How To Do Laundry

Stop Ruining Your Clothes - Here's How To Wash And Dry Them Like A Pro

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One of the first things you are pretty much forced to learn when you move out of the house if not earlier is how to do your own laundry. Truth be told, most fully grown adults still get it wrong all the time.

It might seem like you can just toss all your dirty clothes into the machine and simply turn it on and be done with it but sadly washing your clothes and linens takes a bit more consideration than that. You'll have to take into account what type of fabrics you're washing, the type of detergent you are using and what settings to use on your washer and dryer.

We'll be the first to admit that all the fabric rules and wash settings can get very confusing. But don't worry. We are here to explain the basics of how and why you will want to wash your clothes a certain way.

Thanks to high performing detergents and stain removers, and energy-efficient washers and dryers doing laundry continues to get easier. However, it’s still not a one-size-fits-all operation. If you find that your t-shirts are looking faded beyond their time or your pants lose their perfect fit after a couple of wears or your sweaters quickly lose their shape, it could be the way you’re laundering them. There are some definite laundry best practices that will keep clothes in top shape, so take a little time to learn the laundry ropes. You, your wallet, and your clothes will be glad you did.

How Often Should You Wash Your Clothes? Since all items are not made or used equally, the rules are slightly different regarding washing them. These are general guidelines for washing. We’re sure you know this, but just a friendly reminder: Underwear, socks, and undershirts after every wear

Sleepwear after every three to four wears

Sheets every week

Towels after every two to three uses Workout Wear If your workout is intense (i.e., you break a serious sweat) then cotton socks, pants/shorts, and t-shirts should be washed after every wear because they’ve absorbed sweat, as well as the oils and dead skin cells that accumulate in your sweat. If your workout is less intense and you don’t break much of a sweat or you’re wearing specially designed performance fabric, you can go every two wears before washing. Pants and Sweaters Unless there’s an unforeseen stain or soiling situation, pants and sweaters can be worn two to three times before washing. Jeans Jeans are designed to be worn multiple times, so don’t feel funny about wearing your jeans five to seven times before washing. Casual Tops and T-Shirts If a cotton t-shirt, sweatshirt, or casual button-down shirt is worn without any incident, feel free to wear it a couple of times before washing. Pro Tip: Using a room spray on your clothing, sheets, and towels is a great way to keep items fresh between washings. Sorting Laundry Before throwing laundry in the washing machine, take a few minutes to read the laundry symbols to determine the appropriate setting to wash clothes and then sort them. Sort clothes by color and, in general, keep dark items, brightly colored fabrics, black, and white items in separate groups to avoid colors bleeding into lighter or delicate fabrics. Avoid washing dark and brightly colored items with whites, as whites can turn pink due to color bleeding. Black & Darks Group black items together and wash on cold (60-80â) to prevent fading. Group dark colored clothes together, like sweatshirts, t-shirts, pants, and especially jeans. Wash on either the warm or cold cycle but never hot. Warm is preferable if the items are more heavily soiled (i.e., workout clothes) or if using a peroxide-based dirt-releasing product like OxyClean, while cold will help preserve colorfastness. Soaking or pre-treating dark clothes before washing on cold is another option for more heavily soiled items. **Black and dark items should also be washed on the shortest wash cycle to preserve color. Bright Colors Keep brightly colored clothes together. Reds, purples, and new jeans (indigo dye used in jeans is famous for bleeding the first few washes) need to be kept away from light or white items. Wash bright colors on cold to retain brightness. Warm (120â) is OK when washing more heavily soiled items. Whites To ensure your whites stay crisp and, well, white, group them together and wash on warm. White sheets, towels, and heavily soiled whites should be washed on hot. A note about hot water (130â+): Sheets, towels, heavily soiled undergarments or personal wear, should be washed on hot, but for most other items, hot water is not recommended because it will cause color fading, shrinking, and can even damage certain types of fabrics. RELATED READING: Bachelor Pad Essentials Pretreating Stains Heavily soiled and stained items require some extra TLC to get them back into fighting shape. Use the pre-wash or soak cycle on your washing machine to help release stains and embedded dirt. If your washing machine doesn’t have that option, soaking soiled clothing in a bucket or sink mixed with a few drops of detergent before washing will work well, too. As a nice reference, The Cleaning Institute has a comprehensive Stain Removal Chart with very specific methods for removing specific stains.

