New Delhi, Jan. 5 -- Winter clothes have a way of making even a perfectly good washing machine look useless every now and then. You pull out a sweater that looks clean but smells faintly off. A hoodie comes out heavy, holding on to detergent like it's part of the fabric now. Jackets somehow collect lint instead of shedding it. You stare at the drum, half annoyed, half confused.

So you do what most people do. Run another cycle. Add more detergent. Maybe switch modes. At some point, you even start wondering if the machine has lost its touch. In most cases, it hasn't.

The mistake usually begins with treating winter clothes like T-shirts and jeans. Thicker fabrics don't move the same way in a washing machine. Sweaters, fleece, padded jacket...