5 tips to use your washing machine

With these tips, you can make optimal use of your washing machine:

• Tip 1. Place your washing machine on a hard floor
• Tip 2. Sort your laundry by color, material, and temperature
• Tip 3. Use the right detergent dose
• Tip 4. Choose a suitable washing cycle
• Tip 5. Regularly clean your washing machine

To prevent noise, you can put your washing machine on a hard stable floor. It's important the the floor doesn't give, and that it's not too smooth. The best is a concrete or stone floor or a matte tile floor. This way, you'll have less noise during spinning. The least suitable is a wooden floor, laminate, carpet, or a smooth tile floor. The washing machine will bob along, wobble, and make more noise. That's why it's ideal to choose a hard floor.

Sort you laundry by color, fabric, or temperature. Make separate stack and keep colored, white, and dark laundry separated. Next, look at the fabric. Don't combine a woolen sweater with your jeans. Last, you can sort your clothes by temperature. Check the laundry label of your clothes to see if they can go in the washing machine and at which temperature.

You laundry stays good longer with the right detergent dose. Check the package to see how much you need. Don't use to much, because this can make your laundry coarse and faded, and it leaves soap residues. In addition to the right dose, you also look at the type of detergent. For white dress shirts, you can buy detergent for white laundry. For darker or colored laundry, you can buy separate soap. This way, each fabric get the right treatment.

Choose a washing cycle that fits the laundry type. For your woolen sweater, you can use the wool cycle. You can wash bedding with the cotton cycle at 60°C. Sometimes, there's a separate option for bedding, which gives you the right settings automatically. If you're in a hurry, you can use the quick cycle to save time. Make sure you put your lingerie in a laundry bag. Close zippers and buttons, and turn your clothes inside-out.

Prevent odors and regularly choose your washing machine. Run a hot cycle every few months. Empty the drum and run a cotton cycle at 90°C. This way, your laundry machine stays fresh and it'll last longer. Also clean the door seal from time to time with a wet cloth. Another tip is to clean the detergent drawer monthly. If you do so, soap residue can't collect, and you won't get odors.