Believe it or not there are a lot of people in this world that do not know how to correctly wash their clothes. I was doing laundry this morning and the thought just hit me… BAM! So… with that said, here is my quick and easy guide to doing laundry the correct way. I have also included some tips for reference.
Step One
You’ll first want to gather all of your dirty clothes and put everything in one pile.
Step Two
Separate clothes first by fabric type. Take all of the hand-washables and delicate clothing and put them to the side.
Step Three
Next, take the other clothes and sort them in piles based on color. Main color groups are as follows:
Black/Grays (Non-Bleach)
Reds/Oranges/Pinks (Non-Bleach)
Colors (All other colors, like green, yellow, teal, blue, etc…) (Non-Bleach)
Whites
Jeans (Non-Bleach)
Towels (Non-Bleach)
There may be more or less piles depending on the size of piles, the amount of clothing and your color preferences.
Step Four
While separating your clothes, have the washing machine filling up with water and add the appropriate amount of liquid detergent into the water. Then, add your fabric softener in the appropriate dispenser. Do not add bleach to clothes unless they are all white.
Step Five
Add pile of laundry to washing machine once the machine is filled with water. Then, use the appropriate machine setting based on what you are washing. (i.e. For delicate clothing, use low agitation, for regular clothing use high and low agitation settings, etc… )
When washing white clothes, follow step four but add liquid chlorine bleach five minutes after the wash cycle has begun. Carefully pour a small amount of liquid bleach into the properly labeled dispenser; on most washing machines, it is labeled “Liquid Chlorine Bleach.” Then, add clothes.
When washing delicate clothing, be sure to wash in cold water, rinse in cold water and use the air dry, fluff, or low dryer settings to avoid damaging the clothes.
Try to use the energy efficient settings on the dryer to save money.
Clothes get cleaner when you wash small amounts of clothes. Overloading the washing machine doesn’t wash the clothes as well and may break the machine. It also takes large loads of clothing to dry slower and in turn you end up using more electricity and costing you more money.
Never pour detergent or bleach on tops of clothes.
Wash colors separately to make them last longer and avoid discoloration.
Wash white clothes with hot water and cold rinse.
Wash all other colors in cold or warm water with cold rinse.
Utilize the washing machine settings, they are there for a reason.
Throwing a towel in the dryer with your colored clothes will help them dry faster.
Wash new clothes and especially new towels separately to avoid colors from bleeding into other garments until they’ve been washed a few times.Washing your clothes appropriately helps them last longer and will help save you money.
