. The mud from parks like Holland Park, Regent’s Park and Kensington Gardens gets ground into fabrics. The salt from gritted pavements stains leather and wool. And the sheer pace of London life means most people are rushing through laundry without reading a single care label.
In this guide we share the most common laundry mistakes we see as professional cleaners, and exactly how to fix them or avoid them in the first place.
Washing Everything at 40 Degrees or Higher
This is the single most common laundry mistake we see in London. Most modern detergents work perfectly well at 30 degrees, and many fabrics wool, silk, cashmere, linen and delicate cotton blends should never go above 30 degrees. Washing at 40 or higher causes fibres to contract, colours to bleed and delicate weaves to break down permanently.
In London where many people live in flats with communal laundry rooms or small washing machines, the temptation is to wash everything together on the same cycle. Resist this. Sort your laundry by fabric type and temperature requirement, not just colour.
How to fix it check the care label on every garment before washing. A single wavy line under the wash symbol means delicate cycle. Two dots inside the symbol means 30 degrees maximum. When in doubt, wash cooler rather than hotter. You can never un-shrink a cashmere jumper.
Ignoring Care Labels
Care labels exist for a reason and yet most people cut them out or ignore them entirely. At Burlingtons we regularly receive garments for dry cleaning that have already been damaged by incorrect home washing — a silk blouse washed in the machine, a wool coat tumble dried, a linen suit washed at 60 degrees.
The symbols on care labels tell you exactly what the garment needs. A circle means dry clean only. A crossed-out tub means do not wash at home at all. A square with a circle inside means tumble dry is safe. An X through any symbol means do not do that.
How to fix it before you buy a garment, check the care label. If it says dry clean only and you are not prepared to bring it to a professional dry cleaner regularly, reconsider the purchase. If you already own it, bring it to us at our Kensington or Marylebone branch and we will take care of it properly.
Overloading the Washing Machine
A fully loaded washing machine does not clean properly. When clothes cannot move freely in the drum, detergent cannot rinse out fully, fabrics rub against each other causing pilling, and heavier items crush delicate ones. In London’s smaller flats where many people have compact washing machines, this is an especially common problem people try to do as few loads as possible and end up doing more harm than good.
How to fix it the drum should be no more than three quarters full. If you are washing heavy items like jeans, towels or bed linen, keep the load small. Run an extra spin cycle if you feel the load was too heavy.
Using Too Much Detergent
More detergent does not mean cleaner clothes. Excess detergent leaves residue on fabric fibres that attracts more dirt, makes fabrics feel stiff and can cause skin irritation particularly a problem in London where hard water already leaves mineral deposits on clothing. Over time, detergent build-up dulls colours and weakens fabric fibres.
How to fix it use the amount recommended on the detergent packaging for your load size and water hardness. London has hard water, which means detergent lathers less easily than in softer water areas but this does not mean you need to use more. In fact, a water softener tablet added to each wash can help detergent work more effectively at lower quantities.
Not Treating Stains Before Washing
Putting a stained garment straight into the washing machine without pre-treating the stain first is one of the most reliable ways to make that stain permanent. The heat of the wash sets many stains particularly oil, red wine, mud and coffee into the fabric fibres in a way that makes them almost impossible to remove afterwards.
London life brings specific stain challenges. Red wine at Notting Hill dinner parties. Coffee on the morning commute from Paddington. Mud from Kensington Gardens on weekend walks. Bike grease from cycling through Marylebone. These all need pre-treatment before the wash cycle.
How to fix it blot the stain immediately, never rub. Apply a stain pre-treatment product and leave it for at least 10 minutes before washing. For oil-based stains use washing up liquid as a first step. For red wine use cold water immediately never hot. For mud let it dry completely before brushing off, then pre-treat.
If a stain is on a delicate fabric or a garment you value, bring it to us as soon as possible. We have a much better chance of removing a fresh stain than one that has been set by a wash cycle. You can read more about stain removal on specific fabrics in our guide on how to clean leather shoes and remove salt marks, which covers similar pre-treatment principles.
Washing Dark Clothes Inside Out and Forgetting About It
Dark and bright coloured clothes fade significantly faster when washed right-side out. The agitation of the drum causes the outer surface of the fabric to wear and lose dye. Most people know they should turn dark clothes inside out but forget to do it in the rush of a busy London morning.
How to fix it make it a habit to turn dark jeans, black trousers, navy knitwear and coloured shirts inside out immediately when you take them off. Then they go straight into the laundry basket correctly and you do not have to think about it on wash day.
Tumble Drying Everything
The tumble dryer is convenient but it is one of the fastest ways to ruin good quality clothes. Heat shrinks natural fibres, breaks down elastane in stretch fabrics, causes wool to felt permanently and fades colours. In London’s damp climate the temptation to tumble dry is very high — there is rarely a warm dry day to air clothes outside, and flats are often too small to have clothes horses everywhere.
How to fix it reserve the tumble dryer for towels, bed linen and hardwearing cotton items. Knitwear, wool, silk, linen, delicate cotton and anything with elastane should be dried flat or on a hanger at room temperature. If you must use a tumble dryer for delicates, use the lowest heat setting and remove items while they are still slightly damp.
