Wash
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| General laundry products...use what you like! |
Make sure you have all of the products needed to do the laundry -
- Detergent - At least one, but I use one for whites and colors (All w/OXI) and a different one for darks (Cheer)
- Fabric Softener - Liquid (Downy Ultra)
- Bleach - Chlorine for whites (Clorox) and color-safe for everything else (Clorox2 (not pictured))
- Spot Treatment - I like a gel formula with a scrubber top (Shout Advanced)
Step 2:
Sort the laundry into 4 different groups. While sorting, look for stained items and keep them where you can pre-treat the stains before they are washed.
- Darks - Black, grey and any other dark color that you want to stay dark
- Whites - White and mostly white or very light cottons that can be bleached
- Bright Colors - These are any bright colors like pink, light blue, mint green and etc. Including clothes that are black/grey/white combinations where white is dominant
- Towels/Sheets - This includes dish towels, napkins, canvas shopping bags and etc.
Step 3:
Selecting the first group, treat any stains with the Shout Advanced spot treatment (or whatever spot treatment product preferred) and then add all of the load to the washing machine. The machine examples shown are of a front-loader. Once the machine is loaded with the clothes, close the door and add the necessary products in the designated locations. In the case of a "dark" load, the only products are detergent (specifically made for dark fabrics) and fabric softener.
Step 4:
Set the machine. In my experience, the 'normal' setting is good for most loads. So, for this load my setting steps would be:
- Press the button to turn the machine on
- Turn the knob to 'normal'
- Press the water temperature button until 'cold' is selected
- Press the spin button (if adjusting the spin intensity is necessary...I usually don't adjust this)
- Press the soil button to select one level above normal (designating a slightly longer wash cycle...I usually adjust this, but it isn't required)
- Press the start button
This machine weighs the load to determine how much water is needed. If a top-loader machine is being used, the steps might be slightly different, but the idea is to do the following:
- Sort the laundry.
- Treat the spots.
- Load the machine with one load of sorted laundry.
- Add the right products for the load, to the machine.
- Close the doors.
- Select the appropriate settings for the load.
- Press the start button.
If everything has been done correctly, the laundry will come out fresh and clean!! Now, it's time to move on to Drying!
Dry
Not every article of clothing should be tumbled in the dryer. Nor is an automatic dryer necessarily the only solution to the issue of drying the freshly laundered clothes. I would much prefer the laundry to be line-dried, but my neighborhood has "restrictive covenants" which disallow any form of clotheslines on the property. It would be a good energy-saver, but no, we're not allowed. So, we'll talk about the two options available here: indoor hanging and automatic dryer. Here is a short list of the items I DO NOT put into the automatic dryer and instead hang these in the laundry room to dry:
- Bras
- All non-T-shirt tops or blouses
- Dress clothes of any kind
- Things that specifically state to 'hang' them for drying
Follow these steps for proper transfer from washer to drying method.
Step 1:
When the washer completes its cycle, it will most likely sound an alert. Remove the clothes from the washer, shaking each item before either placing it into the automatic dryer or hanging it onto a hanger appropriate for the item.
Step 2:
If using an automatic dryer, check the lint trap and make sure it is free of debris from the previous dry cycle.
Step 3:
If using a dryer sheet, place that into the automatic dryer now and close the door.
Step 4:
Press the button to turn on the dryer and make any adjustments to the settings to match the needs of the load. For example:
- Most loads should just use the 'normal' setting and adjust the cycle length for heavier loads
- Use the 'towels' setting for towels/sheets and add time if needed
Step 5:
Press the start button.
Fold and Put Away
This is to be done to your taste. Everyone likes their laundry folded a certain way, but the point here is FOLD IT and PUT IT AWAY!! It is not acceptable to just leave it lying around getting all wrinkled. Yes, everyone has done the 'leave it in the dryer' thing and that can be okay with maybe some towels, but never, ever leave clothing in the dryer to get all wrinkled. It just makes more work later for the iron and ironing board slave!
Tips
Here are my final words on the laundry in the form of a few quick tips and thoughts:
- Always sort the laundry, making sure to keep darks, whites/lights and bright colors separate
- Use products that do a good job of cleaning, while preserving color and fabric qualities
- Limit the use of the automatic dryer to things that won't shrink, wear or become damaged in the cycle (if it looks delicate or like it would not fare well in the dryer, hang it instead)
- Spot treat any laundry demons with Shout or similar product to ensure stains are removed
- Remove clothes from the dryer, fold and put them away as swiftly as possible
- Keep up with regular maintenance items on machines (i.e. drain, run cleaning cycles, etc.)
- Find something to enjoy about doing the laundry (i.e. quiet time, fresh clothes, accomplishment, etc.)
- Use any system you like, such as the Single Day or the One Load a Day method (I'm currently using the single day method, which just means I do all of the laundry in one day)
Thanks for stopping by to learn about the laundry. We have loads of fun here in HumbleVoyager land on laundry day and maybe soon, hvh (HumbleVoyager Husband) will take over this little (okay, not so little) task. Until later when I'll share the events of the last couple of days in my count-down to health, Godspeed, Voyagers!!
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