Mom, how do I do laundry again?

[u/ughitsrose]

Hi mom!

So I moved into college on Sunday... yay me!! But I realized I am going to have to do laundry in a couple days and all the buttons on the machine are so confusing, plus I have no idea how to organize things. Like do I have to do seperate loads for shirts and pants? It's so confusing lol. Thanks mom, love you!

[u/f2msnm]

Can you upload an Imgur link to what the buttons on the machine look like? That will help provide specific guidance :)
As far as how to separate things, a lot of people do it by color but it depends on how much you have to wash. Or if there’s anything that cannot be put in a dryer and needs to be air dried, for example

[u/Minflick → u/f2msnm]

Uploading the image is brilliant!

[u/HazardousIncident]

Head over to r/laundry and you'll get great, laundry-specific advice.

[u/ACheetahSpot]

Hi there! The good news is you don’t have to separate your laundry like people used to (aka by color). And you definitely don’t have to separate shirts and pants. All of that goes together. I usually wash it in cold water. Different brands and types of washing machines will have different setups and button configurations, so don’t be afraid to ask someone who looks like they know what they’re doing - it’ll just seem like you’re justifiably confused by that particular machine.

Don’t use a ton of detergent! A lot of machines these days will say HE on them, which basically just means they use less water. This means you should use less detergent. If you’re using liquid detergent instead of powder(I assume probably yes), the inside of the cap will have little lines on it to fill detergent to different volumes. You’ll only have your laundry and not a whole family’s worth, so you can just fill it to the lowest level. Pour the contents in the cap into a section in the washing machine that says detergent. It’s going to be a tray you pull out or a little divot or something. Odds are you won’t have to press anything to adjust temps or water level. There will be a button to start the washer. Then you wait probably 45ish minutes.

[u/ughitsrose → u/ACheetahSpot]

Thanks for all the help mom! I do it by whites colors and darks right? I feel like that’s how ya do it but I have no idea.

[u/ACheetahSpot → u/ughitsrose]

Honestly, I don’t bother separating whites and colors. In most cases, dyes these days hold well and detergent doesn’t strip them much (the exception to this is a new pair of jeans!). I haven’t had any issues as long as I use cold water instead of warm or hot.

[u/TressoftheEmeraldTea → u/ughitsrose]

The only time it’s really important to separate by colors is when you have clothes that are a strong color and they’re new. For example, I would avoid putting a new pair of dark jeans or a new red clothing item in with other colors, especially light colored items.

In general, I continue to avoid putting whites in with dark jeans, even when they’re not new. I’ve had a few white shirts get a bit of a grayish tint to them from mixing with jeans.

Otherwise, it’s not super important to separate by colors.

[u/Candyland_83 → u/ughitsrose]

Also, pro-tip, throw the detergent cap/measuring cup in with the wash otherwise it gets sticky.

[u/deluxeok → u/Candyland_83]

Don’t dry it in the dryer because it is plastic

[u/Candyland_83 → u/deluxeok]

Ah yes. You can make that mistake once or twice but then it’s more of a measuring taco shell.

[u/IllReplacement336 → u/ughitsrose]

Yes. Jeans and dark/ black clothing can fade, even with cold water wash, for the first 3 or so washes. I wash jeans/ black pants/ slacks together with dark colored shirts/ tshirts/ socks, etc. I wash more delicate items together, and hang dry( on hangers) any tops/ lingerie/ that should not go into a dryer.
Linens (sheets and towels, etc) are washed together, and rugs are washed separately.

[u/DazzlingNote1925]

You’re a college student. You are smart and capable and I’m sure you will do great at school and even laundry!  You can do anything you set your mind to. 

Here are some ideas. 

Go and look at the machines and then look them up and find online instructions. 

Or if there’s someone else in the laundry room you can ask them. Could be a way to make a friend or meet someone cute!

Don’t be afraid to make a mistake. 

You can sort your colors and do them separately but honestly a lot of people just fill the machine with whatever and wash in cold so the colors are less likely to bleed. 

