Q&A for How to Do Laundry

Check the labels on the clothing to find out what temperature of water is best. If you want to use hot water, make sure it’s not hot enough to scald your hands. Plug and fill the tub, pour in a little gentle detergent that’s made for hand washing, then put in the item(s) you’d like to wash. Swish them around with your hands in the water and gently squeeze them to work the soap and water through the fibers. Drain the tub and rinse the clothes with fresh water, then wring or squeeze out as much water as possible. Lay the clothes flat or put them on a line to dry.

Wear gloves and a mask while you handle the person’s laundry, and handle the clothes carefully so you don’t shake virus fragments into the air. Line the hamper or basket with a removable liner that you can wash or throw away between loads of laundry. Wash and dry the clothes on the hottest settings you can use without damaging them.

If you live in a dorm or other student housing, there’s a good chance you’ll have access to a shared laundry room. To operate the machines, you’ll need either quarters or a laundry card that you can reload with cash. Bring your own supplies, such as a laundry basket, detergent, and dryer sheets (which reduce static and give your clothes a nice smell). Since the laundry room is shared, keep track of when your clothes are done so they don’t sit in the washer or dryer and prevent other students from using them!

You should do it whenever you have enough dirty clothes to make a full load for your washer. This typically means about once a week, but it depends how much laundry you have. If you have to use a laundromat, you will probably want to keep a regular schedule based on your funds.

Chalk can soak up and get rid of the oil stain. Or, if you have them, use oil blotting sheets. If not, use a detergent specifically meant for cutting through grease and lifting stains.

To set colors, wash colored towels with similar colors in warm water for the first several washings. Using about half the recommended amount of detergent, add 1/2 to 1 cup of white vinegar to the wash water. The vinegar helps set the colors and removes excess detergent residue. Wash towels every three to four days.

Washing jeans and other clothes inside out helps prevent the color from fading and protect the outer layer of the fabric from damage caused by friction with other clothes. It may also help wash out sweat a bit more effectively, since that is on the inside of clothing.

Add the detergent at the start, right after you put the clothes in the washer but before you turn it on.

It depends what you are drying. Most labels inside clothing will give you drying instructions in addition to washing instructions. In general, you should air dry delicate garments and anything made of fragile fabrics, such as silk, velvet, and cashmere. You can safely put more durable clothing, such as jeans and t-shirts, into the dryer; be aware that some fabrics, such as cotton, tends to shrink in the dryer.

If the linen is washed along with colored clothes that bleed, that could be a cause. If the linen is dried with high heat for a long time, this can also cause a color change in some cases.

This is the lowest heat setting on your dryer. Certain materials are extremely susceptible to heat; this is the lowest-risk setting, short of air drying.

Wash similar fabrics together for the best results. You can probably wash a bathmat with your towels, but since they are usually made from a different fabric than clothing, you should not wash them with your clothing.

Pretreat your stains with stain remover or detergent. Apply the product to the stain and allow it to sit for at least 5 minutes before washing it.

If you open the dryer, then it will stop automatically. You can close the dryer and restart it at any time.

Bleaches should only be used for keeping whites bright. Oxidizers change the chemical make-up of your water and advertise that you don't need to use detergent with them, so if you have allergies to detergents they may be worth looking into. With detergents, it's best to choose a detergent that smells good to you, or that is free of fragrance if you have skin sensitivities.

Look for detergent that can remove most ink stains at your local grocery store. Some pre-treat stain removers may work as well.

You can either use hydrogen peroxide or stain remover.

Folding laundry is always a chore. I would suggest listening to some music or putting on an entertaining video to watch while you fold your clean laundry. The folding doesn't take much thought, so you can just focus on whatever you're watching and you'll be done before you know it.

Use a laundry bag with delicate items such as lace and lingerie. Put the garments in the bag and wash the bag with the clothes normally.

Fill it up about 2/3 with clothes.

Wash as you would a normal piece of colored clothing, whether it has some white or not.

Detergent, for sure. If they are whites, wash them with bleach and detergent. If you have stains, spray them with a stain remover and soak it with only stain remover, then wash normally.

It depends on what kind of washer you have. If you have a top-load washer you can just sprinkle or pour (depending on what kind of detergent you are using) the detergent around the clothes in the washing machine. If you have a front-load washer there will be a pull-out panel with a bunch of sections; one of those will be labeled for detergent.

You will need a washer and dryer, at least one laundry basket, laundry detergent, and fabric softener or dryer sheets.

All you have to do is put it in the dryer, and follow its specific instructions.

Whenever works for you. Once or twice a week is reasonable for most people, but it depends on how much laundry you have, whether you need something specific washed immediately, etc.

You can either wash them in the washer or hand wash them. If they have deep stains you can use bleach (if the towels are white) or color bleach (for colored clothing).

As long as the gray isn't too light and there's no risk of the darker colors bleeding.

Before putting it into the washing machine. Let it sit for about 30 seconds after adding baking soda or vinegar. It's good to wet the area where the stain is before adding baking soda.