Laundry Tips

Washing your clothes
Drying your clothes
Stain removal
Your Laundry and the Environment

Your on-site laundry offers you great value washing and drying at a time that's convenient to you. To help you get the best from your laundry, here are some useful tips which will save you time and money and keep your clothes in top quality condition.

Before you go to the launderette

• Sort your laundry. Separate light from dark colours, heavy items (such as towels and jeans) from lightweight, and keep any delicate items (e.g. undergarments) on their own to avoid damage.
• Be careful with red items, as their dye can run into other items, causing permanent damage.
• Do not put duvets or nylon Puffa jackets into top load machines.

Got a stain on your clothes or sheets? Our handy stain removal tips should help you out with the most common stains - click here

Washing your clothes

• Place washing powder and fabric softener into the soap compartment. The packaging will recommend the right amount to use for your load. Do not use dye or bleach in the machines.
• Load the washer. Do not overload, as the machine will not clean your clothes properly. Overloading can damage the machine. Underloading the machine can also cause damage. Distribute the load evenly at between three quarters and full. Close the door.
• Insert coins, feeding slowly one at a time. Our machines accept £2, £1, 50p, 20p and 10p coins and tokens.
• Choose your wash programme, following the guidance sewn into your garments which shows the right temperature and wash cycle. Our machines have 6 settings, shown below. Press the button to start your cycle and display the time remaining - each cycle takes approximately 40 minutes.

  Machine Cycle	Temp
  Whites	60°
  Colours	40°
  Bright Colours	30°
  Permanent Press	40°
  Woollens	30°
  Delicates	40°

• When the cycle has completed, unload the machine promptly. Don't leave your clothes unattended.

Drying your clothes

• Never overload the dryer. One wash load = one dryer load.
• Read the care guidelines on your garments to make sure there are no special drying instructions. Do not dry wool, rubber or plastics.
• To dry clothes faster and save money, always clean the lint filter before using the dryer. Put the lint into the bin provided.
• Load your wet clothes into the dryer and close the door.
• Insert coins, feeding slowly one at a time. Our machines accept £2, £1, 50p, 20p and 10p coins and tokens.
• Choose your drying programme. If using a double stack dryer, ensure you choose the correct dryer - upper or lower.
• Our dryers feature 3 simple cycles - Whites & Colours is the normal mode and has the highest heat setting. Permanent Press is a moderate heat, while Delicates provides a low heat for fine garments. Press the button to start your cycle and display the time remaining.
• Should you need to check your laundry mid-cycle, simply open the door. To re-start after opening the door, close the door again and re-select the cycle.
• Once the drying cycle is complete, promptly open the door and unload your dry laundry. Hang clothes up immediately to avoid creases.

Your laundry and the environment

Using any laundry machine has an impact on the environment by using water and electricity. Detergent also has an impact on the drainage system.

However, there are steps you can take to reduce your impact on the environment, while keeping your clothes clean.

Reduce temperature	All our washing machines have low temperature energy saving programmes (bright colours and woollens). Try using these in conjunction with a washing powder/detergent that will activate on a low temperature to see if they give a satisfactory wash - this will reduce the cycle time and the amount of electricity used.
Washing powder	Use an environmentally friendly washing powder that will activate on a low temperature, or try cutting down the amount of powder you use to lessen the impact of chemical contamination to waste water.
Drying	Keeping the lint filter clean is a good way of reducing drying time and therefore electricity usage. You can also try using Dryerballs to create more space & therefore airflow in the drum which will reduce your drying time.