How to do Laundry
Name: ____________________
A quick and easy tutorial!
5 Steps to Clean Clothes!
_______________your materials
Separate & evaluate your clothes
Wash your clothes
Dry your _______________
Fold your clothes
**Step 1
Gather
Materials
Quarters (if you don’t have a _______________machine at your house)
Each load will usually take between $_______________$_______________ (per machine)
Detergent
Two kinds…bottles (liquid) or boxes (powder)
Really no difference between the two…liquid may be
_______________messy but slightly more _______________
STOP!!!
Watch out for detergents that may cause an _______________!!
Still Gathering…
Bleach
Used to make your _______________brighter
Use ONLY with WHITE colored clothing
They now have “color-safe bleaching action” in some detergents
So…which bleach is the best? _______________found that
Tide with bleach alternative came in 1st
Followed by Cheer and then Arm & Hammer
Fabric Softener
Eliminates _______________cling
Makes clothes soft
Two forms
Liquid…added during the _______________cycle
Sheet…added during the dry cycle
Please note that liquid fabric softener is _______________from
liquid detergent…if you use this form of softener you must also
use _______________!!!
Examples…Bounce, Downy, Snuggles

Name: ____________________
Last thing to grab!
Laundry Basket
If your classy…buy a plastic heavy-duty basket or a nice
_______________bag
If your not…a pillowcase will work too!
Now you are ready to begin!!!
**Step 2
Separate
and Evaluate Your Clothes
Preparation is _______________!!!
Evaluate your dirty clothes to see how many _______________should be
done
Separate your clothes by _______________
Sorting
_______________
Basic t-shirts, white socks, sheets, pillowcases and other plan white
clothing/linens
_______________
Everything from pastels to striped or patterned whites
A white item with enough color (logo/pattern) to make you think doesn’t
fit with the whites
_______________
Dark socks, shirts, all jeans, dark pants
Newly dark clothing should be washed alone first
_______________
Wool garments, sweaters, satin, undergarments
These can be washed in a machine but hand-washing is usually better.
Why separate?
Separating helps protect the _______________and _______________of your
garment
Should an accident occur the damage cannot be undone!
What would happen if a red sock got mixed into white towels?
Look at the _______________
What to evaluate?
Pockets
Are they _______________?
Zippers
Are they _______________? (This prevents snagging)
Ties (hoodies/drawstrings/etc)
Name: ____________________
Should be _______________to prevent losing them or getting them tangled
**Step 3
Wash
This
is the easy part
_______________any visible stains
Select your cycle
Add your detergent to the machine
Setting Your Machine
Some require you to set the _______________ (of the water) others ask you to
set a _______________
WHITES
“_______________” cycle…vigorous agitation, hot water rinse
LIGHTS & DARKS
“_______________” or “_______________”…mild agitation, extra cool
water rinse
cool water protects the colors
DELICATES
“_______________” or “_______________” cycle…extremely short and
gentle agitation spin cycle
A last few tips…
When in doubt…read the care label!
A typical cycle takes _______________minutes
2 problems that arise
Overloading the machine
Fill the machine ½ to ¾ full
Using too much detergent
Only use the full amount if you have a full load…use your
judgment for the rest
smaller loads = _______________
**Step 4
Drying
your nice clean clothes
Clean the _______________filter
Add fabric softener/dryer sheets
Unload clothes from washer…shake them a little
_______________stains…the heat in the dryer will bake it in!
Name: ____________________
More drying…
Overloading…why is this a problem
Most cycles last _______________minutes
Jeans/towels take _______________
Take light cotton items out early to avoid wrinkles
Dry for too long=_______________!!!
Hang delicates to dry
Helps them maintain shape
**Step 5
Folding…the
last task!
Begin immediately…avoids _______________
Don’t hang sweaters (they will lose shape and take the form of the
hanger)
_______________button down shirts
CUT HERE
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CUT HERE
Your Homework:
Your homework for this weekend is to do 1 (ONE) load of laundry (wash and dry) and
iron 2 (TWO) articles of clothing.
This is what I would like you to hand in on TUESDAY November 7th …
A detailed description of what you did.
+You will need to write it out (step by step) as if I have NEVER done
either task before!
This form completed & signed by a parent/guardian and yourself…
I ____________________ witnessed my child ____________________ doing laundry and
ironing. I verify that s/he did both tasks with minimal help from me. I was, however,
there to oversee the process and help with any questions. I promise that I did not do
the laundry/ironing for my child.
X____________________________
(signature of parent/guardian) Aa
I ____________________ promise that I washed/dried the laundry and ironed two
clothing articles on my own.
X____________________________
(signature of student) aaaaaaa