I am a bachelor of a few years now and have had to learn to fend for myself, can any housewives help?

Question

I don't really under stand the laundry sorting thing. How do you sort the laundry? What is considered whites (socks, undershirts)? Does colors include both denim pants and colored t-shirts. When is the delicate cycle neccessary? When to use use just cold water? Totally lost here. Had a lady, either mother or wives, taking care of that for decades. Now I'm afloat on a sea of dirty laundry and color bled clothes (light yellow socks that used to be white). HELPPPP!!!

Answer 1

You might want to double check labels, as most will tell you whether the fabric should be washed in cold water.

White/Light: white, pale colors including light blues, light greens, beige, and anything with combinations of colors (prints, stripes, plaids unless the plaid is completely dark)

Darks: solid colors that seem "heavy" to you. Reds, browns, blues, blacks, etc.

About the dark pile:
No hot water here... usually you'll want cold water, or if you have the option, fill the tub 2/3 full with cold water, then you can increase the temp to warm. Dirt and odors dissolve better in warm water but you can get clean in cold.

About the white/light pile:
Real bleach should only be used on absolute, 100% white items that are either cotton or a cotton blend. Rather than walking you through when to use bleach, and when not to, next time you do the marketing, find a bleach alternative or a detergent with bleach. The bottle will say that it can be used on colors. Then you get the benefits of bleach without worrying about ruining fabrics, or turning your striped shirt into bad tie-dye.

Whites like towels, your underwear, t-shirts and handkerchiefs, etc should be washed in hot water. Also, towels and any underwear/t-shirts benefit from going through a second rinse (no soap, no bleach, just water). You'll be amazed at how much more soap you get out of those towels.

If you can stand one more sorting, and if you have enough to make another load, it's kind of nice to wash sweaters separately because they should go on a gentle cycle, cool water. Dry in a cool dryer, and take out before completely dry. Hang over a par, not on a hanger, to keep the shape.

Now that we've all walked you through this, I really think you should come by and demonstrate what you've learned
;-)

Good luck!

Answer 2

The above answered your initial questions. So I throw in two quick tips.

First, if you're like my husband, you will wait to do laundry until all your clothes are dirty. You don't need to stuff the machine full with all your whites. Do two loads.

Second, again, if you're like my husband, you'll do a load of laundry and then go watch the game or whatever. And you'll forget about it. Then you'll come back three or four days later. If you let the load sit for a few days, when you dry it, that laundry is not going to smell fresh and nice. So set a timer or something and make sure you throw the load you just washed into the dryer reasonably quick.

Third, if what you are drying is something that when you wear it, it will be visible (i.e., not underwear), pull it out of the dryer reasonably soon after the load finsishes and hang the shirts, fold up the pants or whatever. You won't need to iron then for the most part and you won't look all wrinkly.

God bless,


Laura

Answer 3

HA HA! Now you know how much those ladies did for you! Most men go their whole lives without ever recognizing what ladies go through.

Let me see if i can help...
anything that is white (underwear, socks, under shirts) can all be bleached as long as there is no color on them.
Light clothes are anything that are light (obviously) or white clothes that have a little color that cannot be bleached
Colors are anything other than those to piles.
Use hot water on whites and sturdy fabrics
Cold water on anything that could shrink.
Don't dry towels with clothes becuase your clothes will come out full of lint.

Answer 4

Some people wash jeans with whites and some wash jeans with colored clothing. Me, I wash jeans with both whites and colors as I don't use bleach. Bleach can only be used on WHITE items, and because it can distroy clothes I don't recomend you use it at all.

The delicate cycle is used when you are washing delicate items. For men's clothing the delicate cycle would only be used on a nice sweater or like items. Most men never use the delicate cycle.

Cold water can be used all of the time, but it should be used with delicates. Hot water kills germies better than cold water, but with the newer detergents I find myself using cold water all of the time to cut down on my electric bill.

For your socks that are yellow. I recomend that you buy baking soda and peroxide, I am serious it works better than bleach and it won't hurt any of your clothes. I tend to use banking soda in all of my laundry so I don't have to use as much soap, but then again I am a mom on a budget with 3 kids.

Answer 5

First off
Just wash in cold, it saves money, and wondering.
Whites are white. You can add bleach and not change the color.
Light colors are whites with colors you dont want to bleach, yellows, and light colors.
Dark colors are denims and dark colors.
Heavily soiled (grease and crud) should be washed alone.
Breath deeply, you'll be just fine~~~~~

Yes apparently you have been a bachlor for a few years, according to your avatar you have been having a laundry problem for awhile and have run out of shirts, You should have asked this question long ago!!!! LOL

Answer 6

Hot Water Washes: "All Whites" > Towels, T-Shirts, Socks, Underwear. Use Tide Powder w/Clorox Bleach & Downy Fabric Softener. All fine to put in dryer in mix fabrics.

Warm Water: Light Colored Towels > Kitchen Prints, Wash Cloths, cotton underwear or items with light colors. Use Tide Powder (No Clorox) but disolve for powder first in warm water before putting your clothing in. Safe for Dryer. Denim Levis/jeans
when they're "newer" should be hung on a line to drip dry instead of using the dryer...they could shrink. Check the labels!

Cold Water: Disolve Liquid Cheer/water. Brite colors should be put together with similar shades of the same color, all reds kept separate, same for all Blues, Greens, Yelows, etc.

***** All Black Clothing: Cold water, Liquid detergent...should be hung up to dry...automatic dryers cause faster fading. Cheer makes a liquid detergent specifically for "Dark Clothing". Again, check your "labels"...they will tell you most of the time which temperature setting is recommended.

Don't have a clothes line to hang things when recommended? I hang them on the top of my door jam over tile or linoleum floor.
Not good to hang to drip dry over carpeted rooms.

Always better to do your laundry in the early mornings if possible. Some clothes fold wrinkle free if you can catch them straight out of the dryer.

My best advise is 1st...Read the LABELS! Good luck...I admire your wilingness to learn!

Answer 7

white are towels, washcloths, underwear, socks and WHITE tshirts.
do your underwear and tshirts in one load and towels and washcloths in another load.
jeans and jean shirts can be done together.
wash all colored t-shirts in a load.
and wash your good shirts that are colored in one load. and your good light colored shirts in another load.
i use cold water for every wash.
the delicate cycle is for womens delicate clothing. sweaters and such.

the exception to what i have above is colored underwear and colored socks. wash the colored underwear & colored socks in with your colored tshirts. that way you can put bleach in with your white underwear and white socks.