Where can I find clothes that can be tumble dried ?

Angela T

Registered User
Jul 13, 2014
187
0
France
Hello,

My mother is now in a nursing home, so she will finally be getting the care she needs.

One problem I did not foresee is her clothes. All her clothes are either to be dry cleaned, hand washed, or washed at 30° - and nothing can be tumble dried.

So I am going to have to buy her a complete new wardrobe of clothes! I have been looking in stores and all the nice things I see have the label "do not tumble dry".

Can anyone suggest where I might find nice clothes that can be machine washed and tumble dried ?

My mother always looked smart - it sad to think that she will no longer wear her nice clothes...

Thanks,
Angela
 

lin1

Registered User
Jan 14, 2010
9,350
0
East Kent
Hi. I suggest you do not pay too much for items of clothing as they do tend to go walkabout in care homes for instance some residents may go into other people's rooms and um borrow things or a person leaves their own things laying around
 
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Witzend

Registered User
Aug 29, 2007
4,283
0
SW London
A lot of my mother's things were dry clean or do not tumble dry, too. But we have found plenty of reasonably nice things in M&S, though I do have trouble finding jumpers/cardis that are the right sort of colour/style and can be T dried. I once found a perfect cardi in BHS sale!! Nice big buttons and pockets, washes and t dries brilliantly - she is still wearing it a few years later - only wish I had bought a few more.

Even when she was past 80 my mother would not wear anything she considered frumpy-old-granny-ish, and even though she's now 96 and way past caring - and TBH has been for ages - I still do my best to avoid anything F-O-G-ish. .
 

Quilty

Registered User
Aug 28, 2014
1,050
0
GLASGOW
Try Asda and Sainsbury

Both these shops are very good about testing clothes for tumble drying. I NEVER buy something I cant tumble dry. Even if it says "do not tumble dry" I give it a go so long as its not wool or silk.

I would try machine washing and drying what your Mum has. If your thinking of buying new clothes its worth the risk. Sainsbury clothes are very good quality and reasonable versus M&S I buy them for work and my children.

Best of luck
 

Beate

Registered User
May 21, 2014
12,179
0
London
OH wears cheap shirts and durable Jeans from ASDA that cost £5-£6 a piece. If they do wear out, they can be easily got again. I appreciate it's a bit harder with women's clothes but satin blouses have no place in a care home.
 

Dearie Me

Registered User
Feb 2, 2012
41
0
Scotland
I agree with Quilty. My mum moved in to a care home in October, and the majority of her clothes have survived the laundry system. Even, bizarrely, a woollen skirt. The permanent pleats are now non existent, but it still fits!
 

Kevinl

Registered User
Aug 24, 2013
6,050
0
Salford
I'd agree tumble dry them and see what happens unless it really is something special.
I put nearly everything in the tumble dryer and a 60C wash and so far I haven't had a problem (obviously not woollens though), it may shorten the life of a garment but that's about all. As said it's more likely they'll end up lost if you're using a care home laundry system.
Asda and Primark are both worth a look or Bon Marche if you have one near you.
K
 

Tatiana

Registered User
Feb 23, 2014
54
0
Another vote for Bon Marche! I've had great success there finding pretty, yet practical, outfits for my Mother in law. Also they have a good range of smart, elasticated waist manmade fabric trousers in various leg lengths in navy/grey/black. This suits MiL as she can then wear a colourful blouse or sweater to brighten everything up. I've also found some fantastic bargains in charity shops and, if you go to Oxfam online, their shop is brilliant - lots of brand new clothes from M&S all at a third of their usual price. I've also found cheerful, dressy blouses and knitwear in Peacocks, very reasonable prices.
 

min88cat

Registered User
Apr 6, 2010
581
0
Another vote here for Bon Marche, I bought most of MILs tops from here, they withstood not only the tumble drying but also the very high wash temperatures.
 

fredsnail

Registered User
Dec 21, 2008
648
0
Another vote for Bon Marche and also M&S - Grandad loved M&S clothes and one of the other residents always had pretty blouses on and when complimented always said she got all her clothes at Bon Marche
 

cold feet

Registered User
Nov 19, 2010
22
0
Essex
I found this tough. Mum was an Eastex lady, and quite a few bits were dry clean only and perished rapidly! But other items stood the test of care home laundry pretty well, even though the labels said do not tumble dry. Most new stuff I brought from M&S, but the original Eastex items outlasted most! I found the cheap stuff a false economy to be honest.
 

