Keep It Clean

Unless you want your clothes to get really funky — and we're not talking about fashion here — you have to do laundry on a regular basis. Your friends and neighbors will all be a lot happier if you do. If you've never done your own before, or if you need a brushup on good techniques, here are the basics you need to know to do laundry right. Keep 'em separated You probably know that your bright reds can't go in the washing machine with your white undershirts — but in case you don't, here's the first thing you need to know about doing laundry: separate your clothes according to color. Sarah Grubb, a senior from Lindenwood University in Missouri says she separates her reds from the lights (whites, yellows) and darks (blacks, dark blues). Reds are more likely than any other colors to invade clothes of other colors. Another important group to separate from your general laundry pile are clothes that need to be drycleaned. "Separate your drycleaning by looking at the tags," says laundry expert Vicki White (okay, she's my mom, but did my laundry for a long time). If you don't separate the dry clean only stuff, "Your clothes will be destroyed; they will crumple up and fall apart," she says. You can also separate by water temperature. Whites go in hot water, dark heavy clothes like jeans go in warm, and your nice blouses and buttonup shirts should go in cold. Drying off While you may think throwing as many clothes as possible in the dryer saves money, don't fall into this trap. You might end up hurting your duds, and you'll probably have to dry them again. Most washing machines tell you one washer load equals one dryer load, but keep in mind that one toofull washer load is a toofull dryer load., gives you a couple tips: "Shorten drying time by doing one load immediately after the other," says Janet Sobesky, an editor with Woman's Day Magazine. "The dryer will already be hot when the second load goes in." To reduce wrinkling, Sobesky adds, load the dryer no more than halffull. And even though it's nasty, roll up your sleeves and grout out the lint trap, which is right inside the dryer door. Do it before every dryer load because your clothes won't get as dry if the lint trap is full. Choose your weapon Picking detergent and fabric softener is overwhelming — there are a lot of choices. Mom recommends Wisk for stain removal. (Don't forget to soak your clothes to eradicate stains before you put them in the washer, and especially if they're delicate, wash them by hand.) You also must choose between powder and liquid detergents, but really it's a matter of personal preference and budget. If you look on the back of the product, you may gain more insight as to what would be best for a particular fabric. Fabric softeners will make you clothes smell fresher, and of course, make them softer. They will also help take the static out of your clothes, which can be especially problematic in cold winter weather. Mom recommends Downy. More on Stains Woman's Day reminds you when removing stains to put the stain side of the garment face down on a clean paper towel, and apply the stain remover to the garment's backside. Also, "force the stain off, not through, the fabric," says Janet Donohue, a spokesperson for the Soap and Detergent Association. Stain removal is about the most difficult you'll have to master, so don't be scared of laundry. Just do it — and do it often. Nick White once washed red socks with a white linen shirt. It wasn't pretty. He knows better now.