Disclaimer: I am in no way a professional at really anything but especially not “adulting.”
High school teaches us how to do a lot of things. We know how to label the parts of the cell, how to conjugate verbs in a foreign language and how to write a thesis statement. But, with many of us about to be leaving our families to take care of ourselves, there are some skills we all still need to learn.
Sadly, we all will need to do our own laundry eventually. No one wants to show up to classes with a week-old ketchup stain or throw away a brand new white shirt because of a coffee mishap. So today, I decided to sit down with the person who does our laundry–my mom. I’m learning the proper, mom-approved way to do laundry and how to treat some common stains.
To make sure that each piece of clothing stays looking its freshest, you first need to sort your laundry by color. Usually, we sort it into darks, lights and white. In my family, we also do a separate load for warm colors like red, orange, purple and brown because red dye has a tendency to bleed a lot. But you’ll definitely have less laundry than my family of six. The goal is to avoid mixing colors in the wash, because your clothes will start to look dingy and discolored.
Before you do anything, check your clothing tags! Don’t machine wash your grandma’s dry clean only blouse or turn your dad’s favorite wool holiday sweater into Barbie clothes with high heat. For white and dark loads, high heat is usually safe. Delicate fabrics and pastel colors should be washed and dried in a cold setting. Bleach should only be used for white laundry, but isn’t recommended for every load because it can make white fabric yellow over time. Constant use can also rust your washing machine.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed when looking at a washing machine because there are so many buttons, but the standard setting should be enough to get most everything clean. Just be sure not to overfill your washer or there won’t be enough room for the clothes to move around and come clean.
At some time in our lives, we’ve all endured the experience of jean shopping. Jeans are EXPENSIVE and trying to find a pair of denim that fits perfectly is nearly impossible. So when you find a pair you love, it’s so important to make them last. I did a little research on the web and found that to keep jeans nice and protect the fibers from shrinking, jeans shouldn’t be machine dried unless absolutely necessary. They should be hung up to air dry to maximize their longevity, color and comfort. I’ve done this for the past few years and my jeans have lasted really well.
Now comes the fun part of laundry–stains! Stains are inevitable and always sneak up in the least convenient times, like on the way to a job interview or important meeting. For grease, grass stains and light food stains, a little Spray ‘n Wash is enough to do the trick. Just spray a little on the stained area, rub it in well and run it through the wash as usual.
For more potent stains like tomato-based foods, it’s important to spray the clothes as soon as possible for the best chance of getting it out. Another stain you’ll probably face is the dreaded blood stain. These are actually super easy to remove with just some cold water and a little hand soap. Blood can be cleaned out of clothing quickly, without running a full load of laundry.
One last stain that a lot of students struggle with (me included, just ask my favorite pair of jeans) is ink stains. Maybe it’s just me, but I get pen ink on my clothes a lot. I read online that the easiest way to get ink out of fabric is with rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab. To test this method out, I drew with a pen and a Sharpie on a piece of scrap fabric I had lying around. I applied some rubbing alcohol for about one minute and almost all of the red pen and most of the sharpie came out. After rinsing the fabric, every last trace of the red pen was gone, but the sharpie stain was still fairly dark. Overall, I think that this method really only removes the pen, but it can also make a permanent stain a little less noticeable. With any stain, check as soon as the clothes come out of the wash that the stain is out. DO. NOT. DRY. STAINED. CLOTHING. You’ll set the stain in the fabric and make it almost impossible to get out.
Once the stain has been treated with any of these methods, the article should be washed. When washing clothes, be careful to read the instructions on your detergent. One way that a lot of people waste money on laundry is by using more detergent than is needed. Not only can this hurt your pocket, it also can leave nasty stains and residue on your clothes.
One other honorable mention is the importance of checking your pockets. No one wants to watch their left AirPod spin around and around to its demise or melt their retainer to the inside of their hoodie pocket. That would be highly unfortunate. Just give your jeans a little shake and check that your personal belongings aren’t hitching a ride. Sadly, even if you follow all these tips, you’ll probably still make a few mistakes. The most important thing to remember is that your mom has too. Even if she claims to be a pro.
