An idiot's guide to laundry

[Coidzor]

Right.

So how do you do laundry?

Any of those who actually use clothelines, what do you do to hang up the various articles of clothing?

Also, if it appears that some blades of grass have gotten into the main part of the washing machine, any recommendations beyond wiping out the main containment part with a rag?

I'm stuck with a washer and clothesline (and sometimes a dryer when the rain comes) and the washer only does cold water for reasons beyond my ken.

And I'm sort of holding my housemates' ability to do laundry after getting caked on powdered laundry detergent on the top layer of clothes due to dumping the powdered detergent on top of the clothes rather than into the water before adding the clothes.

So I'm sort of looking for a simple condensed thingy to ram into his head.

[Hazkali]

Really? You honestly need to ask how to do laundry?
Sorry, posted before your edit.

Alrighty then...

1) Sort your dirty clothes by colour type and/or fabric. In general, check the label for which wash cycle they should be put on (here (http://www.apparelsearch.com/care_label_symbols.htm) is useful). Don't mix bright colours and whites. If you mix synthetics and cottons, wash on the more delicate cycle.
2) Check all the pockets for coins, papers etc.
3) Put clothes into the drum. Don't overfill or underfill, although underfilling presents less of a problem.

This is where it starts to depend on your detergent and machine.

4) Put the detergent in. You should either put it in the draw (if a powder or tablets), or in the drum (if tablets or fancy gel-pack). Consult relevant instructions.
5) Select cycle. This should be appropriate to the load that you have just put in.
6) Once the wash has begun, usually you cannot stop it until the end, so make sure you've not made a mistake beforehand.

7) Once the wash is done, hang out on the line. Use clothes-pegs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clothes_pegs).

EDIT: If your washer only does cold cycles, it needs to be repaired. Whilst cold cycles are "in vogue" because they use less energy, they don't destroy mites and other crawly nasties that are perfectly natural but still need getting rid of. If you're in rented accommodation (and depending on your local laws), that is usually the responsibility (and obligation) of the landlord. In the meantime, you might need to use a local laundrette.

[RS14]

Don't mix bright colours and whites. If you mix synthetics and cottons, wash on the more delicate cycle.
My mother always told me to separate them. I'm at college now and mix them. It doesn't seem to make any difference.

[Coidzor]

Right. So hanging up pants. By the legs or the waist? Sweats versus blue-jeans? T-shirts: shoulders or upside-down?

[Pyrian]

Typically caked-on detergent is caused by overloading, and not just by putting it on top. You should be able to put it on top; if not, it's not really getting clean anyway (if it's not even getting detergent off, how effective do you think it is on dirt and grime?).

[Don Julio Anejo]

My mother always told me to separate them. I'm at college now and mix them. It doesn't seem to make any difference.
It's better to separate whites from colours or at least light and dark colours. Because if your new superawesome burgundy t-shirt suddenly decides to fade, you've suddenly ruined an entire laundry's worth of whites. Learned this the hard way. Had to wear pink shorts for a while too..

[Miklus]

It's better to separate whites from colours or at least light and dark colours. Because if your new superawesome burgundy t-shirt suddenly decides to fade, you've suddenly ruined an entire laundry's worth of whites. Learned this the hard way. Had to wear pink shorts for a while too..

Me too! I once make all my socks pink...

[Kneenibble]

Coidzilla,
So be careful about drying clothes like a t-shirt on a line. They will pull themselves down by their own weight and feel limp and stretched. Dry anything like t-shirts, sweaters, and anything knit or woven flat whenever possible. Take it from someone who's used a line for two years.

As for pants, I hang them by the waist or by the seat, with the waist hanging over one side and the legs over the other. I'm not sure but I believe sweats would be fine to hang, in the same fashion.

Also, may I take this opportunity to plug the item which is called the soap nut? They are fantastic little devils. My skin is somewhat sensitive to detergent, gets itchy and makes me sneeze, and these clean thoroughly and leave no irritant residue. My niece had an awful inexplicable rash all over her body for the first eight months of her life, until my sister started using soap nuts for her laundry. Also, biodegradable! No phosphorus or nitrogen in the graywater.

