Do you know how to do your laundry? Although it is an everyday chore, many people find themselves overwhelmed and confused at the prospect of learning how to do laundry properly period of course, people aren’t born knowing how to do laundry, but you can learn. The following guide will teach you the basic tenets of doing laundry the right way.

Sort your clothing properly

First, you must understand how to sort your clothing properly. You may have heard people talk about sorting the dark colors from the light colors. This is important. Putting in dark clothing with light clothing, especially white clothing, can lead to dye from the darker clothing staining your white clothing. For example, putting a red shirt in with white shirts can lead to all of the white shirts turning pink.

In addition to sorting out dark colors from light colors, you should store clothing by material. For example, you don’t want to put harsh denim jeans in with a delicate lacy item. Always wash and dry like fabric items together.

Read the laundry instructions

Clothing comes with laundry instructions in the form of a fabric care tag, as long as your clothing is modern and the tag has not been cut off. These instructions are important in telling you how to wash and dry various items of clothing. For example, some clothing should only be washed in cold water; some clothing must be washed inside out; some items should never be put in the dryer; and so on.

It does take extra time, but reading the instructions will prep you for doing your laundry the right way.

Use the right kind of detergent

Always take the time to consider the type of detergent you are using. You should use detergent that is appropriate for the type of clothing you are washing. For example, you won’t want to use heavy duty, harsh detergents on delicate items. Most modern detergents are designed to be one-size-fits-all, but make sure you aren’t using something that’s too harsh for the type of clothing you’re trying to clean.

Pick the right settings for your washer

Your washer should come with several settings, including setting the temperature, the type of load, and how many times the laundry will be rinsed. Make sure you are choosing the right settings before you do the laundry.

For example, certain types of clothing should not be washed in hot water, so you won’t want to choose hot water when your load is filled with these items. You will also want to choose the right setting for the amount of clothing in the washer. For example, if you are washing sheets or a blanket, there should be a setting on your washer for bulky items.

Always check clothing before beginning the laundry

Before you start the washer, and really before you put anything in the washer, you should always check your clothing thoroughly. This includes checking clothing for stains, items in your pocket, or anything else that needs to be taken care of before the clothing can be washed.

Stains should always be pretreated in order to effectively remove them during the washing process. Nothing should be left in pockets, especially items like ink pens, as this can damage clothing or even the washer and dryer themselves. And you should always take care to make sure that zippers are zipped up, as loose zippers can snag and damage fabric.

Know how much laundry to put in

It can be tempting to put in a large load, thinking that you will save time and water. But you should never overstuff a washer, as this will make it more difficult for your clothing to be cleaned and can even damage the washer. Check your washer instructions for how much you should fill before starting any load. If you have heavy or bulky items, you will likely need to do multiple loads.

Dry only clothing that can withstand a dryer

Not everything can be put in a dryer. While most modern casual clothing can be thrown into a dryer, you should make sure to check every item to determine if it should be air dried or hand dried instead. Delicate items, especially lingerie or anything made with thin material, can get damaged if it is put through the dryer.

Material that is prone to shrinking should also never be put in the dryer. Most sweaters, as well as material made with spandex, needs to be air dried instead.

Fold your laundry promptly

When your dryer is done, you should make sure to fold all of your laundry as promptly as possible. It can be tempting to leave it in the dryer for another day, especially if you are busy, but this will lead to wrinkles and creases. Always fold your laundry properly and as quickly as possible. If you do find that you didn’t have time to fold, you can always run the dryer on a quick setting to warm it back up, so that wrinkles will vanish and you can fold it “fresh.”

Take care of your washer and dryer

Doing laundry requires using appliances, and like any appliance, your washer and dryer should be properly maintained in order to extend their lifespan. If you don’t, you may end up having to replace them far earlier than you would otherwise.

Here are some basic tenants for extending the lifespan of your washer and dryer:

• Clean your washer and dryer regularly
• Clean out your lint trap after every dryer cycle; lint is flammable and can cause house fires
• Never overload your washer and dryer, as this can cause internal components to wear out
• Have your washer and dryer inspected promptly if you suspect there is an issue
• Avoid putting items in the washer or dryer that don’t belong, as these can damage the appliances over time

Doing laundry can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be; if you are new to doing laundry, make sure you consider the above guide as a solid starting point for understanding how to do your laundry properly.