How to Do Laundry - Everything You Need to Know About Doing Laundry

The only skills needed are the ability to judge color intensity (the difference between dark and light fabrics) and the ability to read the care label that is sewn into each garment.

It also helps to have some basic knowledge about fabric types, so I've included a general fabric guide section for you below.

Doing laundry involves 3 simple steps:

1. Sorting the clothes into loads that share like color fastness, agitation and temperature tolerances.
2. Wash the clothes using the correct product, load size, agitation and temperature cycle.

3. Dry the clothes using the preferred method for the fabric type.

Each of these steps are discussed in a simple paragraph below. I've also included some bonus tips on special laundry problems including:

• How to treat stains
• Using chlorine bleach
• Hand washing delicate fabrics
• Everyday household products that are excellent laundry boosters

Sorting laundry is the most important part of the whole process--- anyone who has turned their white socks pink can attest to that.

For best results, start by sorting the clothes into six piles. You will do this by reading the fabric care tag that is sewn into every garment. For pants, it is usually sewn in the waist band, for blouses, look in the neckband, and on sweaters, you will usually find it in the side seam. The tag is where you will find instructions on how to care for the garment.

• Dry Clean Only - The tag on the garment will unequivocally say: Dry Clean Only. If the tag offers another alternative to dry cleaning, it is still better to dry clean the garment because the garment will last longer.
• Delicate Wash - These tags will typically read something like: hand or machine wash only delicate setting.
• Hand Wash - These tags will unequivocally read: HAND WASH ONLY. These can not be washed in the washing machine.
• Whites - All whites, except those made of cashmere, leather, mohair, nylon, rayon, silk, spandex, wool, and cottons labeled drip-dry, will go in this pile because these will all be bleached to keep them from looking dingy. If your garment is made of one of the exception fabrics, separate it into a seventh pile and follow the care instructions on the garment.
• Darks - Dark colored fabrics are more likely to bleed their color into the wash water, that is why most of the care labels will read something like: "Machine wash with like colors only." Cooler water temperatures will help inhibit color bleeding, so use the coolest water setting the care tag will allow --- most of the time, this will be cold water.
• Light Colors - Pretty much everything else will go in here. These will be garments that have color, but it is so light in intensity that it would pick up color that has bled from darker fabrics.

Before you place each item in the pile, make sure to close zippers, fasten buttons and hooks, empty pockets, tie strings, buckle belts, etc. This will help to prevent damage during the wash cycle, and if you suspect that an item may not be colorfast, wet an inconspicuous area with water and blot with a piece of white paper towel. If the color comes off on the paper towel, then dry clean that item or hand wash separately.

Once everything is sorted, put the delicate items in a mesh bag made for laundering delicates or you can use a pillow case.

Some don't, but I take the extra step of sorting any of the piles that have clothing made of heavy and light fabrics into two additional loads. I find that garments made of lighter fabrics will get twisted up in the others if I don't do this. For example, I separate blue jeans and towels from the lighter weight garments in the load and wash them in a separate load.

** Remember that the instructions on the care label sewn into garment will supersede any basic guidelines provided for you in this article.

There are three tricks to using the washing machine: load size, using additives like soap and bleach, and using the correct wash cycle.

Load size- This will largely be determined by your washing machine since all washing machines don't hold the same amount of clothing. Newer front loading machines will hold a lot more clothing than the top loaders, and top loaders can be standard sized or super-capacity sized. They usually say they will hold a maximum of "X" pounds of laundry. Don't worry about that too much. Just drop the clothes in and when the drum is full to somewhere near the top, stop loading. Don't jam things in or the detergent and water won't circulate and you'll end up with detergent streaks all over your clothes. Most basic washing machines will have three basic load sizes: small, medium and large, and fancier models will have even more. Select the load size that looks most appropriate to what you have in the drum. If it looks like it is about 1/3 full, pick small, if your clothes are all the way to the top, pick large, and somewhere between, pick medium.

Using additives- Some machines will say to put the clothes in the drum then dump the detergent on top, but ideally it is better to add soap or detergent as the machine is filling to let it dissolve a bit, then add the clothing a bit later before the cycle begins. Obviously, you can't do this with front loading machines, and you should never put your hands in the machine while it is agitating. Most machines, except the most basic, will have a clearly labeled place for you to pour fabric softeners and bleach, and the machine will take care of releasing them at the proper cycle. Remember to read and follow package instructions about how much to use carefully.

