Doing Laundry

Remember to always read the garment label before trying.

 Sort Your Washables

Wash loads should be a mixture of small and large items made of similar fabrics and colors. One red sock, which isn't colorfast, in a white load could produce a load full of pinks.

Most clothes fall into one of four color categories: whites, pastels, neutrals, and darks. Whites are best cleaned in hot water. However, whites and pastels can be washed together if washed in warm water. Neutrals can be done in warm or cold water. And dark clothes look best if washed in cold water, to prevent fading.

Set Your Controls

Adjust your washing machine's water level to match your load size. Then select the cycle. Most clothes use the normal setting. Be sure to adjust the setting for permanent press, delicate or sheer items.

Permanent Press is a special finish or fiber blend garment manufacturers use in clothing. It works with the Permanent-Press cycle to help prevent wrinkles.

Select the Right Water Temperature

Hot water is best for whites, colorfast items, heavily soiled clothes, or greasy stains. Warm water works for permanent press and other 100-percent synthetic fibers, blends of natural and synthetic fibers and moderately soiled items.

Cold water will keep most colorfast clothes from running and minimize the shrinking of washable woolens. Cold water is also good for lightly soiled clothing and clothes stained with blood, wine or coffee (these stains may set if washed in hot or warm water)

Measure and Pour

Follow the directions on the back label of your detergent. Fill the cap to the fill line using slightly more for dirty clothes, larger loads, hard water or cold-water washes and slightly less for lightly soiled or small loads.

Add detergent as the washer fills with water, and then add clothes. Don't pack items into the washer, clothes should move freely for the best cleaning.

Soften Your Load

Fabric softeners give fabrics a softer feel and help reduce static cling (particularly useful for synthetics and permanent-press items). Liquid fabric softeners should be added to the final rinse cycle for enhanced softening.

Place softener sheets on top of wet laundry in the dryer to reduce static cling. We recommend Snuggle Fabric Softener. (Do Laundry Steps provided courtesy Wisk Laundry Detergent)