[Lupy]

Liquid detergent is another possible solution, and they sell it at Food Lion/your local grocery store.

[Kneenibble]

Liquid detergent is another possible solution, and they sell it at Food Lion/your local grocery store.

False. Liquid detergent is more irritating to my skin than powder. Also, see Pyrian's post.


EDIT: If your washer only does cold cycles, it needs to be repaired. Whilst cold cycles are "in vogue" because they use less energy, they don't destroy mites and other crawly nasties that are perfectly natural but still need getting rid of. If you're in rented accommodation (and depending on your local laws), that is usually the responsibility (and obligation) of the landlord. In the meantime, you might need to use a local laundrette.

When you say this, do you mean in the case of an infestation like bedbugs where you need to cook the linens? Or in everyday clothes? 'Cause if the latter, then you'd need a very hot wash to kill anything, and most clothes are damaged in very hot water.

[Coidzor]

Would a drying rack be enough to have them dry flat on or... what? I'm kind of at a loss for what sort of surface would be suitable for drying something flat upon.


As for pants, I hang them by the waist or by the seat, with the waist hanging over one side and the legs over the other. I'm not sure but I believe sweats would be fine to hang, in the same fashion.
Hmm, that makes sense. I was almost doing that, just having less of the waist over the one side. I misread that at first as hanging it in half folded along the inseam x.x haha.


Also, may I take this opportunity to plug the item which is called the soap nut? They are fantastic little devils. My skin is somewhat sensitive to detergent, gets itchy and makes me sneeze, and these clean thoroughly and leave no irritant residue. My niece had an awful inexplicable rash all over her body for the first eight months of her life, until my sister started using soap nuts for her laundry. Also, biodegradable! No phosphorus or nitrogen in the graywater.

So Soap Nut is like a brand of hypo-allergenic detergent or something that reabsorbs the detergent during the rinsing?

I think I might have inherited my mom's sensitivity to detergents as well, as at home we always had to use the hypoallergenic liquid stuff.

As far as detergent stuff, well, I'd really prefer to continue using the powdered stuff, though I guess it could just be used to mop with since it's industrial/commercial grade stuff with about 390/500 loads left.



Edit: What would be needed to be done if I found out or was worried there might be mites in the linens?

[Vella_Malachite]

Coidzilla,
So be careful about drying clothes like a t-shirt on a line. They will pull themselves down by their own weight and feel limp and stretched. Dry anything like t-shirts, sweaters, and anything knit or woven flat whenever possible. Take it from someone who's used a line for two years.

Personally, I find that problem is negated somewhat by hanging them over the line, so the line lies under the shirt just below the sleeves. Then peg under the sleeves. That way, the weight is more evenly spread to reduce the weight problem, and if you peg under the sleeves and there are peg marks on the shirt, they're well-hidden! :smallbiggrin:

[Jack Squat]

OK...so this seems the best threat to ask now.

Anyone have tips on getting blood out of jeans?


EDIT: Nevermind. H2O2 and salt worked pretty well.

[Helanna]

I'm not allowed to do laundry at my house. You bleach one load of laundry, and all of a sudden no one trusts you around the washing machine . . .

The real reason is actually that my mom believes that me and my sisters refuse to do laundry 'properly', i.e. we dump clothes on the floor, leave them in the machine too long, what have you. I'm capable of doing laundry (although I did actually bleach my clothes once) but she just won't let me do it . . . honestly, I'm not going to complain.

[wxdruid]

For blood, wash it only in cold water, if it isn't out in one wash, try again the same way. Do not dry them in the dryer, or the blood will be set in (same for other stains).

I wash everything in cold water and haven't had a problem. I wash in loads of

black
blue jeans and blue shirts
bright colors
whites

I also don't use the entire recommended dosage of soap. Reduces buildup inside the machine and my clothes are just as clean.

[Faulty]

Fill up the tub, put some palmolive in it, dump my clothes in and swish it around. Then I empty the tub, put my clothes back in and turn on the shower. Then I just hang them on various things around the apartment.

