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1. Read the tags! All your clothes have tags on how you should properly wash it READ IT! You don't want to end up washing something that says "DRY CLEAN ONLY"
2. Stop color transferring! You got that cute new hot pink shirt and throw it in to wash with your other shirts, then when you pull it out everything you washed is hot pink!! Well here's something that could help! Wash it separate from everything else, this is what I do, when I get a new shirt and am doing laundry, when I get done with all of my other laundry I will throw my new shirt in on its own and wash it in cold water!
3. Sort and separate! This is one thing I HAVE to do when I wash my laundry! Put whites and light colors in one basket, darks in another. Use additional baskets for extra-dirty garments or items that produce a lot of lint, such as terrycloth towels and flannel shirts. Divide heavy clothes (such as jeans) and lighter sheers and permanent-press items.
Zip zippers, tie drawstrings, empty pockets, and unroll cuffs. If you see a loose hem or a split
seam, fix it, or it will worsen in the wash.
little won’t clean well. Never use more than one additional product -- fabric softener, bleach --
at a time. I love to use the new Tide Pods it detergent, softener, and brightener all in one little pod!
6. Load the machine! After adding detergent, add the clothes, distributing them evenly and loosely. Even a large load should be only about three-quarters full, so clothes can move.
7. Set the time! A short wash time of about six minutes is usually sufficient for all but the dirtiest clothes. I wash mine on a speed wash that takes 25 minutes then washing clothes doesn't take forever!
8. Choose a washer cycle! Regular -- for sturdy or heavy cottons and very dirty clothes; washer agitates and spins at high speed. Permanent press -- for most average loads; easier on clothes in general. Delicates -- for lightweight, sheer, lacy, and loosely woven fabrics; washer agitates and spins
slowly, approximating hand-washing
9. Select water temperature! Use hot water (120 degrees) to keep whites white and to clean very dirty colorfast clothes -- in separate loads, of course. Warm water (90 to 110 degrees) is good for most average loads. Cold water (below 85 degrees) is best for bright colors that are likely to fade and delicates. Detergents are less effective in water less than 65 degrees. Shrinkage is caused by heat -- either from the dryer or hot water in the washer. To avoid it, wash items in warm or cold water, and hang to dry. Also if you use cold water to wash your dark jeans it helps keep them from fading!
10. Choose dryer setting! Most dryers have a setting called Electronic or Automatic Dry, which lets you choose how dry you want the clothes to be rather than how long you want them to dry. The Permanent Press setting has a cool-down cycle at the end to reduce wrinkling. On Air Fluff, the dryer circulates air but adds no heat; this is good for freshening pillows and reviving clothes that have been packed in a suitcase but don’t need to be washed. Or you can dry your clothes the old-fashioned way:
on a clothesline or drying rack. I hang all my delicate shirts and tops along with my jeans to dry!
