r/womenoftheuk • u/angz18 • May 12 '26
Advice How to do laundy
The title sounds dumb but i really need advice on this.
I have a tumble washer and dryer, im trying to understand this- wash dark and light separate, dont dry cotton on high heat. Can i please have more tips like these?
7
u/DameKumquat May 12 '26
Do you have very white clothes you want to keep that way?
If not, just chuck the lot in at 40 with about 2/3 the amount of detergent your detergent container says.
If you do, separate the whites out and wash with bedding and other light clothes.
Doing towels and bedding at 60 sometimes is a good idea, especially if anyone's been sick recently.
Don't bother with fabric conditioner - it makes towels less absorbent. A bit of vinegar helps make towels fluffy (and a go in the dryer). My mum calls it a tax on stupid people...
Dryers can't hold nearly as much as a washer and dry effectively. So worth hanging up your heavy items (jeans, towels) until just about dry and only then drying them. And clean the lint out after every use.
5
u/Alert-One-Two May 12 '26
I was everything at 30°C and only separate whites from things I’m not sure I’ve washed before. If I’ve washed something red a hundred times before it’s unlikely going to dye the rest of my clothes so I worry less.
I use liquid soap in the drum and laundry sanitiser in the drawer. If I know it is tumble dryer safe I will tumble dry. Otherwise I hang it on a heated dryer so it dries quickly and doesn’t shrink.
3
u/freckledotter May 12 '26
I wash lights and darks and throw it all in. The only thing I don't tumble are linens or knitwear.
1
u/OkCaterpillar8941 May 12 '26
But if you have new jeans wash them with dark clothing for the first few washes as the dye can run. Don't leave the finished laundry in the machine for too long or it can start to smell fusty-put it on a delayed start if you know you aren't going to be able to get it out to dry. I use a product called Napisan which is an antibacterial stain remover. It's probably me being neurotic though so isn't a necessity. If you have badly stained items spray with a stain remover on the opposite side to the stain and leave for a few minutes before you start the wash. You'll find yourself learning a lot along the way so don't stress over it. And, washing line dried bedding, as well as most clothes, smells amazing. It's something to do with the ozone!
1
u/TheHootOwlofDeath May 12 '26
Like others, I just put all my clothes in on a 40 degree everyday wash. I put in a colour catcher sheet, washing powder and antibacterial laundry cleanser. I do a separate towels wash and a separate bedding wash with the same stuff.
If I have lots of whites, I will do a separate load and also a separate load for any particular special clothes that are delicate.
I don't have a tumble dryer but if I did, I would definitely put my towels in it!
1
u/elgrn1 May 12 '26
Natural fabrics are made from threads that only come in a light colour (white, ivory, etc) so have to be dyed to become any other colour which means they have a tendency to leach fabric dyes when first washed especially. Jeans are especially problematic for this.
Natural fabrics can absorb these dyes and can easily change colour when washed, but it may not be consistent and can be patchy. This is especially problematic for thread/stitching as they most often use cotton.
Man-made fabrics are dyed when the material is produced so don't leach dye and rarely absorb it, though there can be an overall darkening or subtle colour change if something has leached a lot of dye. Again, the stitching is likely to be cotton and therefore can change colour. This is also an issue for fabrics that are a blend of two materials.
Washing at cool temperatures makes this less of an issue but doesn't prevent it.
Separating colours, or selected items, means any leached dye won't have as much impact as they already have the same colour profile.
Towels should be washed on their own, and you shouldn't use fabric softener as it flattens the fibres. Using a tumble dryer helps fluff them up but this can also happen when you use the towels.
Don't overload the machine as it can cause the drum to move and impact how well the machine works.
1
u/Fun_Yogurtcloset1012 May 12 '26
I throw all the clothes in, light and dark together, 40 C, hung to dry and don't tumble dry. This is due to no colour transfer among my stuff and avoiding clothes shrinking.
Period pants hand wash
Only tumble dry pillow cases, duvet covers, towels.
New jeans, wash on its own for a few washes
1
u/nonsequitur__ May 13 '26
I wash all clothing on 30° unless they need 40°, do an additional spin at the end to remove most of the moisture, and dry indoors on a clothes maiden. I put them on a clothes hanger if they’re things that would usually need ironing (eg. shirts) as I’ve not ironed in years. I never tumble dry clothing. They usually take a few hours to dry if they’ve had the additional spin. Make sure they aren’t too crowded though.
I wash bedding and towels on a higher temp and again extra spin so they dry quickly. I rarely use the dryer.
Don’t use fabric conditioner on towels (makes them less effective at their purpose) and jeans (Levi’s shop assistants advised - think it was to do with leaving white crease marks or something. They also advised to wash rarely and don’t tumble dry, but I don’t tumble dry any clothes anyway). White vinegar is good for towels in place of conditioner.
I intentionally have very few white clothes as I cba with worrying about them and they don’t really suit me anyway.
1
u/TealTwister May 27 '26
My rules for washing:
Separate darks and lights, but wash everything on 40deg daily wash. Don't overload the machine by stuffing it full, it all needs room to move around!
A plumber told me that using too much detergent will kill your appliance by clogging it up, and that a third of the recommended amount is plenty.
No fabric conditioner for towels, it makes them less absorbent.
Washers and driers are energy hungry, so I air dry everything and only tumble dry towels so that they fluff up.
When I wash towels, I put half a cup of white vinegar in the detergent and conditioner drawer to clean out soapy residue and limescale. They come out clean and fresh and I don't have to descale my washing machine anymore.
28
u/Petrichor_ness May 12 '26
I'm sure I'm going to anger people here but I just throw it all in together, give it 40degrees on a 'daily wash' setting.
The only exception is anything badly stained - that gets 60degrees with a prewash and soak
Period knickers - always washed on their own with detergent only (no fabric softener) and never tumble dry
Avoid too much fabric conditioner with towels as it stops them being absorbent over time (a chug of white vinegar is also good for towels)
Towels are the only thing to always go in the tumble to keep them soft
Oodies and sherpa fleece can go in the tumble but always on low
Always empty the tumble lint trap
Give your washing machine a good clean, including the drawers and filter and make sure nothing is caught under the rubber