I am a new wife and beginner mommy with my new home and I need to know how to wash clothes the best way?

Question

what tempatures make clothes smaller and larger? How can I keep the colors from fading? How can I make my clothes as soft as possible?What are the best detergents? What materials and colors do I hang?and which do I heat dry?What detergents smell the best? I want to be an expert on washing clothes if u have any websites with info plz add to your answer
Thanx

Answer 1

I'm a wife and mother of 2 boys ages 1 and 3 and I learned that you don't have to buy "special" detergents for baby.. I use All Free and Clear.. It's perfume and dye free and I use Shout stain remover.. I also add about 1/3 C. baking soda to the wash water on lights/darks etc.. It helps the detergent work better and it freshens clothes, it's super cheap and not harmful for children/pets.

I like to sort clothes (lights/darks/towels/linens/delicates) and go from there.. While I'm sorting I check for stains, spray the stain remover. I turn my dark clothes and clothing with graphic prints/dyes inside out.. I wash towels seperate and check pants pockets for kleenex, pens, coins... Most of our things are cotton so I use cold/cold water/rinse and permanent press..Delicates like bras/underwear I put in lingerie bags/bra babies and wash delicate/hang... Do NOT hang on wire hangers, they will rust and ruin your clothes ! I wash towels/bedding in Hot/cold.. Depending on your washer size will depend on your load size.. DO NOT overload washer the clothes will not come clean... I like liquid detergent over powder, but I ALWAYS put detergent in while I'm filling the wash tub and not on top of the clothes... This will help prevent it from not rinsing out properly... I use dryer sheets, but not on towels it ruins them and not on baby clothes they may be allergic to them.... When I used regular detergent I liked GAIN it smelled nice, Tide is nice, but expensive and I'm allergic to it.. So, All Free and Clear for us..

I have a "system" that works for me in order of doing laundry as well... I wash linens first and put those in the dryer. While that is drying I soak the things I hang to dry.. Bras/jeans/satin etc.. (this is my preference to save electric, to run one major appliance at a time)....I also will run a load at night before bed..That saves electric as well..
You can run the "hanging" load while the other is drying.... Since I use a perfume/dye free detergent I DO NOT have to seperate baby clothes from everyone elses.. Oh and if you have a stain and even AFTER washing it DOESN"T come out DO NOT put it in dryer ! That will set the stain... Try rubbing it with straight detergent and Shout or spray n wash and wash it again..Even dish washing liquid will help ! If it goes in the dryer that may "set' the stain..

However, I do seperate my husband's work clothes from everyone's they get greasy and stinky.
This system seems to work for me... I've been doing laundry since I was 10 and now I'm over 30..! These are the tips I've picked up through the years.. Good luck and be well....

Answer 2

It´s a hard job being a housewife and a mother, but we all have to start some where, Well let me see if I can help you a little, But their are lot´s of nice people here that will give you lot´s of help and advise. To keep your white whiter than white, especially your baby´s clothes , those white sock´s and so on. I use good old fashioned soap bar ,soap for this . Soak in cold water , rub the soap on, leave free from water for 1/2 hr, lets the soap do it´s work. Then pop into your machine leaving the soap on,and adding your washing powder,I use Areial. Use a 40ºc wash program or even 30ºc, Most stains come out with cold water. When ever you can hang your whites out side in the sun, The sun will bleach your clothes whiter than white , the natural way, also bleach out any of those stuborn stains- When washing colored clothes , turn them outside in, This keep them from fading, and also from picking up any little bit´s of fluff. At least if the material pick´s it up ,it will be on the inside and not on the outside.Also when hanging the colored clothes outside ,turned inside out, the sun will not bleach out the color. Always check the inside of clothing before washing. Normally they tell what temp to wash, I try to use as cold a temp as possible , as it keep´s your clothes softer and lasting longer. Hope I have help you a little. Help is always on hand here. Welcome aboard

Answer 3

Wash white clothes in hot water, light colors in warm water, and dark clothes in cold water. The hot water will shrink clothes. I buy "color catchers" its like a dryer sheet you put in the wash machine to absorb all the color in the water to help prevent fading. To make the clothes soft you will want to use a fabric softener, either a liquid one during the rinse cycle in the washer, or a dryer sheet in the dryer. If you are washing baby clothes dont use any fabric softener. Their clothes are fire resistant, and using softener takes that away. Also with a baby you may one to use a "free" variety of laundry soap, the dyes and perfumes in the can be iritating to their skin. My favorite scented soap is the simple pleasures lavender tide. When you dry your clothes, you will want to do it on a medium heat. Most items can be put in the dryer. You will want to hang dry most Silk's and Wool. You can look on the tag of the clothes to see if you could machine dry them or not. Good luck with the laundry, it gets easier the more you do it!

Answer 4

Be sure to read labels many items have washing instructions.sort laundry into piles of whites, lights, darks,and delicates,Arm & Hammer detergent is cheap,smells great and it works.When in doubt dont dry ,hang it. (example delicates sweaters)Dryer can shrink clothes. When doing Whites and lights add a 1/4 cup oxi clean along with detergent brightens them right up. Water temperature white-hot light- warm darks-cold delicate- cold

Answer 5

i always use liquid detergent! if u have a small baby make sure u get something that unsented just incase of allergies. also getting fabric softner helps keep things softer. always wash shirts with pics and things on them inside out same with jeans! do your colors in cold water and warm water for your light colors! never mix red with anything white or light colored cause the color tends to run! for hanging clothes on the line use lighter colors cause they tend to fade on the line and u wont notice it as much on lighter fabrics if u do want to hang out dark fabrics just turn them inside out so it wont make a difference if it fades or not! oh and for best smelling detergent i like the Gain kind! and fleecy fabric softner the vanilla kind! and if u do use powder detergent just put it in b4 your clothes and ull have to use warm water to make sure its broken up if not it leaves white streaks all over your clothes! and if u did want to use just cold water get tide cold water detergent! i do all my washing on the setting warm cold i find that one the best! Good Luck and happy washing!

Answer 6

something I have not mastered yet! (Sadly to say, and Im a woman!!) lol.

I learned the HARD WAY: DO NOT put in every item of clothing all in one cycle....not a good outcome....my clothes got ruined...they changed colors LOL.


Oh and another mistake i did...dont put the powder detergent directly ONTO the clothes...when it came out of the dryer it had white stains from the detergent.

gosh, i need a maid.

Answer 7

flylady.net has info. regarding all household chores in a step by step method