I’ve been doing laundry for myself ever since I moved out of the home. I was taught to use cold water for colors and hot water for things like socks and underwear. Regular washing for was normal cotton clothes, where the Delicates settings was for nicer materials that could easily snag or tear under standard washing conditions. About a week ago, I had a new washing machine installed and took the time to read over basic settings that I’ve always ignored.
There is an array of mart washing machines, but the vast majority of the ones sold are still controlled by the good old knob. On my washing machine, there are three main selections to choose from: Delicates, Cottons and Permanent Press. The first two categories are self-explanatory. But Permanent Press is where it’s at when you need to minimize wrinkles. This is especially important for those of you who wear button down casual or dress shirts.
How does Permanent Press minimize wrinkles?
The Permanent Press setting washes clothes in warm water which loosens the material to prevent wrinkles. It then rinses the clothing in cold water and spins at a slower rate resulting in fewer wrinkles in your clothing.
Does it work?
Yes. I tried washing several of my Goodthreads shirts, made by Amazon, on Cotton and Permanent Press settings. The Cotton setting resulted in a shirt that needed an iron or steamer to look presentable. The Permanent Press setting resulted in shirts that came out wrinkle free and 100% presentable.
This is a setting that is often overlooked by most consumers. Washing machines are a piece of technology that we have taken for granted, but if you take the time to understand them a little more, you just might have better looking clothes as a result.