Laundry

We all need clean clothes, so we need to be able to work a washing machine and dryer.

There is some science behind cleaning clothes, people argue over how to kill the germs and properly clean clothing. Some people believe that only hot water can kill germs that live on clothing, other people argue for cold water washing to help maintain the colors and conserve water.

While it is true that some germs can only be killed by extreme heat, there are an equal number of germs that enjoy the heat and can only be killed by extreme cold. Your clothes are benefiting more from the soap you use than the temperature they are washed in. So, choose your water temperature with that in mind.

I go for cold water because it does prolong the color of fabric longer and it is not as harsh on fabrics.

The next struggle when it comes to laundry is to know what fabric to wash with what products. Turns out, those clothing tags are rather handy and include a little diagram for washing and drying instructions. Below is a quick guide on how to read them.

Respect the tag, if something is hand wash only don’t put it in the washing machine. If something says it can’t go in the dryer, keep that thing out of the dryer you silly people.

It is also recommended to sort your laundry before you get to the machines. The most basic sorting method is colors versus monochrome.

I tend for this, especially since all my towels and sheets are monochrome, it ends up being colorful clothing in one load and my sheets/towels/monochrome clothing in the other. More complicated sorting can be reds and pinks, other colors, monochromes, and then sheets and towels. If you are only doing your own laundry, you probably won’t have more than 2 medium loads of laundry every week.

Put your laundry in the washing machine and measure out your detergent. I use store bought now, but when I have the time, I try to use a home-made mix to save money. Here is the simple recipe I use with some optional add ins.

Ingredients:

1 bar of soap (prefer pure castille or zote) grated

2 cups of borax

2 cups washing soda (sodium carbonate)

Can add essential oils or scent add ins

I recommend skipping the drawer to pour the detergent into unless you are also pouring in bleach or softener. I do want to explain the purpose of fabric softeners for everyone since they confused me for a while. A fabric softener does not clean anything, instead it is coating the fibers of fabric in a chemical layer that basically makes it feel softer and look brighter. Any microfiber fabrics, athletic wear, or baby clothing should not be washed with fabric softener.

If you don’t love the idea of coating your fabric in that chemical mix, alternatives that help soften fabrics include white vinegar being added for the wash or adding wool dryer balls to the drying cycle.

Now that you have loaded up the machine with clothing to clean and soap to use, feel free to set the cycle. Every machine is different, feel free to look up reviews on your machine to see if there are any modes that work particularly well or bad. I opt for a simple medium load cold wash normally.

For college students, it is crucial you set timers on your phone to get your laundry out right when the cycle finishes. Same goes for people who use a laundromat. If it is your own laundry machine, you can take a bit more time before moving laundry but don’t let wet clothes sit there longer than a few hours.

Wet laundry can grow mold really quickly. And mold doesn’t wash out of fabric or washing machines easily. Good rule is to never leave wet fabrics sitting for longer than 3 hours before hanging them or drying them.

Dryers are harder to predict than washing machines in my experience. Some dry better than others. If you are using a new dryer, try feeling each piece of clothing after the cycle has finished to make sure they are dry.

Fun fact about the human body, we actually don’t have the nerve receptors to feel wet. We have just learned that wet things are cold. It can be difficult to tell if fabric fresh out of the dryer is still wet because warm wet things are harder for us to feel. We only notice the temperature.

Some things will need to be air dried. This means hanging them up somewhere, hopefully not somewhere damp. Make sure they are as flat as possible; you don’t want to leave the wet fabric folded up because of mold.

A good rule of thumb for what to hang dry is women’s clothing is hang dry preferred, hoodies and soft jackets also hang dry better, plus any silk or satin probably needs to be hang dried.

Otherwise, toss it all in the dryer. Some people add dryer sheets or dryer balls to help soften the fabrics and dry them quicker. I use wool dryer balls; they are reusable and relatively cheap. There are also some spiky plastic ones that help take animal hair off fabrics, which I have liked.

I don’t love dryer sheets. They are not reusable and don’t make a big enough difference for the cost to me. However, I totally support the use of them if you are hoping to make your clothing smell a certain way.

Nothing else needs to go with the laundry into the dryer, go ahead and hit the start button. Once again, people using community machines set a timer to get your stuff out as soon as the cycle ends. But personal machines can sit full of dry fabric for a few days.