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How to Do Your Laundry in 5 Easy Steps

September 27th, 2007 Jamie

You knew it was coming eventually—this is your lesson in Laundry 101.

A lot of kids don’t get their first taste of doing laundry until a week (or two… or three…) into college. Go into it unprepared, and you can end up with a load of white clothes that come out pink. Yeah, it can get pretty bad. Below I’ve compiled a few easy steps to help you successfully navigate your first laundry experience.

These directions just tell you how I do my laundry, and I’m more focused on ease than absolute perfection. So, if you want to spend a lot of time on your laundry, you should probably search out more detailed instructions. You can also consult your clothes’ tags for detailed instructions—remember that some fabrics need to be dry-cleaned or hand-washed. Also, don’t over-load your washer or dryer, as your clothes won’t get as clean or dry as fast.

Gather What You Need
Quarters or laundry room cash card, detergent, softener (if you want), dryer anti-static sheets, and of course, your laundry
Separate Your Laundry by Color
To keep colors from bleeding into each other, I recommend having three separate loads:
Whites & Light Colors: white or very very light colored clothing
Colors: any rich or bright colors (including jeans)
Reds: red or dark pink ONLY!
Some people do five loads—whites, light colors, bright colors, dark colors, and reds—but the above system should work okay if you don’t want to spend a lot of time on it. Just make sure you keep your reds separate! They can RUIN a load of laundry in no time!
Start the Washer & Add Detergent
Pay to start the washer, and select the cycle and temperature settings (but don’t put your clothes in yet):
Whites & Light Colors: if you have delicates, put it on the delicate setting, otherwise use normal; “warm/cold” temperature setting
Colors: normal or permanent press setting; “cold/cold” temperature setting
Reds: same as colors
When the water starts, add your detergent.
Add Clothing to Wash
Add your clothing and shut the lid. Check the timer to be sure you get back quickly (so no one steals your laundry!). Take a break until your laundry is done washing.
Dry Clothes
Put clothes in the dryer with an anti-static sheet (if desired). Dry delicates on low, and other fabrics on medium. Hang dry anything very delicate (like bras and certain sweaters).

That’s it!

Entry Filed under: laundry

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4 Comments Add your own

1. st_gulik | September 27th, 2007 at 11:08 am

You forgot the most difficult part: Putting it away.
2. Jamie | September 27th, 2007 at 2:52 pm

True! Actually, I’ve never been very good at that step. I mostly just kept clean laundry on a chair and dirty laundry in the hamper. I don’t recommend that method.
3. Michelle | August 15th, 2008 at 3:36 pm

Yes, putting away laundry is the most difficult task. Talk to my overflowing laundry basket.
4. Gneekman | October 18th, 2008 at 12:30 pm

If you use a detergent that’s specially made for washing in cold water, you can put all your colors together. Colors don’t bleed in cold water.
It’s worked for me so far.

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