Choosing the correct wash cycle- This is why you sort your clothes and read the care tags. Most of today's washers have three basic cycles. Delicate, Casual, Heavy. The piles you sorted in the first step should pretty much fall into one of these categories, except the hand wash and dry cleaning which you will not wash. Your washing machine will also have three basic temperatures: cold, warm, hot. As a general rule, your white loads will be washed in hot water with a warm rinse, your dark loads will be washed in cold water with a cold rinse, and the lights will be washed in warm water with a cold rinse. But, remember: the care tag will ultimately decide which cycle and temperature you use.

Some of today's dryers have so many dials and functions that they will do everything but balance your checkbook, so it can be intimidating to look at all of that.

But to simplify things, drying clothes is really about three things: The amount of heat, the amount of time, and the load size. That's it. Most of today's basic dryers will have a timer and a heat setting selector, and you will control the load size by how much clothing you put into the dryer.

The Heat Setting: Most dryers will have a minimum of three basic heat settings: Low heat which is used for delicate fabrics, medium heat which is used for normal, permanent press fabrics, and High heat which is used on heavy cotton fabrics. The fabric care label ultimately dictates how much heat can be used on the garment. The label will be very specific about this. It will read something like this: "Machine dry using low heat only."

The Timer: Most dryers will have three basic timer settings: Auto dry, timed dry, and air dry. For most loads, you will use the 'Auto dry' option from which you have three basic choices: more dry, normal dry, less dry, and this is where you will apply your common sense. For example, if it is a very small load, or if the items are extremely delicate, then choose the less dry option. For large cotton loads (like blue jeans and towels) you might use the 'more' setting. Obviously you will use the 'normal' setting on most loads.

Load Size: Your clothes will be less likely to wrinkle if you keep your dryer load less than half full. Since a washer load fills about 1/3 of the dryer space, one wash load for one dryer load is about perfect.

Here are some more tips for you:

• Remove dry items promptly to help avoid wrinkling.
• Remove items that require ironing while they are still damp.
• Your garments will dry more evenly if they have similar fabric weights. In other words, don't wash heavy blue jeans with lightweight cotton blouse.
• Remember: some items can not be dried in the dryer. For information on how to block or air dry, refer to my section on hand/delicate washing.

Soaking a stained garment in ordinary detergent helps to loosen dirt or soil so that when the clothes are washed, the stain lifts more easily.

A word of caution: Garments that are not 'color fast,' meaning they will bleed tons of color when they come in contact with water, should not be pre-soaked. So, before you begin, check the fabric care label to be sure that the garment will tolerate soaking.

To start, scrape off any globs of food, mud, whatever, then wet the stain with cold water. Rub the stained area with either a commercial pre-soak product or straight detergent (for this I use a soft bristle toothbrush) then place the garment in a tub or sink filled with dissolved detergent.

Last, leave the soaking item in the soaking solution for a minimum of two hours, but overnight is best.

Before you launder, wring out as much water as you can, then machine or hand wash as you normally would.

Chlorine Bleach is a chemical that is used in its liquid form to bring white fabrics to their cleanest, brightest state.

It's easy to use, but if used improperly, it will permanently damage your clothes, so stick to the following guidelines:

• Washable whites made of cotton, linen, polyester and acrylic can typically be bleached unless the garment care tag says "do not bleach."
• For safety reasons, never combine different types of bleaches and always use rubber gloves if you are going to put your hands in it --- even if it's diluted.
• The hotter the water, the more effective the bleach will be, so wash the clothes in the warmest water the fabric will tolerate. In other words, don't use cold water when the fabric care label says to use warm water.
• Chlorine bleach should NEVER be poured directly on fabrics.Most washing machines have a place to pour the bleach so that it can be dispensed at the best time.
• If your machine doesn't have a bleach dispenser, then you can add it to the wash cycle yourself. The most effective method is to dilute the bleach with water, then pour it directly into wash cycle. Use a dilution ratio of 1 cup of bleach to 1 quart of water. For best results, wait until the wash cycle has had a few minutes to work (about five minutes) before adding the dilution to the wash cycle.

** Caution: Never mix chlorine bleach with other chemicals as it can create a dangerous, often fatal chemical reaction.

Hand washing delicate garment involves a few simple steps: Preparing the wash water, washing the garments, rinsing, and drying. Each one is bullet pointed for you below:

• Prepare the wash water by using a clean tub or sink that is large enough to accommodate the clothing without having to pack it in, then add the detergent and fill the tub with water. Be sure that the detergent is fully dissolved before adding clothing.

