There’s a lot to keep track of on laundry day: wash settings, detergent options and pre-treatment for stains. Keeping things organized is key to doing laundry quickly and efficiently.
5 Basic Steps to Do Laundry
Separating laundry by color is a good starting point but don’t stop there. Sorting by fabric type is also helpful. For example, you may want to separate towels and sheets from clothes in one load, and whites and colors in another laundry delivery service. Doing so ensures that lint-givers like towels aren’t washed with lint-receivers such as knit and corduroy. It also helps prevent the risk of shrinkage.
Once everything is sorted, add it to the washer. Be sure not to overfill the tub. Leave a little room for the water to move and agitate your laundry. A good rule of thumb is that a light load of nothing but socks should only fill 1/2 of the tub. A full load of bath towels or heavy sweaters will need a much bigger tub.
Before starting the wash, read the labels on all your clothing and linens. Some fabrics need a delicate cycle while others may need to be hand washed or dry cleaned. If the label says, “wash separately,” trust it and make a separate pile.
Once the wash cycle is complete, remove your laundry and sort it again by fabric type. Drying your laundry promptly will help reduce wrinkles and mildew, especially for delicates such as lingerie and swimsuits. You can air dry your laundry outdoors if you have the space, or use a drying rack inside.