How to Teach A Man to Wash Clothes (Laundry)

You both have to work because the economy is more than on shaky ground these days. Furthermore, you cannot afford to lose another wool sweater, nor have all your beige blouses turned blue, just because he wants to pitch in and do some cleaning around the house. You could use the help but he needs to be equipped. Now is the time to teach your man (and perhaps, your children) how to do the laundry. In fact, just print this out and tape it to the washing machine door.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Three-bin hamper.
• Detergent
• Bleach
• Fabric softener
• Spot treatment
• (Cleaning items based on your preference, sensitivities to dye and perfume.)

1. Read the Label. Manufacturers do a great job of explaining how to wash the clothes they have designed. Follow their instructions to the letter! Most items will follow steps 3 through 7; but read the labels for absolute certainty.

2. 
   The Container Store

   SORT clothes based on color. Use your three-bin hamper to separate items into (1) Whites – no colors, (2) Lights – light colors, and (3) Darks –dark colors. Since men are sometimes color blind, you may need to do this part for him on a daily basis. Keep the hamper in the laundry room and before the night is over put all clothes, left on the floor or in the bathroom, into the appropriate bin. Once the clothes are sorted he should be able to implement the following directions with ease!

3. Use your cleaning products as directed, and based on your washing machine. Spot treatments are used prior to the wash and may have to set for a few minutes. The amount of detergent and liquid fabric softener needed are based on the size of the load and can be found on the containers.

4. Wash WHITES in Hot Water with bleach, if you choose, or an alternative brightener. There are numerous products on the market now that come with bleach already in the detergents for just this purpose. Be careful not to overload the Whites in the washing machine (load to only half of the machine’s capacity) for better whiter results.

5. Wash LIGHTS in Warm Water. Lights are colors that do not run which allows them to be washed in a warmer temperature.

6. Wash DARKS in Cold Water because the dye used in these articles creates more likelihood that the color will run and would easily ruin LIGHTS or WHITES. The cold water temperature also keeps the clothes from fading, or losing their color, quickly.

7. Dry clothes based on weight and material. The heavier the garments the more time they will need in the dryer; conversely, the lighter the garment, the less time they will need if any at all. Include a fabric softener dryer sheet, if desired, and/or if you did not add it during your wash cycle.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep your fine washables separate and away from the laundry area until you are ready to tackle them yourself. Men don’t necessarily have these items – most of their nicer garments are dry clean only – so don’t confuse them with your Woolite® washable, line dry items.
• Wash and dry items that shed or leave lint, such as non-white rugs and non-white towels, together. This could easily become two (2) loads if you have very light and very dark items.