Instructions on How to Do Laundry

Keep clothes looking and smelling fresh with regular laundering.

Doing laundry is essential to good hygiene. Eating, sweating and life in general contribute to the soil you collect on your clothing. Wash and dry your laundry on a regular basis to keep your favorite garments wear-ready. Keep laundry days organized by collecting all clothing in one area, as they get dirty. This makes separating and cleaning the laundry easier. Use a scented laundry detergent to give your clothing and linens a pleasant aroma.

Things You'll Need

• Hamper
• Laundry detergent
• Bleach
• Lingerie bag
• Fabric softener
• Stain remover (optional)

Instructions

1. Examine all your clothing tags. Clothing with specific instructions like “Cold Water Only” should be set aside and washed separately according to the directions.

2. Pull out any clothing marked “Dry Clean Only” and set them aside. Dry cleaning professionals should clean these garments. Take these to the dry cleaners.

3. Separate clothing by colors. Put white clothing in one pile. Place light colors in another pile. Place dark colors together in one pile. Separate delicate lingerie like pantyhose and lace undergarments.

4. If any of your clothing has stains, you might want to pre-treat it with a special stain or spot remover (or simply some extra liquid detergent directly on the stain) before putting it into the washing machine.

5. Adjust the washing machine’s laundry load selection. Select small for a few pieces of clothing, medium for a modest load and large for a full load.

6. Add the laundry detergent to the machine as the water fills. Use a quarter-cup of laundry detergent for a small load and a half-cup for a medium load. Use the full laundry detergent cup for a large load.

7. Select the water temperature on your washing machine. Choose cold water for delicate or dark-color clothing. Use warm or hot selection for regular loads. Use hot water for heavily soiled loads.

8. Place laundry in the machine by the preselected piles you made. Place lingerie in a netted bag to protect delicate clothing needing a more gentle wash.

9. Add bleach to white loads when the machine has filled up with water. Pour the bleach into the bleach dispenser. Never pour bleach directly onto clothing, even white clothing.

10. Remove the clothing from the washing machine when the load is finished. Place the clothing in the dryer.

11. Select 30 to 40 minutes on the dryer’s timer. Empty the lint vent on the dryer before drying your clothing for faster drying times. Add a sheet of fabric softener to the load before shutting the door.

12. Close the door and press the start button. When your dryer cycle finishes take the clothing out promptly. Fold or hang them up to prevent wrinkling.

Tips & Warnings

• Hang clothing on a clothesline for a fresh outdoor scent.

• Use a liquid fabric softener by adding the liquid to the end of the wash cycle.

• Never mix white and dark clothing. Clothing can bleed and stain.

References

• Get Out Today: How to Do Laundry