How to do laundry in 5 simple steps

Learning how to do laundry can seem intimidating to most people but once you get started it is quite simple, especially nowadays with the latest washing machines. However, we’d thought we’d write a post about it to help.

How to do laundry in 5 simple steps 

Step 1

The first thing to do is check the clothing tag for any special instructions. The tag will tell you how to clean that item, and most importantly, what not to do. You will find many of the tags nowadays don’t have words, just symbols. You can go here to learn the meaning of those symbols.

Step 2

Sort the laundry into piles of the items that will be washed in the same water temperature and similar colors. White and light colors like light gray and pastels can be washed together. Dark colors should be put together. And if you have heavily soiled clothes they should be separated into their own pile as well. Also lightly soiled or things that need a gentle cycle should be sorted together and may be washed together.

Step 3 

Put your laundry in the washer, along with your detergent. Where you put your detergent depends on your washing machine. There will be instructions that came with your washer that tell you when and where to put your detergent. If you are adding bleach or a bleach alternative there will be directions for that on the machine as well.

Step 4

Check that the water temperature is where it needs to be for both the wash cycle and rinse cycle. Most washers only rinse in cold but there are some that offer warm rinses. Rinsing in cold works well for most everything, but if you prefer warm rinses make sure you’ve set it for that. Most washers also give the option for a second rinse, this is a good thing to do as things that are not rinsed completely get dingy, especially white things.

Step 5

Start your washer and wait for it to finished.

To learn tips about drying see this article. For a list of the best washers in 2021 see this article.