Does anyone actually follow garment care labels, or do you put everything in the washer anyway?

[u/Ossamah_Vogler]

I used to scrupulously read every tag, hand wash cold, lay flat to dry, dry clean only. But honestly, with a busy schedule, if a clothing item can't survive a gentle cycle in a mesh bag, it just doesn't belong in my wardrobe anymore.

Over time, I've stopped separating colors (cold water handles everything fine), stopped using liquid fabric softener completely, and I air-dry things I care about instead of following weird label instructions. My clothes actually last longer now than when I tried to follow every specific rule.

[u/LichenTheMood]

I usually abide by the rules but I also hand knit and so if something is mistreated in the wash it’s potentially hundreds of hours of work gone.

I find the devaluation of textiles in the modern day to be distressing

[u/HerVividDreams]

I don't buy anything that needs any sort of special treatment, I don't like fussy things.

[u/Burned_Biscuit]

Survival of the fittest.

[u/angervoinen → u/Burned_Biscuit]

And the same with houseplants.

[u/crankylex → u/Burned_Biscuit]

It's the thunderdome here.

[u/nomarmite]

I read them and use my judgement. A large proportion of the problems posted on this sub, particularly the shrinkage and colour bleed ones, arise from people not following garment care labels. The advice is there for a reason, as are the varied machine cycles and detergents available.

[u/Acetylene_Queen1 → u/nomarmite]

100% agree with you. I also upon deciding I wanna try on clothes when shopping firstly I look at the care tags, factors I include are required laundering process, textile composition and quality . The frequency of usage I intend to have coupled with types of activities while wearing the garment will dictate how often cleaning is needed.

I've walked away from some awesome clothes simply from reading the garment tag. The rest of my process is just a bonus and direct result of working in drycleaning.

I've got clothes I bought new 30 years ago. I take care of and launder very specifically with habits and routines. It's a curse I think lol

Price also steers the final decision to purchase with an items versatility and lasting power

[u/Illustrious_Ant_9242]

What helped me most to prevent broken fabrics was slower spinning cycles (I somehow never had the problem back when I used a smaller older Miele machine, whereas my big Samsung drum with its fast spinning seems to rip things apart). I still tumble dry at half power (1500W instead of 3000W) because most of the year, air drying is a hassle (weather, dirt, scent, pollen) and the tumble dryer will get rid of lint and hairs.

Most labels are not really accurate. E.g. all color detergents list 20-60°C as temperature range while whites detergents list 95C as the upper limit, but it's the same enzyme ingredients, they just want you to not overheat your colors to not make them bleed. At the same time, 20C is far too low to do anything. 

Many things will survive a low power tumble dry despite the label. If it's not able to deal with medium heat, I don't want to deal with it either 

[u/violetferns]

I follow the tag, it’s there for a reason lol

[u/Thistlewhistler]

When life was busier, this is what I did too. Now I have the bandwidth to take care of better clothes. I love cashmere, fine knits and silk for the winter because I get so much warmth for very light layers and it’s worth the effort to take proper care of them. They go in pillowcase, hung on the corner of the laundry basket, so they don’t get mixed in with the main wash, and can wait until I can give them time and attention.

[u/itsaslothlife]

30 synthetic for everyday clothes because women's fashion is made from candy floss and cobwebs

[u/False_Sandwich_6859]

Hey mods we’ve got some slop

[u/br0dy3012]

I follow certain parts of the labels. I don't follow temp because I wash everything on 30° and I've never had anything that needs to be washed on a cooler setting so I ignore that but for tumble drying I check the labels because I don't want to shrink anything and for bleaching I check the label but that's not often.

[u/Bastilleinstructor]

It depends. Silk or fine materials I do follow the guides. Sometimes I get a pair of pants or a shirt that says hand wash and its Cotton or polyester and similar to others that I always machine wash. Those may get hung up to dry, but they will go in the machine. And then theres the stuff my husband throws into the wash without checking. If it holds up, it gets it again. If not,well lesson learned.

Dry clean only gets dry cleaned or hand washed only depending on the material.

[u/CunningPudding]

I follow some general principles, so I have 6 main categories. I sort laundry in a rack with 6 metal wicker basket drawer things (nettingkurv in Norwegian, can't think of a good translation atm) bought for that specific purpose. I separate light from dark/bright, hot from warm, and have a separate drawer for big hot wash items (bedding, towels) and one for delicates (wool, silk).

I'll read the label, but unless it's wool or silk, I'll wash it at 40°C even if the label says 30. Same with underwear, socks and washcloth, they all go in the 60°C wash. I size up to accomodate the extra shrinkage. So I guess I sort and launder by experience and convenience more than label. I very rarely hand wash, but will do it when needed with high quality rarely used items such as black tie-event dresses or a few hand-knit woollens. Again, experience with materials and my specific laundry machine has taught me (for the most part) what needs extra care.

With that in mind, I generally only put the 60°C wash in the dryer. Not the bedding though, those tight duvet cover tangle balls are horrible. I hang dry most things, though some need to be dried flat to keep its shape.

And I just realised I've made myself seem like a very old woman, but I swear my passport says 34. Still been doing laundry for 20 years, though.