How To Adult: I'm Out of Clean Clothes

Do you think your top/pants/socks could stand by themselves because they're so dirty?
Are your friends avoiding you because you smell?
Does an article of clothing look like it's changed color, when in fact it's just dirt?

You're going to have to wash some clothes.


If you haven't before, never fear: We can walk you through it....


First, sort the clothes into separate piles: Whites, light colors, dark colors, and hand washables. Hand washables include fabrics that may snag when thrown in with others, 'fancy' fabrics such as those with trims like sequins or delicate designs, or items that might 'bleed.' These items you can wash in the sink and dry carefully separate from the clothes you put in the dryer.


Why separate them? Mostly because colors can fade ('bleed') into whites and make the whites look more gray. There's no hard and fast rule about this; sometimes you'll just want to throw all of it in one load, and it will likely be OK. Just be aware that over time, the whites will look less white and the light colors will also look faded or discolored. They pick up small amounts of dyes, as well as tiny bits of lint or thread from each other, thus causing the colors to be less bright.

Red sock + white sheets=pink sheets

If you wash all the darker colors together, then even if they do 'bleed,' it won't be as noticeable. You may have an item that's never been washed. If it is red, black, or any dark color,  you might want to wash those separately and notice if they do bleed. Even a black or dark color may bleed--any color can, because fabrics are many times over-dyed--frequently blue jeans are over-dyed.


See a stain on something? There are products to 'pretreat' stains, but a simple way is to pour some detergent directly on the stain. You can also try bar soap or dish detergent. Ink sometimes comes out by using hair spray. Sweat stains can come out using lemon juice. Vinegar also takes out some stains. Try to catch stains as soon as possible, and remember, once you've put the item in the dryer, the stain won't come out anymore.

You may also want to separate towels from clothes because they take longer to dry.


To the Washer!!
Cold, Warm, or Hot water? The washer may suggest different temperatures for different fabrics, but clothes get just as clean in cold water as they do in warm or hot. Plus, the heat of the dryer helps kill any bacteria that may be present in the clothes; so, feel free to use cold water to wash clothes. The washer will have a dial that lets you choose what size load you are washing. If you don't have a lot, you can choose 'small' or 'medium'. This will determine how much water will fill in the machine. If you have a big load, then be sure to choose 'large,' because if clothes are crowded in the washer with not enough water, they won't get as clean.


Take a look at the tags on your clothes for washing instructions, too, as well as fiber content. Generally, most fabrics are washable.

Add detergent:  Follow the directions on the detergent. Usually a washer will say to add detergent, then put the clothes in. If you don't do it that way, don't worry. Either way works. Don't add more detergent than indicated. Too much soap will not be rinsed out completely, and your clothes will feel scratchy when they're done.


The washer will do this: Fill, Wash, Drain out, Spin, Fill again for rinse, Rinse, Drain out, and then Spin out the water again. A load of laundry usually takes about 20-30 minutes to complete.

Get the clothes out as soon as you can: in the spin cycle, clothes are flattened against the wall of the washer and if you ignore them, they'll stay wrinkled even after they've been dried.


*Note: It's not good to forget your clothes in the washer. In short order, they'll smell even worse than when you threw them in to be washed.

In the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, the wringer washer was the 'top of the line' in washing machines. You filled the tub using a hose attached to the water faucet. The machine agitated the water around. When you thought the clothes were clean enough (no timers or buzzers), then you put the clothes through the wringer (the white thing on top of the washer) to squeeze out the water (you cranked it to squeeze clothes through it). Wash water was re-used for the next loads. You would have to repeat the process for a rinse. When you were done, you pulled the plug to drain out the water. into a floor drain. Some people did the wash outside so the water could be drained onto the ground. There were no dryers as we know them until about the mid 1960s. Rainy day? No washing, unless you had clotheslines set up in the house to hang up your wet clothes. Imagine washing diapers this way. But, it was better than scrubbing clothes on a washboard!

To the Dryer!!!
Some clothes shrink the dryer, both in length and width. If you have any clothes you think may shrink, then don't put them in a dryer. Find a space with some circulation and hang them up to dry. It will probably take overnight.


For machine-drying clothes, find the lint trap on your dryer. Pull it out, take the lint off, and re-insert the filter. Look at the dryer and see which cycle applies to your clothes. At this point, if you want, you can throw in a dryer sheet. The purpose of the dryer sheet is to eliminate 'static cling' in your clothes once they are dry. Otherwise they'll stick to each other, to you, and generally drive you crazy. It's even worse in the winter when the air is very dry.


*Helpful fact: If you cut dryer sheets in half, they will work just as well as a whole sheet.


The dryer will beep or somehow signal when the cycle is done. Some dryers will toss the clothes around every 10 minutes until you come and get them, others do not. If your clothes aren't dry yet, repeat the dryer cycle. If they are just a little damp, you can lay them somewhere to finish drying.


Some clothes will definitely shrink with the heat of the dryer. That's another reason not to throw everything into the dryer and keep drying till they are completely dry.


Some clothes do well with just a few minutes in the dryer to get the wrinkles out, then you remove them and hang or drape them somewhere. You can hang shirts on hangers to dry, too.

Ever seen one of these? It's a clothes drying rack. They hold a surprising amount of clothes, and  fold up when not in use.

Towels take a long time to dry. Be patient.
If you have the opportunity, dry your clothes outside: They get softer and smell heavenly once they're dry. Sunshine will also help brighten clothes and fade stains.

You're almost done!! Time to fold.


You may have items you don't care to fold, such as underwear or socks. But, if you at least attempt to fold shirts and pants, or put them on hangers, they'll look a lot better when you go to put them on.


You just washed and dried your clothes! Much better. Notice your friends don't mind sitting close to you now. You're welcome.