[Yoren]

EDIT: If your washer only does cold cycles, it needs to be repaired. Whilst cold cycles are "in vogue" because they use less energy, they don't destroy mites and other crawly nasties that are perfectly natural but still need getting rid of.

Is this actually a huge problem for a lot of people? I've honestly never heard of this before and I've done my washes with only cold water for almost 5 years and never run into any kind of problem. I've only lived in Hawaii and California so it could be a regional thing.

Edit: To answer the actual question, I use a wooden drying rack, you can buy one at wal-mart I think. Also I agree that you should separate at least colors and whites, and unless you got a ton of dirt, blood, or . . . other things . . .on your cloths you can use less than the recommended amount of detergent (for a large load of laundry I only use up to the "1" line on a standard detergent cup and I'm clean enough.)

[Don Julio Anejo]

IONO, in my experience cold sucks for getting rid of stuff like grease stains. And hot really does destroy clothing. Hence, I always use warm.

[Lioness]

Please please please seperate whites from reds. At the very least.

My grandma came around to our house one day and did my washing. She washed my favourite white jacket with a red top of mine, and now my favourite jacket is a blotchy pink. Thanks Gran.

Anyway, we usually seperate them into blacks and navies, colours, whites, and underwear. They go in the washing machine with powder, and fabric softener in the middle bit. Then, weather depending, we hang them out or tumble dry them. Shirts get hung on a coat hanger and then hung on the line, as do t-shirts. I've never really decided whether I hang up other tops by the bottom of the chest...probably the bottom, as the crease is not as noticeable.
Underwear goes in the dryer, because it's not cool to hang out about 20 pairs of underwear one by one (this is the whole house, not just me, btw)

[Serpentine]

The USofAmerican air of novelty regarding washing lines befuddles me.
I like using this nifty Australian invention:

http://www.treehugger.com/Hills-Hoist-clothesline2.jpg

but unfortunately my present and last houses haven't had them :smallfrown:

I use Cold Power in cold water. ALWAYS put the detergent in first. Bugs the bajeebus out of me when people don't...
I generally only wash items whose colour-fastness I'm suspicious of separately, but there's nothing wrong with caution.
I often turn things I'm worried about fading (jeans, for example) inside-out before I hang them up, so they don't get bleached by the sun.
Tops I try to hang so that the arms and neck are over one side, and the pegs go under the arms. Avoids a weird little crinkle-bump on the shoulders, and the bottoms getting so stretched out.
Pants I normally hang by the waist.
I soak stuff in nappi-san. Effectiveness inconclusive.

Handy tip: While apparently vinegar can get rid of (cat) urine smell, do not soak vinyl in it. Seriously. Bad idea.

If you leave the washing in the machine too long, and can get mouldy. Also, if you go swimming, don't leave your swimmers in a soggy bundle in the corner of the cupboard after you go home from the holidays. They kinda... dissolve, by next summer.

'sabout all I've got.

[Yarram]

If your washer only does cold cycles, it needs to be repaired. Whilst cold cycles are "in vogue" because they use less energy, they don't destroy mites and other crawly nasties that are perfectly natural but still need getting rid of. If you're in rented accommodation (and depending on your local laws), that is usually the responsibility (and obligation) of the landlord. In the meantime, you might need to use a local laundrette.
I know this has already been said... But Mites?
I've never heard of a problem with mites, we only ever wash with cold water because warm wrecks your clothes faster, and we've never had a problem with it. Maybe it's one of those "wive tales" or something?

[Ninja Chocobo]

Because if your new superawesome burgundy t-shirt suddenly decides to fade, you've suddenly ruined an entire laundry's worth of whites.

"New" being the operative word here. By the third or so time you've washed it it shouldn't cause any problems.
...
"Shouldn't" being the operative word there, though.

[Katana_Geldar]

OK...so this seems the best threat to ask now.

Anyone have tips on getting blood out of jeans?


EDIT: Nevermind. H2O2 and salt worked pretty well.

