How do I do my laundry?

Question

I just moved into a dorm and I never learned how to do laundry. Can someone walk me through the steps? I know I'm supposed to separate whites, lights, and darks. But beyond that, what do I need and what am I supposed to do?

Answer 1

You should also clean out your washer once a month...and might even be helpful when using a public laundry room!

I work at Whirlpool, and I know that both Whirlpool and Maytag washers recommend a product called Affresh to help eliminate washer odor.

I heard that right now they’re running a promotion on whirlpool’s website that will get you free shipping on a 3 –pack of Affresh tablets.  You just enter EAF822 as the promo code and you don’t have to pay the shipping.

Answer 2

Stain removers (sometimes optional)

Anti-static sheet (optional)

Liquid fabric softeners (optional)

Liquid bleach for whites

Laundry detergents

Laundry Basket

Coins(if needed)

To do laundry, first sort your dirty clothes, making separate piles for whites, bright colors and darks. If you mix whites with colors in the wash, the colors may bleed onto and ruin your whites. Also separate clothes that tend to produce lint (towels, sweatshirts, chenille and flannel) from clothes that tend to attract lint (corduroy, velvets and permanent-press clothes). Best to wash towels in their own load. Read labels, some clothes need certain wash temps or cycles

Step2As you sort, close zippers to prevent snagging, and empty pockets (you don't want soggy shreds of facial tissue all over your clothes!).

Step3Pre-treat heavy stains with laundry detergent or stain remover, heeding instructions on the product label.

Step4Use the measuring cap of the detergent bottle or the cup found in detergent boxes to measure out the right amount of laundry soap according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Step5Pour the soap into your washer or its detergent dispenser. Add liquid fabric softener, if desired, according to the product instructions.

Step6Choose the water temperature for the wash cycle:hot, warm or cold; save on energy and opt for a cold rinse cycle for any load. Consult the labels on your clothes, your washing machine's instruction manual or the detergent container for recommendations on washing temperature. In general, use cold water to protect colors and darks from bleeding or fading, and to avoid shrinkage. Use warm or hot water for durable fabrics like cotton (make sure they're preshrunk), and to ensure that your whites stay white.

Step7Start the washer before adding clothes, if you have time, to allow the detergent to dissolve in the water. The regular cycle suffices for most laundry, but use the gentle cycle for sheer or delicate fabrics. Adjust the water level to the size of your load.

Step8If you need to add bleach, allow the machine to run for a few minutes to mix the detergent and water, then add about a cup of bleach to the washer or the bleach dispenser.  Don't over use the bleach the small can be VERY strong

Step9Add your clothes, close the lid and let the machine do its dirty work. Washing times vary, less for delicates more for normal loads, usually 25-33 minutes depending on machine.

Step10Put the clothes (and an anti-static sheet, if desired) in the dryer(Again read labels to make sure the item can be dried in the dryer and at what temp) Hang delicates (such as bras and certain sweaters) to air dry on a clothing rack or hanger. Check tags if in doubt.

Step11Remove lint from the dryer's lint tray.

Step12Select the correct drying temperature for your laundry load: low for delicates, medium for most fabrics and high for cotton. When in doubt, low or medium is the safest bet.

Step13Close and turn on the dryer. Expect the drying cycle to take an hour or more for a full load.

Step14Once the clothes are completely dry, remove them from the dryer or drying rack and fold your clean laundry.

Tips & Warnings

If you stuff too many clothes into the washer, it won't clean them well. Allow room for clothes to agitate during the wash cycle.



Remember that you should typically dry-clean some fabrics: silk, wool, linen and rayon, for example. You should hand-wash lingerie in the sink with laundry soap designed for delicates.



Never add bleach to wash water while clothes are in the washer. The concentrated bleach will whiten and dissolve clothing. Add clothing to the washing machine once the bleach has been mixed well with the water and the washer is half-full.



Handle bleach carefully. Avoid splashing it directly onto clothes or yourself.

Baking soda works well to get oders off clothes throw a 1/2 to a cup of it into the wash if needed. It also works as a fabric softner

Answer 3

You must consider the many things in separateing laundry to wash together.  Dirt level, color, temperature, & fabric weight are all important. You also need to learn that some dyes are "not set into the fabric" well & will leach onto other clothes.

Start by turning inside-out the clothes you want to preseve any decals on.

Obviously- read the label for temperature. But, remember, you can always wash a WARM in cold, but not the opposite.

I also make sure to wash in WARM the following: sheets, underwear, panties, towells & anything else that has higher amount of skin or body scum on it. Cold water does not remove this well.

Everything gets a cold rinse, Sometimes, a 2nd cold rinse depending on the dirt level.  This saves energy & is proven to work just as well.

I wash all my dish towels & dish rags separately - with HOT water & WARM rinse.

Try to dry as much as possible by hanging up to dry. But, in a dorm this is immpossible.  So dry clothes in dryer at low to avoid shrinkage.

I am miser about taking good care of my clothes. I tend to buy classic pieces I want to look good for a long time.

Answer 4

I'm not exactly an expert on this, but you just seperate the lights and the darks. The lights are everything that is predominately white. You have to be careful not to put anything colored in there or it will bleed and get all your lights that color. Your darks are everything else. You just put these in the washing machine in different cycles. Once you've put your clothes in the washing machine, put the detergent in there (it should say how much on the bottle) and start it up.