As you watch the videos and read the directions, you will notice that some people do laundry a little differently than others. They don't always follow the same exact steps in the same order. Sometimes it's just a matter of preference. Read this material and watch the videos to learn the basics on how to do laundry.
Watch the introduction video.
Laundry Basics
Laundry Basics
How to Do Laundry
By Cathy Pearl
Copyright © 2016 edHelper
By Cathy Pearl
Copyright © 2016 edHelper
You have a pile of dirty clothes in your room. All of your favorite clothes are dirty and you have nothing to wear. What do you do now? Well, if you are like most people, it means you will have to do some laundry.
The first thing you need to do is sort the clothes. You can't put a red sock in with white clothes. All of the clothes could turn pink. You should have a white load, a dark load, and a colored load. When you're sorting the clothes, close all of the zippers. Zippers can snag or tear other clothes. You should also check the pockets of the clothes. There is nothing messier than washing a tissue or a piece of paper.
Check all of the clothes to see if there are any stains on them. If there are, pretreat stains with laundry detergent or a stain remover. Make sure that you read the directions on whatever product that you use. You don't want to ruin your favorite shirt trying to get the ketchup stain out of it!
Start to fill the washing machine next. To save money and energy, most clothes can be washed with cold water. If the clothes are very dirty, hot water is usually best. Be very careful to wash bright colors, like red, only in cold water. Warm water can make these colors run or fade into other colors.
You can also put detergent in now. This allows it to dissolve into the water before you put the clothes in. Read the label on the back of the bottle. It will tell you how much detergent you will need. Most caps can be used as measuring cups. This will help you figure out how much detergent to use in this load of laundry.
Next, load the clothes. On the back of the washer will be a button to select the size of the load. Look in the washer and see how full it is. Then pick the correct setting for the size of the load. If you can't decide between two sizes, pick the larger size.
Be careful not to overload the washer. There are a couple of problems with this. If there are too many clothes in the machine, the clothes will not come clean. The clothes need room to move around in order to wash correctly. The second problem is that the load may not balance correctly and the washing machine could shake or move around.
Close the lid after you put the clothes in. The washing machine will not do its job if the lid is open. The washing machine takes about forty-five minutes to do its job. While it's working, you have time to do other things.
When the machine finishes, take care of the clothes right away or as soon as possible. Wet clothes that are left in the washing machine can be ruined. They can also smell funny when you take them out of the washing machine. Then you would have to wash them all over again.
You can then put the clothes in the dryer. Sometimes, people do not want to dry all of their clothes. They may be afraid that they will shrink. These clothes can be put on a drying rack. They can also be put on a hanger and hung up to dry.
You have to pick the correct temperature to dry clothes on. If you weren't sure what to pick, low or medium would be a good choice. You also have to pick how long you want the clothes to dry for. The dryer usually takes about an hour to dry a large load. A smaller load will not take as long to dry. Make sure you hit the start button, so the dryer does its work.
Fold the clothes as soon as possible after the dryer is done. This helps to keep the clothes from wrinkling. After folding the clothes, put them away. They are now clean for the next time that you want to wear them.
The first thing you need to do is sort the clothes. You can't put a red sock in with white clothes. All of the clothes could turn pink. You should have a white load, a dark load, and a colored load. When you're sorting the clothes, close all of the zippers. Zippers can snag or tear other clothes. You should also check the pockets of the clothes. There is nothing messier than washing a tissue or a piece of paper.
Check all of the clothes to see if there are any stains on them. If there are, pretreat stains with laundry detergent or a stain remover. Make sure that you read the directions on whatever product that you use. You don't want to ruin your favorite shirt trying to get the ketchup stain out of it!
Start to fill the washing machine next. To save money and energy, most clothes can be washed with cold water. If the clothes are very dirty, hot water is usually best. Be very careful to wash bright colors, like red, only in cold water. Warm water can make these colors run or fade into other colors.
You can also put detergent in now. This allows it to dissolve into the water before you put the clothes in. Read the label on the back of the bottle. It will tell you how much detergent you will need. Most caps can be used as measuring cups. This will help you figure out how much detergent to use in this load of laundry.
Next, load the clothes. On the back of the washer will be a button to select the size of the load. Look in the washer and see how full it is. Then pick the correct setting for the size of the load. If you can't decide between two sizes, pick the larger size.
Be careful not to overload the washer. There are a couple of problems with this. If there are too many clothes in the machine, the clothes will not come clean. The clothes need room to move around in order to wash correctly. The second problem is that the load may not balance correctly and the washing machine could shake or move around.
Close the lid after you put the clothes in. The washing machine will not do its job if the lid is open. The washing machine takes about forty-five minutes to do its job. While it's working, you have time to do other things.
When the machine finishes, take care of the clothes right away or as soon as possible. Wet clothes that are left in the washing machine can be ruined. They can also smell funny when you take them out of the washing machine. Then you would have to wash them all over again.
You can then put the clothes in the dryer. Sometimes, people do not want to dry all of their clothes. They may be afraid that they will shrink. These clothes can be put on a drying rack. They can also be put on a hanger and hung up to dry.
You have to pick the correct temperature to dry clothes on. If you weren't sure what to pick, low or medium would be a good choice. You also have to pick how long you want the clothes to dry for. The dryer usually takes about an hour to dry a large load. A smaller load will not take as long to dry. Make sure you hit the start button, so the dryer does its work.
Fold the clothes as soon as possible after the dryer is done. This helps to keep the clothes from wrinkling. After folding the clothes, put them away. They are now clean for the next time that you want to wear them.
Follow up Questions
1. You should wash red clothes in hot water.
a. False b. True 2. About how long does it take the washing machine to wash the clothes? a. Forty-five minutes b. About an hour 3. If you leave clothes in the washing machine while they are still wet, what could happen to them? |
4. When should you fold the clothes in the dryer?
a. A week after the clothes are done b. As soon as the drier is done 5. Why shouldn't you overload the washer? a. The clothes won't come clean. b. The clothes will get wrinkled. |
ANSWERS
Highlight the section below to reveal the answers.
Highlight the section below to reveal the answers.
1. False -The red dye in clothing tends to run. When that happens the other clothing with the red item will turn pink. It's a good idea to wash red colors separately.
2. It takes bout forty-five minutes or less to wash a load of laundry.
3. Wet clothes that are left in the washing machine can be ruined. They can also smell funny when you take them out of the washing machine. Then you would have to wash them all over again.
4. Fold the clothes as soon as the dryer is done. If you fold your clothes very neatly while they are still warm, they will not be so wrinkly.
5. Both answers are correct. Clothes won't get as clean if they are stuffed in the washing machine. Also, when the clothes are compacted too tight, they become more wrinkled than normal,
2. It takes bout forty-five minutes or less to wash a load of laundry.
3. Wet clothes that are left in the washing machine can be ruined. They can also smell funny when you take them out of the washing machine. Then you would have to wash them all over again.
4. Fold the clothes as soon as the dryer is done. If you fold your clothes very neatly while they are still warm, they will not be so wrinkly.
5. Both answers are correct. Clothes won't get as clean if they are stuffed in the washing machine. Also, when the clothes are compacted too tight, they become more wrinkled than normal,
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