Looks like you got it early, as with blood you need to get it while it is still fresh. I like many other girls have discovered this while doing some very quick underwear laundry in the morning. You know what I mean. :smallwink:

I lost a pair of jeans due to acrylic paint once. :smallfrown: But I should have known better than to wear light coloured pants on a day when the kids at work were painting.

You can dry stuff flat on a clothes rack or a clothes line, lie it on top and peg it down a few times, including the sleeves. You can dry knitted jumpers this way after a wool wash.

I have also found dryers are very handy for getting rid of animal hair from animal bed linen (if your dog or cat has blankets or towels) but they need to go in by themselves.

Another tip: you can dissolve your washing powder in a bucket of warm or hot water before putting it in then pouring it on top, but you'll have to mix it about a little before you put it in. (You may need to wear rubber gloves)

And the old Hill's hoist. The stuff of backyard dreams :smallbiggrin:

[Miklus]

There is always doing to be some dust mites. They are whereever dust are! It is not really a problem for most people, unless you are allergic to them. I always dry my clothes and linnin in the tumbler dryer at high temperature. I have no patience for watching clothes dry, nor the space.

[Katana_Geldar]

Dryers can shrink some clothes though, depending on the fabrics.

This does come in useful for some clothes though, like jeans.

And what's this I hear about clothes lines being illegal in some parts of the US? (http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB119007893529930697.html)

Really...

[Jimorian]

The USofAmerican air of novelty regarding washing lines befuddles me.
I like using this nifty Australian invention:

http://www.treehugger.com/Hills-Hoist-clothesline2.jpg

but unfortunately my present and last houses haven't had them :smallfrown:


It's worse than just being a novelty in some places. There are neighborhood associations where clothes lines are OUTLAWED, even if it's in the back yard. :smallsigh: (EDIT: hah, ninja'd)

My grandparents had one of those clothes trees. I used to get in trouble for playing in the "maze" among the hanging sheets and stuff. :smalltongue:

[Kneenibble]

Would a drying rack be enough to have them dry flat on or... what? I'm kind of at a loss for what sort of surface would be suitable for drying something flat upon.

People have mentioned racks, which are great but which I don't have: I use whatever surface is available, a table, a blanket on the floor, the top of the washing machine, the couch. I just make sure to turn the garment over every few hours. Don't do it on anything wooden, obviously.


So Soap Nut is like a brand of hypo-allergenic detergent or something that reabsorbs the detergent during the rinsing?

Soap nuts or soap berries are the fruit of a tropical tree which contain a naturally-occurring, uh, soapishness. You buy them dried, they look like hollow spheres about the size of a grape. They usually come with a little muslin pouch, and to use them you put about four berries per load in the pouch and just throw it in with the clothes: nothing else required. The berries last once in warm/hot water, and twice in cold water. They do an excellent job for everyday laundry, although I've never tried them with any really nasty stains.

On the subject of blood:
The enzymes in one's saliva can dissolve whatever it is in one's own blood that causes it to stain. So if you get your own blood on something, soak it with spit -- or if it's somebody else's blood, get them to. Then you can wash it out easily.

I learned this in the theatre: during the run of a show I was in back in spring, I was kneeling in a blue satin dress and a scab on my knee opened up, causing a large red bloom to form there over the course of the scene. The costumers obliged my sputative services backstage after the show.

[Serpentine]

I had heard about clotheslines being illegal...


WHYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!

[Amiel]

The USofAmerican air of novelty regarding washing lines befuddles me.
I like using this nifty Australian invention:

http://www.treehugger.com/Hills-Hoist-clothesline2.jpg

That's a Hills Hoist if anyone wants to know, a proud Aussie invention along with the lawnmower.


My parents have always cautioned me to avoid mixing colored clothes and whites. I usually ignore this advice as I found it to be useless; unless the clothing is of a color and more importantly fabric that will readily mix or transmit its color scheme across, this won't happen, I've even mixed reds with whites and they've remained their own separate colors.
It's not really the colors that will readily mix, it will be dependent on the fabric. Just today, I mixed blacks, blues, reds and oranges in with my whites; there was no mixing involved.