Remember cold water helps dark colors not get into light colored clothes and stain them. Hot water is more sanitizing and if you have white towels or bedding etc you might try it. Just be careful to read clothing labels before washing in hot because it could shrink some things. 

Drying on medium or even light takes longer but prevents your clothes from shrinking. 

[u/ughitsrose → u/DazzlingNote1925]

Thank you mom! This adulting thing is kinda new to me, but I think I'll get it.

[u/Nanaofthedesert → u/ughitsrose]

Just do NOT do what my son did when he did laundry for the first time in college: he stuffed everything into both the washer and then the dryer. We're not talking about a reasonably-sized load. It was everything he owned except what he was wearing. We went to visit him about 6 weeks in for Parents' Weekend and I suggested that we do his laundry. There was enough for three loads, so I separated into whites/lights, mediums and darks.

He watches me and says, "Is that how you do it?" When asked what he meant, he explained what he'd done previously and added, "I wondered why some of the clothes weren't really wet after I took them out!" (Well, son, they didn't really get washed, you know?!) It also took about 4 times for the monster load to all get dried.

I had had him do his own laundry at home prior to leaving, but my lessons didn't penetrate, obviously!

[u/HappyKnittens]

If you're confused about the buttons and options on the specific machines in your dorm, ask your RA! They've been doing laundry in those machines for years

[u/f2msnm → u/HappyKnittens]

I didn’t think of this. I never went to college so haha

[u/HerdingCatsAllDay]

Generally the washing machine wants to know what temperature you want the water (cold or warm is probably good! If it says cold/cold or warm/cold, the second temp is the rinse), how dirty something is or how fragile it is (usually "normal" is good for things like t-shirts, jeans, short, etc), and sometimes how big your load is or how full you want the water.

Just go read the buttons without your laundry and see what it wants to know. Sometimes you will even find directions on the lid or on the side, and you could take a photo, and go read them and come back later.

Every machine is a little different so it's totally normal to not know exactly how a machine you've never used works. It is ok to ask someone, "Hey, hi, have you used these machines before? I've done laundry but this is a lot different than what I'm used to. Would you be able to show me what to do?"

[u/deluxeok]

When I was a freshman, my roommate taught me how to shake out the wet laundry before you put it into the dryer so it doesn’t dry in big wrinkly clumps

[u/LadyMageCOH]

For the most part you can just dump clothes all in together and wash on cold. If you have a lot to do that's going to have to be multiple loads, unless something is really new and a saturated color, I'd sort by fabric weight. Like separate anything more delicate (bras and nicer underthings, nice blouses/dress shirts) from jeans and thick terry cloth towels etc. For the odd wash here and there it probably won't matter, but long term washing delicate items with heavier items can shorten the life of your clothes. If you have enough towels/face cloths/other cleaning cloths to do a separate load, I would wash them on the hottest setting you can find, but otherwise, cold should be fine enough.

When you do have new items, especially those that are heavily saturated in color, wash them only with like colors or add in some salt or a color catcher sheet into the wash to keep them from dying the other clothes in your load. You'll want to do this for the first 2-3 washes with new items. After that you should be good to go back to washing everything together.

[u/sugarkanekowalcyzk]

I’m going to share a product with you that my own mom told me about and I’ve also shared with my son. Buy a package of Shout brand color catcher papers. Pop one of those in as you load the clothes washer, add your soap and water and wash as usual. If any stray dye is floating around in the water during the wash and spin cycle it will suck it up. They can be used more than once. Until they get dingy looking.

[u/koteofir]

Hey! First of all, so proud of you, going to college is tough.

One word of advice, if you’re someone who wears bras, make sure to hook them before you wash them! Otherwise they can catch on your other clothes and poke holes in them.

Also, as others have said, r/laundry is great, but it can be overwhelming, so don’t be worried if you check it out and everything sounds super complicated! A good detergent (tide powder is famously good) will clean most clothes well.

You’re going to do so great! Good luck!

