Even for people who find comfort in clearing up the laundry, laundry can be challenging. It’s time-consuming, unceasing, and so much can go wrong there. It’s one of those things we’ve learned to do for all of us from our friends, a dormmate, a significant other or someone else, and then we take it all from there.

Whether it’s your first time doing laundry or you’ve been doing it since the beginning, mishaps can still occur. You can still make some mistakes, but don’t worry, it’s okay and you don’t have to fear. To make sure that you can achieve a fool-proof laundry day, here’s your comprehensive guide on how to do your laundry!

1. Know how to identify your laundry symbols

More often than not, our clothes actually have the guides laid down for us. Before loading any clothes into your washing machine, make sure to check the care labels. These labels perfectly tell you how to properly wash and dry your clothing, from the water temperature, spin cycle, or even if it requires that you air dry or hand wash it. It also shows whether you should bleach your clothing, or if needs to be separated from other garments. The techniques of fabric care depend on the fabric type, so before you start to wash clothes, double check your labels.

2. Know how to sort your laundry

Fabric dyes may bleed onto your other clothes, so in order to avoid this from happening, it is important to separate your clothes before washing them. It is best to separate them depending on their color, fabric type, weight, and amount of dirt. This way, you can ensure that similar clothing also get the same amount of washing and you also prevent transferring unwanted stuff on your other clothes.

For example, separate your light colored clothes and dark colored ones. Your heavy items such as blankets and towels should be washed separately from your lighter items. You should also wash your garments with zippers, buttons and hooks separately, especially if you have delicate items such as underwear or lingerie. It is important that you also check the load size to ensure that every piece is properly washed in the washing machine.

3. Know how to pre-treat stains

Stain removal is not an easy step, because you need to understand how to properly pre-treat them before washing them. When you pre-treat the stains, they loosen up and make it easier to remove as you wash them later.

If you have coffee, tea, berry or sweat stains, directly pour detergent on the stain. To help work the detergent through the fabrics, then gently rub the fabric together or use a soft-bristled toothbrush, then keep it on for a few minutes.

For blood, motor oil, or dirt stains, you need to prepare a soaking solution with laundry detergent and let your garments soak for 30 minutes.

For butter, oil, and grease stains, gently rub dish soap on the stain to loosen it up.

Lastly, for chewing gum stains, you can soak it in hot vinegar for 1 to 3 minutes, but make sure to check for colorfastness first. You can do this by applying a small amount of vinegar to a hidden area of your clothing, then blot with a paper towel to check for color transfer. If there is none, you can continue to pre-treat the stain.

4. Know how much detergent should be used

The amount of detergent you use is also important in laundry. The correct amount depends on the amount of your load, the dirtiness of the clothing, the hardness of your water, as well as the type of detergent you use.

5. Know how to properly load your washing machine

Pay attention to the size of your washer’s drum and your load size to get the most out of your washing. To avoid overloading, give your clothes enough space to tumble, without wasting water, by applying the palm trick. All you have to do is put your hand into the drum, and if your hand fits between your clothes and the drum wall, then you’ve got the perfect load size. It’s just as simple as that.

6. Know how to select the proper washing cycle

• Normal/regular cycle is best used for whites, sheets, towels, underwear, socks and heavily soiled items.
• Delicate cycle is best for wool, silk, and any other garments that say gentle on the tag or care label.
• Permanent press is ideal for jeans, non-cotton items and synthetic fibers such as rayon and polyester.

7. Know how to properly dry your clothes

To avoid shrinkage and damage to the fibers of the garments, it is necessary to choose the right temperature for drying. But first, don’t forget to quickly remove laundry from the washer to avoid the development of musty odors. Then again, double check your care labels to know if your clothes should or should not be tumble dried.