Now, we're on water restrictions at the moment so I tend to dump all clothing in at once and put in copious amounts of Radiant, usually 2 scoops. At the second spin cycle, add in the fabric softener; of which half a cup or less will do.

The best way to dry out clothes is to leave them out in the sun; this has the added benefit of killing any unwanted clinger-ons still hanging out in your clothing. Spin drying isn't particularly helpful, unless you live in a relatively cold area, as it can damage clothes.

[Amiel]

I had heard about clotheslines being illegal...


WHYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!

Propensity of accidents?

[Generic Archer]

Regarding separating stuff: you really have a) that much clothing? and b) that much time?

Everything goes in the machine till it's full; unless I've been caving/mountain biking and everything is covered in mud.

Once full the powder gets thrown in, and the machine turned on. Return in an hour and hang out however you will...

And with temperature killing clothing... I kill stuff far faster than washing it does... jumping fences, sliding on grass, angle grinders, knives, roofs... all have claimed various items of clothing... also swinging on the clothes line

Dane

[Amiel]

And with temperature killing clothing... I kill stuff far faster than washing it does... jumping fences, sliding on grass, angle grinders, knives, roofs... all have claimed various items of clothing... also swinging on the clothes line
Dane

The above was operating under the assumption that you would want to wear clothing that is relatively whole and presentable rather than something that is more or less in tatters :smalltongue:

[Ashtar]

Ashtars' idiot guide to Laundry


Separate Light and dark colours into piles
Learn how much is the full capacity of your washing machine. Don't overload it.
Weigh if needed your pile to avoid having too much in one go
Fill the machine with your pile, notice that if you're not overloading there's space left. That's normal
Read your detergents instructions, follow them. Put it in the right spot and the right quantity. All detergents have the instructions written on them.
Usually, if it goes straight in the washing machine, it says do no pre-wash. This means find and press the button on the machine to remove pre-washing. It's usually on by default. Otherwise you're simply rinsing out the detergent first thing.
Just about everything can be washed at 40°C or about 100°F.
Start the machine, check that it seems to be running okay (ie. water flowing in and not going onto the floor), check the time at which the load should be finished, come back then.
Empty the machine into a basket / large plastic bag.
If you use washing lines inside: Don't peg. Outside: Peg anything you want to keep. Also it depends on the wind in your location. Usually heavy stuff (trousers and pullovers) don't need to be pegged.
If you have shirts, remove them straight away and put them on a hanger to dry. Shirts on a hanger will require much less ironing and NO ironing if you use easy care shirts.
T-shirts and pullovers can simply be folded in half over the line, slightly more hanging on the side without the arms.
Trousers fold over the line, usually they balance well when folded slightly below the crotch.
Socks are easier to pair if you put them all close to each other and pair those you see as you put them up, then pair the rest when you take them down.
Underwear can just be folded over the line in any way you want, usually with lingerie you have to listen to the instructions of whoever it belongs to.
Leave to dry
Fold directly as you remove from the line, so there's no need to iron.
If you use a drying machine, you're on your own. I don't :smallwink: Also know it does wear the clothes out much faster.


Closing remarks:
You can always postpone laundry to another day, especially with purchases of ten packs of socks and six packs of boxers, but it will bite you, so know when to do it.

Nothing ever needs ironing if you fold it right. Sure it can help and it does look nicer. Reserve for very important occasions (weddings, engagement, job interviews).

A man who knows how to do the laundry is a man who will never have to worry about his sex life. ( don't ask, just believe )

If the stuff is really really dirty, wash it by hand in the washbasin / bath / outside garden hose depending on the degree of contamination.

If you are the kind of person who buys very coloured clothing that will have colours coming out in the first washes: Soak the cloth by hand the first time in a basin or buy these neat squares of tissue which absorb the extra colours in the wash (fabric stabilisers).

[Faulty]

I had heard about clotheslines being illegal...


WHYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!

Someone might... fall out a window and hit one? :smalltongue:

[Yoren]

I had heard about clotheslines being illegal...


WHYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!

I believe that some communities think that cloths lines (and the underwear that often hangs from it) are unsightly and the rational for banning them is purely aesthetic.

