Read and follow all care labels. If you buy fabric, make a note of its content and use only those cleaning agents recommended as safe for it.
Wash or clean all the pieces of a matched set together every time - the jacket and the trousers, all the living room loose covers, all the bedroom curtains and so on. Exceptions are sets in which one piece is a solid colour and the other a print.
Bleach generally whitens and brightens a washable fabric, but check the label to see whether chlorine or a milder bleach is called for. Permanent-press white fabrics, for example, often yellow when exposed to a chlorine bleach.
Always remove stains before washing or tell the dry cleaner where and what the stains are. Light-coloured liquids such as ginger ale and perfume may leave no mark but in time or with heat may turn brown and stubborn. Blot up food spills on washable fabrics at once and sponge from the wrong side with soda water. Wash or dry-clean the article promptly.
