How to Wash Clothes

A nice way to wash your clothes.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Clothes Detergent A washing machine Or a bucket / sink A drier to dry the clothes, or somewhere to hang them

1. Collect all your dirty clothes from the bathroom floor, or wherever you keep them. Keep in mind that your socks may be in the living room or under your desk. Make sure you find everything.
2. Sort the clothes into piles. There are two important considerations here: what material your clothes are, and what color.
3. Read all the labels, and pick out the clothes that (a) cannot be washed (need to be taken to a dry cleaner), (b) all clothes that say delicate, or have other restrictions. These are commonly materials such as silk, wool, and certain synthetic fibers.
4. Remember delicates may have to be washed by hand. This means using a sink or a bucket, and adding water (read labels to verify the temperature) and detergent. The water should feel slippery. Warning: remember to sort the colors (see point five below).
5. Sort the remaining clothes (generally materials such as cotton, linen, synthetic fibers) according to color. All whites should go with only whites (or very light colors if the item has been washed many times). Then put all the reds, pinks, and oranges in a separate pile (never keep this close to the white pile as you will be wearing pink shirts for a long time). Then, depending on how much more you have left, put the other colors together, possibly into a lighter (e.g. greys, yellows, light blues) and a darker pile (blacks, dark blues, browns, greens, purples).
6. Know that, each pile is its own load. It is recommended to start with the highest priority pile, usually the one with socks and underwear.
7. Put the first pile into the washer. Add detergent (the bottle/box should say how much you need).
8. Read all instructions on the washer carefully, and examine all the knobs to make sure you are washing the clothes the way you are planning to. Whites and underwear usually go on hot temperatures. Colored clothes and sheets usually go on warm or cold temperatures.
9. Close the door and push the on button.
10. Come back when the washer is done and take the clothes out. Shake them gently, and either put into a dryer (remember to read the label) or hang them up to dry.

Tips & Warnings

• If you're sharing an apartment or living with people you know, it sometimes helps to join in the washing. This is especially the case with reds, as many people don't have a full load of red clothes in their wardrobe. Doing laundry together saves money and time, and lowers your impact on the environment. Fold as little as possible. Just stack your undies like pancakes. Over drying wears fabric out faster; try to leave a little moisture in (not too much though), it will dry before you get to using it anyway. Take the sheets off the bed, wash them and put them right back on. Less time will be spent folding/storing. Guys- when you are low on dress socks, give what remains to Goodwill and buy like 30 pairs all same style of black. No more sorting or orphans. Go one step further and divide your dress sock drawer in two. Put clean socks in one side and draw from the other. When they are gone, reverse. This way you wear your socks evenly and can throw them all out at the same time and start over, hence less waste. Also- no folding, just throw them together like worms. The recommended detergent amounts are about twice what you need. Use half of what they recommend & your clothes will be just as clean and your detergent will last twice as long. Don't leave your clothes in your washer for more than 24 hours, they will get musty and moldy. If your dryer is near the shower, pull towels/clothes directly from the dryer if they are in there, hence less folding. Have hooks in your closet for your favorite pants and shirts that you wear constantly, don't fold and store them, just hang them up. Landury ball does not contain harmful chemical element, such as phosphor and boron, etc. It's very use for wash cloth.
• Always check the labels of your clothes. If you are ever unsure, wash on the lower temperature, or by hand, and don't spin the clothes. New clothes with bright colors may have to be washed by themselves for the first few times unless you have something in a very similar color. Blue Jeans should be inside out to retain their dark color. If you wash your tennis shoes, don't put them in the dryer, they will never be the same. Let them dry in the sun. Don't leave your clothes unattended at the laundromat. They do get stolen! Never wash and dry dark and light colored shirts together. Never put bleach on shirts that are not white.