[Coidzor]

Once full the powder gets thrown in, and the machine turned on. Return in an hour and hang out however you will...

And with temperature killing clothing... I kill stuff far faster than washing it does... jumping fences, sliding on grass, angle grinders, knives, roofs... all have claimed various items of clothing... also swinging on the clothes line

...Yeah... This about sums up my housemate. Less with the knives, but more with the just destroying clothing quickly. I mean, I have shirts that are years old that are still presentable in public but his wardrobe that he can wear out and about shrinks by the week or the month.

It's really annoying because I'm pretty sure clothing occasionally gets crossed wires as to who it goes to so some of my stuff has ended up getting stains set in...

Oh crap, I need some kind of stain removing/fighting agent.

[Generic Archer]

The above was operating under the assumption that you would want to wear clothing that is relatively whole and presentable rather than something that is more or less in tatters :smalltongue:

That's my point. When it gets to that point I need new stuff but the reason for it's retirement has naught to do with the temperature of the wash, just my own ability to destroy stuff.
3 phones in 12 months? no problem.
4 pairs of jeans a year? no problem
several shirts as well.
not to mention cycling jerseys...

Dane

[Jack Squat]

Oh crap, I need some kind of stain removing/fighting agent.

Oxiclean (sodium percarbonate. Much cheaper if you get it from a pool supply store) works fine for me. Managed to get sharpie out of clothes. Also how I clean sweat-stains out of my hats.

[Coidzor]

Hmm. So oxiclean in a wash in addition to a pre-soak in cold water'd do the trick for blood or tomato-based stains, y'think?

[Jack Squat]

Hmm. So oxiclean in a wash in addition to a pre-soak in cold water'd do the trick for blood or tomato-based stains, y'think?

IIRC, you're not really supposed to use it alongside (liquid) detergent. I normally just soak for a couple hours. And if it's bad enough, I make a paste, rub it in, let it dry on there, then wash off. You're not supposed to let it dry, but it hasn't hurt the jeans or t-shirts I've tried it on.

Oxiclean should take care of both of those stains though.

[KuReshtin]

I never really got the whole point of throwing the detergent directly into the drum of the washing machine. If there's a compartment for the washing detergent to go, just put it there, to ensure that it gets dispensed properly into the drum, and there's no (well, very little) risk of overdosing the detergent.
of course, the detergents that are designed to be put straight into the drum are a different matter, like the liquid balls, or the tablets or whatever, but I've never used those, so I don't know how good they are.

Anyways, here are my rules for washing clothes.

1. Everything can be washed at 40 degrees C.
2. Separate the clothes by type, not colour. T-shirts go with T-shirts, underwear and socks go with underwear and socks, and so on.
3. If you're feeling lazy, disregard Rule 2. In that case, everything goes with everything else.
4. EVERYTHING can be washed at 40 degrees C.
5. Ironing is not necessary. If you hang a slightly damp T-shirt or a pair of trousers ona drying rack, they will iron themselves. Button-up shirts may be the exception to this rule, but only if it's for a formal event, like a wedding, or a job interview or something.
6. The definition of a drying rack = Anything that you can hang your clothes on. The back of a chair, the top of a door. It all works.
7. EVERYTHING CAN BE WASHED AT 40 DEGREES C.
8. If, for whatever reason (procrastination, holiday trip, work/school, car accident etc), you forget to unload the washing machine after the wash is done, you have 4 days to get them out and hang them to dry. If it takes longer than that, reload with washing detergent and wash it again.
9. Most importantly: EVERYTHING CAN BE WASHED AT 40 DEGREES C.
Use these rules at your own peril. KuReshtin shall not be held responsible for any miscoloration or shrinking of clothes that happens due to following these rules.

[SilverSheriff]

Don't mix your reds clothes with your whites clothes...

[KuReshtin]

Don't mix your reds clothes with your whites clothes...

Is only true when the red clothes are new. After the first two washes, the red clothes should be ok to be included in Rule 2 and Rule 3, as mentioned by me in my previous post.