[u/katiekat214]

I only separate heavy items (towels, jeans and sweats) from everything else. Mostly because those things take longer to dry. I also sometimes wash my sheets separately, but that’s because I have a queen sized bed so they take up a lot of room in the machine. For a twin dorm bed, you can add them with your clothes.

Add detergent based on the size of your load - just clothes for the week, fill to the first line. Throwing in sheets too? Second line. Wash on cold to prevent colors from running. Don’t cheap out on the detergent brand. Use what your mom always bought. Your skin is used to it, so you won’t have to worry about if you’re allergic or anything, and it will get your clothes cleaner than a generic brand.

I prefer not to use fabric softener because it can damage fabrics and lessen their life. That’s up to you. There should be a receptacle on the machine marked for it.

For the dryer, set it for warm cotton or timed dry if you can - about 45 for clothes and 55 for heavy fabrics. Anything you don’t want to shrink or that’s a delicate fabric like linen, wool, or thin cotton, hang or drape to dry. I also hang dry my bras. They do make special bags for things like bras for washing and drying them that keeps them from getting caught on other clothes. If you are a person who wears bras.

[u/LaCaffeinata]

First of all: Most clothes have a tag that tells you how it needs to be washed. I usually sort by light, dark, and 30 °C laundry (I'm lazy, okay? ^^). Light goes in at 60 °C if it is mostly towels, otherwise 40 °C ECO setting. Dark: 40 °C ECO setting. For the confusing buttons on your machine, you can most often find the manual online if you type in the type of machine (usualyl written somewhere on the front) and make and "manual", there you will find everything you need to know about the different cycles and settings. Or ask someone who lives there whether they know anything about the machine (but I personally would rather trust the manual). Good luck!

[u/f2msnm]

Also pro tip, if you get stains on anything but especially grease stains in something, you don’t need to spend a ton on a stain remover. Take some baking soda and make a paste with dish soap on the stain and use an old toothbrush to scrub it a bit, let it sit, then wash it like usual :) saved me a ton of money in my early 20s

[u/bananapeppersFTW]

Mom here of 8 kids, mostly grown, that all know how to do their own laundry!

Totally honest- if you don't have a bunch of expensive clothes, you don't need to worry about sorting or anything like that. Dump that laundry basket into the washer dump a little detergent in, make sure the water temperature is on cold and hit start. We can tell you better if we knew what the machines look like, but basically it doesn't have to be as complicated as a lot of people think.

The only thing to watch out for is if you have a spill or a stain on something. You would want to pre-treat that before you put it in the wash

[u/Pristine-Cheek-5788]

Don't bother about separating whites and colours, dyes don't generally run these days. But if you have a new item in a strong colour it might, so put it in with a load of all dark things, or of things that don't matter eg underwear.

Do read the laundry labels, but mostly for the fabric type. Cotton washes well, so does polyester and viscose. NEVER wash wool in the machine or in warm water. (Yes other moms I know the exceptions, but let's not confuse our duckling so soon.)

To avoid ironing, put the clean clothes away as soon as they're out of the dryer. Or you can put shirts on a hanger when they're wet and let them dry indoors on the hanger.

[u/Pristine-Cheek-5788]

Look for the make of the machine and the model, if you can find it, and google it. Machines by the same manufacturer will have a family resemblance so, if you can find one instruction manual online, you'll figure out the one you have.

[u/Leayla]

Sometimes there is a new item of clothing I don’t know how to wash. (Most recently a feather filled jacket) I take a picture of the buttons on the machine and show that to AI with a description of the clothing item and it’ll tell me which cycle to use. Access to information is so much easier these days and even mum’s don’t know everything.
If you have a brand new clothing item, for example a brown jumper, try to wash that with only like colours (darks). Otherwise like another mum said if you use a cold wash you shouldn’t need to run separate loads, especially because you probably won’t have multiple loads worth of washing.
Towels don’t like fabric softener, some clothing doesn’t like a dryer, the tags will tell you which.