Drying Clothes on Radiators
This is extremely common in London flats where outdoor drying is not an option and space is limited. Drying clothes directly on radiators causes exactly the same damage as tumble drying at high heat shrinkage, distortion and breakdown of fibres. It also raises the humidity in your home significantly, which in a London flat can contribute to damp and mould problems.
How to fix it invest in a clothes horse and position it near a window or in a well-ventilated room. If you use a radiator, place the clothes horse in front of it rather than draping clothes directly on the radiator itself. This gives enough warmth to speed up drying without the direct heat damage.
Washing Wool and Cashmere in the Machine
Wool and cashmere are the garments we most frequently receive for restoration after incorrect home washing. Machine washing felts the fibres causing them to lock together, shrink dramatically and lose their soft texture permanently. A cashmere jumper that cost several hundred pounds can be ruined beyond repair in a single machine cycle.
In London where quality knitwear is a wardrobe staple for the long damp winters, this is a particularly costly mistake. Brands like Johnstons of Elgin, N.Peal and Brora are popular in Kensington and Marylebone and all of their garments should be treated with care.
How to fix it hand wash in cool water with a specific wool or cashmere detergent, supporting the weight of the wet garment at all times, and dry flat on a towel away from heat. Or bring it to us. Our Miele WetCare eco-cleaning system at both our Kensington and Marylebone branches is specifically designed for delicate fabrics including cashmere and silk. It uses 30 percent less water and 50 percent less energy than standard washing, and is far gentler than any home machine cycle.
Washing Shirts on the Wrong Cycle
Most people wash their shirts on a standard cotton cycle which is often set at 40 degrees or higher with a fast spin. This causes collar and cuff fraying over time, colour fading and misshaping of the collar points. For London professionals who wear formal shirts regularly, this is an expensive problem.
How to fix it wash formal shirts at 30 degrees on a gentle cycle with a slow spin. Better still, bring them to us. Our professional shirt cleaning and pressing service at Kensington and Marylebone cleans shirts on Primus washers and finishes them on our Sankosha shirt pressing plant they come back hung, folded or boxed exactly as you prefer, with no fraying and perfect collar points.
Leaving Wet Clothes in the Machine
Leaving wet clothes sitting in the machine after the cycle ends even for just a few hours allows mildew to develop on the fabric. This causes a persistent musty smell that is very difficult to remove even after rewashing. In London’s damp climate where washing machines are often in dark cupboards with limited ventilation, this problem is worse than in drier climates.
How to fix it remove clothes from the machine as soon as the cycle ends and hang or lay them to dry immediately. If you use a timer function on your machine, set it so the cycle finishes at a time when you are home and able to deal with it straight away.
Not Cleaning Your Washing Machine
A dirty washing machine cannot clean your clothes properly. Detergent residue, limescale from London’s hard water and bacteria build up inside the drum, the rubber seal and the detergent drawer over time. This is what causes that musty smell on clothes even after washing the machine itself is the problem.
How to fix it run a hot empty cycle with a washing machine cleaner or two tablespoons of white vinegar and one tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda once a month. Wipe down the rubber seal after every wash and leave the door slightly open between washes to allow the drum to dry out.
Washing Items That Should Be Dry Cleaned
Some garments should simply never go in a washing machine. Structured suits and jackets lose their shape permanently when washed at home the interfacing and padding inside the jacket cannot withstand water and agitation. Pleated trousers lose their pleats. Lined skirts and dresses can shrink unevenly. Formal coats can never be properly reshaped at home after washing.
In London where a good suit or coat represents a significant wardrobe investment, this is a mistake worth avoiding. If the care label says dry clean only, it means it.
How to fix it check the label before washing anything structured. When in doubt, bring it to us. Our professional dry cleaning service at Kensington and Marylebone handles suits, jackets, coats, structured dresses and all formal wear with specialist solvents and expert pressing that home washing simply cannot replicate.
Mixing Heavily Soiled Items With Lightly Soiled Ones
Washing a heavily soiled item muddy sports kit, heavily stained work clothes in the same load as lightly soiled delicates transfers dirt and bacteria from one item to another. The heavily soiled item also requires a higher temperature and more agitation than the delicate items can tolerate.
How to fix it sort your laundry into at least three groups. Heavily soiled and hardwearing items such as jeans, towels and sports kit. Lightly soiled everyday items such as t-shirts and underwear. Delicates such as silk, wool, knitwear and formal wear.
When to Stop Washing at Home and Call a Professional
Some laundry problems are beyond what a home washing machine can solve. If a garment has a complex stain that has already been through one wash cycle, if it is a structured or lined garment that has distorted, if it is a delicate fabric like cashmere or silk that needs careful handling, or if it is a formal item like a suit or coat that needs professional pressing these are all situations where bringing it to a professional is the right decision.
At Burlingtons we offer free collection and next-day delivery across Kensington W8, Marylebone W1U, Mayfair, Notting Hill, Baker Street, Oxford Street, Chelsea, South Kensington, Paddington and all surrounding London postcodes. Minimum order just £20.