If treating a fresh stain, don’t wait. Apply detergent, stain remover, or even just fresh water as soon as possible.

Gently dab the stain with a damp cloth. Avoid scrubbing or harshly rubbing the fabric, as this will damage the fabric and could also have the reverse effect of setting the stain (setting refers to a stain that becomes permanently embedded in the fabric).

If manually pre-soaking heavily soiled clothes, let them soak in warm, soapy water for at least 30 minutes to overnight for serious stains.

If you are pretreating a stain that is protein-based (e.g., blood or eggs), skip the detergent and soak the item in plain cold water overnight before washing.

When treating a stain, remember that different fabrics require different treatments, so always check the label and test a small hidden area to make sure a treatment is not harmful to the fabric. General fabric guidelines: Cotton Use warm water only, as hot water or dry heat will set the stain. Soaking in a diluted bleach-water mixture will work well on white cotton, but use commercial stain removers, mild detergents, or vinegar for non-white cotton. Synthetics Synthetics are fairly sturdy materials, but to keep color from rubbing off, stick with mild detergents and commercial stain removers. Silk Silk is a delicate fabric, so avoid any overly harsh treatments and instead dab an ample amount of water onto the stain as soon as possible then treat by hand washing in cool soapy water, gently rubbing at the stain. Wool Wool is easily damaged, so use only fresh water and commercial products that are considered wool-safe. Professional cleaners are your best bet for treating stubborn wool stains. RELATED READING: How To Clean Your Mattress Best Stain Removers OxiClean Max Force Gel Stick, 6.2 Oz (Pack of 2) From the makers of OxiClean, this concentrated stain remover is the #1 bestseller on Amazon for its fast-acting stain removing ability. Simply dab onto stains as part of your pre-wash (can leave on up to a week before washing) and wash as usual. $6.52 at Amazon.com Tide To Go Instant Stain Remover Liquid Pen, 3 Count These little stain pens are a total lifesaver for when stains happen away from home (i.e., most stains!). Keep these in your office, glove compartment, computer bag, or suitcase and you’ll be ready for those dreaded red wine-on-the-tie scenarios or coffee splashes on the white shirt situations. $5.69 at Amazon.com OxiClean Versatile Stain Remover OxiClean is a water-activated stain fighting powerhouse that works as a stain remover, whitener, brightener, and laundry booster. Simply add a scoop to your laundry for extra dirt fighting, or soak stains overnight for stain fighting action. $11.25 at Amazon.com Resolve Spray 'n Wash Pre-Treat Stain Remover Benefits include powerful stain lifting while being safe for dark or colored clothes. Fans of Spray ‘n Wash praise its superb stain fighting ability (claims to remove stains on the first try) but it does not brighten or whiten like other stain removers. $2.89 at Target.com Pre-Wash Prep Before putting laundry into the washing machine, do a little prep work to make sure your clothes are getting the best wash possible without harm to the fabric. Check and empty all pockets (because there’s nothing worse than discovering an exploded pen all over freshly washed clothes).

Close all snaps and zippers and secure velcro to prevent snags and damage.

Unbutton shirts and collars, as agitation from washing machines can cause buttons to pull, which can lead to damaged buttons and buttonholes.

Turn dark and brightly colored clothes inside out to prevent fading. Pre-soak any heavily soiled or stained items before washing. Read on for the best detergents, dryer settings, and folding clothes tips... RELATED READING: Smart Home Automation For Beginners

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