Tripod member Mr_Tickle asks:
I wash my T-shirts and other tops in the washing machine. I use cold water, warm water, but never hot water. I put it on small loads, I put it on large loads. When it comes out, all the collars and ends have loosened up and stretched. It was never like this when my mom did it for me. Does it have something to do with the amount of washing powder I put in? I put about 3/4 ladle full when I'm doing a small load, and 1 1/2 when I'm doing a large load. Please help. My nice clothes are looking awful!

Handy Girl Bernadette suggests:
So, I'm lucky (and now you're lucky) that my mom stopped doing my laundry when I was a child! At age 11 my mom brought me to the basement and introduced me to the washer and all its wonderful ways. The only time my mom did the wash later on was when she had her eye on some garment of mine that she didn't particularly care for, such as my much-too-patched-in-the-butt cut-offs. Like a lone sock, they mysteriously vanished from the wash. I should have guessed by her willingness that she had an ulterior motive.

It does sound to me like you're using way too much soap. I figure they tell you to use more than necessary as a way of getting you to buy more than necessary. I use 3/4 of a ladle for a GIANT load of clothes. Any more than that and I swear I can feel the residue. Perhaps it is this residue which is causing your clothes to freak out. My sister uses those laundry rocks that you buy in enviro-sensitive catalogs and absolutely swears by them — no funky build-up and they get your clothes really clean. They're expensive, but when you figure they last for nearly a year, it's not so bad. Another suggestion is to use the gentle cycle and, unless something is REALLY dirty, always use cold water. You don't say whether you line dry or use a dryer, but perhaps you'd do best to dry your good things flat. Lay them on the dryer top or over a rack in the tub, making sure to press down the collars and other upturned points with your hand. I won't even talk about ironing — we've got an iron around here somewhere but I'd be hard pressed to locate it without a major search. I hope this helps — if not, tell your friends that upturned collars will be all the rage in the new millennium.

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