Angela T

Registered User
Jul 13, 2014
187
0
France
Thank you

Thank you all so much - I'll have a look at all the stores you mention.

I live in France, so will come back to the UK asap to stock up for my mother. I can also buy online but I prefer to see the fabrics. Once I am used to buying these clothes, I can probably buy online. In the meantime, you are right, the NH can wash and dry her clothes and hope they survive...

It feels weird to be choosing clothes for my mother - she was so independent, and now I have to decide what clothes she has, and in fact it will be the NH staff who actually choose what she wears each day.

She had a fall so was in hospital, and when I took in a change of clothes for her, she asked me what she owed me - she did not recognise her own clothes.

Thanks again
Angela
 
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Dazmum

Registered User
Jul 10, 2011
10,322
0
Horsham, West Sussex
Edinburgh Wool Mill is good for jumpers and cardigans that can be tumble dried too. My mum has a huge love of jumpers and cardigans, many of them wool, but these deteriorated very quickly (some turned into garments that would have fitted a doll...:D) so I no longer buy her anything wool.
I tend to wait for their sales as there are really good bargains, they are frequent, and they have a big selection of skirts and blouses too in nice styles and patterns.
 

Chemmy

Registered User
Nov 7, 2011
7,589
0
Yorkshire
I took the opportunity of adding some flattering colours into my mum's wardrobe instead of her usual 'goes with everything' beige or white.:D
 

Witzend

Registered User
Aug 29, 2007
4,283
0
SW London
Edinburgh Wool Mill is good for jumpers and cardigans that can be tumble dried too. My mum has a huge love of jumpers and cardigans, many of them wool, but these deteriorated very quickly (some turned into garments that would have fitted a doll...:D) so I no longer buy her anything wool.
I tend to wait for their sales as there are really good bargains, they are frequent, and they have a big selection of skirts and blouses too in nice styles and patterns.

I must say I am surprised. We have an EWM near here and any jumpers/cardis I have ever liked when looking for my mother has had a label saying Do Not Tumble Dry. More than once I have left the shop feeling wearily fed up, since the things would have been fine otherwise. I am not remotely bothered about what the thing is made of, but I am picky about colour and style - no F-O-G stuff.

Unrelated moan, but I found a nice Christmas present there for an elderly friend, and was very put out to find that they don't do gift receipts. Why on earth not? Luckily the friend was very pleased with it, and he is a Very Large Bloke, so it's never easy.
 

Angela T

Registered User
Jul 13, 2014
187
0
France
I have been looking online at Bonmarché and M and S - and they do not give much info on product care. They only say "machine washable", no temperature, and nothing about tumble drying.

If I buy online, how can I know whether clothes can be tumble dried ? Should I avoid certain fabrics ?

Thanks,
Angela
 
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Onlyme

Registered User
Apr 5, 2010
4,992
0
UK
Everything is washed on 60 at Mum's and M & S are the only ones standing after that. I buy in their sales mostly to keep costs down.
 

Angela T

Registered User
Jul 13, 2014
187
0
France
Edinburgh Wool Mill is good for jumpers and cardigans that can be tumble dried too. My mum has a huge love of jumpers and cardigans, many of them wool, but these deteriorated very quickly (some turned into garments that would have fitted a doll...:D) so I no longer buy her anything wool.
I tend to wait for their sales as there are really good bargains, they are frequent, and they have a big selection of skirts and blouses too in nice styles and patterns.

Thanks for the tip - my mother has some lovely cardigans - but I know they won't withstand tumble drying, or even machine washing. I know it is warm in the NH but she wil need a few new cardigans that can be washed and dried.
 

Angela T

Registered User
Jul 13, 2014
187
0
France
I took the opportunity of adding some flattering colours into my mum's wardrobe instead of her usual 'goes with everything' beige or white.:D

I agree, there are some lovely prints and colours that are flattering, and in fact my mother will be better dressed in the NH than she was at home in recent months - she was often wearing the same things, or not even getting dressed.
 

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