Gently agitate the items by bringing them to the surface of the water, then dropping them back in. Do this several times. After that, gently knead the items by lifting a small handful, raise slightly, turn over slightly and pushing down to the tub surface and repeat with a new handful. Remember: You are not stretching, wringing or twisting here; those moves might be good on the dance floor, but hand washing? not so much.

** Caution: Wool items should NOT be agitated, nor should they be soaked for for more than 10 minutes on light to moderate soil, and a bit longer for badly soiled items.

• Rinse the items thoroughly until there are no signs of detergent, otherwise, your garments will have a dingy look to them. To do this, start by filling your wash tub or sink with fresh, clean cold water and repeat the agitation cycle in the step above. Empty your sink and repeat until there are no signs of detergent. For best results, add 1/4 cup of vinegar to the final cycle to remove any residue.
• Because you should avoid wringing, twisting, or stretching delicate garments, these items should be dripped dry if possible by hanging them on non-rust hangers. If the item is big and bulky, like a sweater for example, you should lay it flat to dry by rolling it up in a clean, dry towel to remove the excess water then lay it flat on another clean, dry towel to dry.

A word about choosing the right detergent for delicate garments: Because delicate fabrics can't be exposed to water and agitation like regular fabrics, these should not be washed in regular soap powder or the garments will hold onto a gray scum which will definitely not look good.

Instead, you will want to use a commercial product which has been designed for these fabrics. I use Woolite because I can safely wash linen, cotton, silk and (hello?) wool in this product. In addition to having a soil lifter, it also has a brightening agent which will make your clothing look cleaner.

Using a few everyday household items will not only help you keep your clothes looking sharp, they will save you money too.

For example, did you know that the basic formula for pricey commercial spot removers is two parts water and one part rubbing alcohol?

Ring around the collar? Squirt on a small amount of shampoo and work in with a toothbrush. After all, isn't shampoo designed to dissolve body oils?

Eliminate lint by adding a cup of white vinegar to the final rinse cycle. This also softens clothes and removes alkalines in soaps and detergents.

Baking Soda makes an excellent bleach booster. Simply add 1/3 cup to the wash cycle for cleaner, brighter clothes.

Ammonia is an excellent laundry booster because of its grease cutting properties. To use it, simply add a 1/2 cup of ammonia to the wash cycle. A word of caution here: Ammonia should never be mixed with chlorine bleach, so do not add ammonia to any load that you are washing with a chlorine bleach or a chlorine bleach additive.

There are basically two kinds of fabric: synthetics are man made and fabrics made from natural fibers like cotton, silk, linen, and wool. This guide covers basic information on how to launder the most common synthetic and natural fiber fabrics.

Acetate- This fabric is synthetic and usually requires dry-cleaning. If the fabric tag says it is washable, wash it in cold water and use only a mild detergent designed for delicate fabrics (like Woolite). Don't soak this fabric and definitely don't wring or twist it. This fabric should be air dried only by laying it out flat on terry cloth towels. Iron it inside out while the garment is still damp.

Acrylic- This is a man-made fabric that resembles wool. Usually, it can be dry cleaned, hand-washed, or machine washed using warm water on the delicate setting. Acrylic likes to "pill" which means it will develop tiny little balls of fabric. To avoid pills, wash the garment inside out. After washing, gently squeeze water from the fabric, then gently shake it to smooth it. Lay sweaters on a terry cloth towel on a flat surface to dry. Acrylic garments other than sweaters can be hung on rust proof hangers. If the care label allows machine drying, use a low temperature and remove the garment as soon as it's dry.

Cotton- This is a natural fiber fabric that is made from cotton plants. Cotton tends to wrinkle easily, lose its color (called bleeding in wash-woman lingo) in the water, and it also shrinks. Cotton garments should always be washed in cold water unless they say "pre-shrunk" on the packaging when you buy it, otherwise, it will come out of the washer Lilliputian-ized. Make sure to wash these garments with similar colors. Use chlorine bleach on white cottons and color safe bleach on colorized cotton. The dryer setting for 100 percent cotton should very low.

Cotton Blends-Many manufacturers blend the cotton with some other material to make it more wrinkle resistant. Cotton blends should be washed and dried on the permanent press cycle, keeping similar colors together. Cotton blends may develop pills, so turn them inside out to avoid this.

Linen-This fabric is similar to cotton, but isn't quite as durable. Before washing colored linen, remember that, like cotton, it also will not hold dye well, so you will want to test it for colorfastness before washing and definitely wash it separately or with like colors. Linen is often blended with other fabrics to make it more stain and wrinkle resistant.