Doing laundry is as common as brushing your teeth. Many people have to start doing it themselves when they move out for the first time, which can be tough. Before I moved out of my parents house, my mother taught me exactly how to do laundry and over time, I’ve perfected the art of washing my clothes.
Step 1: Divide your clothes
A common practice is to toss all your clothes in the washing machine and wash on cold. That way, everything will get cleaned and no colours will run or clothes ruined. Generally, I have a load for synthetics that I wash on cold. Everything else is washed on warm or hot.
There are two different ways to divide your clothing into different loads; by colour and by soil level. If you divide by colour, put all your dark colours in one pile, lighter colours in another and then whites in a third. The two coloured piles can be washed on warm and the white pile can be done on hot. If you divide by how dirty your clothes are, put all the dirtier clothes in one pile (pants, socks, hoodies, etc.). Shirts, underwear and pyjamas can go in the other, lighter pile. I put towels in this pile as well. Wash the dirtier pile on warm and the less dirty pile on hot.
Step 2: Load size
Washers are getting better and more industrial every day. This doesn’t mean you can stuff as much as you can in the washing machine. Your washing machine should be at most three quarters full. Don’t fill your washing machine too full even if your whole pile won’t fit. Separate your pile in half and do two loads. The smaller the load, the easier it will be on the machine and the cleaner your clothes will be.
Step 3: Drying
Just like washing, stuffing all your clothes in the dryer and putting it on time dry for 2 hours is not a good idea. All synthetics should be hung to dry. A clothesline is not a realistic drying option in Edmonton so investing in a drying rack is a good idea.
You can mix your colours for drying, but all colours should be dried on low or medium temperature. Whites can be dried on hot. I always dry my dirtier load (pants, socks etc.) on medium and my lighter load on hot. My dirtier load doesn’t always fully dry because socks and pants are denser material than shirts. When that happens, I put any still damp clothes in with my next load to dry and put it on medium. You should dry your clothes in the same loads you washed them to avoid over-filling the dryer. If you over-fill the dryer, it will take your clothes longer to dry which can be a pain.
Washing your clothes with care will wear them out less quickly. Not filling your washing machine too full will help it last longer too. Doing your laundry properly can save you money and is totally worth it when it comes to your favourite pair of pants.
