How To Do Laundry Properly

Laundry is an important part of our daily lives, from washing to wearing. Whether you’ve had the same laundry routine for years, or you’ve never done a load of laundry in your life, follow these tips to do your laundry the Downy way.

1. Assemble the right tools for the job

Choose the right laundry products for dark and light fabrics.

Before you separate dark clothes from light and delicate fabrics from rough, you need to have the right laundry products to get the job done. We suggest the following:

2. Sort your colors

Use warm or hot water for heavily soiled whites

Separate darks from lights and delicate fabrics from more durable garments. When in doubt use cold water, especially for dark clothes to avoid shrinking, fading, and bleeding of dyes. Using cold water saves energy and resources, too. For heavily soiled whites or light colors, however, warm or hot water may be the best bet.

3. Pretreat stains

Pretreat the stains with Tide to go Instant stain remover before doing laundry

The sooner you address splotches and spills, the more successful you’ll be getting them out. Keep Tide To Go Instant Stain Remover with your laundry supplies to dab dirt, grease, and other spills away before they set. Just make sure stains are gone (rewashing may be necessary) before putting clothing in the dryer, as the heat will set the stain and make it harder to remove.

4. Prep clothes

Get clothes ready for the washer and dryer by closing zippers, hooks, and snaps, and fastening any Velcro closures. Unbutton all buttons (button holes can tear in the washer). Empty pockets and turn them inside out. Make sure socks aren’t bunched up, and unroll cuffs on pants and shorts. Tie any sashes or bows to prevent tangling. Put delicate items, such as lingerie and fine knitwear, in a zippered mesh bag.

5. Choose the perfect Tide detergent

Choose the right laundry detergent based on your laundry needs

Tide has a range of detergents to choose from, so consider your specific laundry needs. Do you want your colors to stay true? Do you want to avoid dyes and perfumes? Or do you want to fight sports-related stains and odors? No matter what your situation, we suggest using a Tide Detergent for all of your laundry needs. Read the usage instructions on the label to ensure you use the product correctly.

6. Protect against odors with Fresh Protect

Add Downy Fresh Protect to protect clothes against odor

If you want laundry that stays fresh all day, add Downy Fresh Protect to neutralize bad odors as you move through your day—it’s like a deodorant for your clothes.

7. Add Downy Fabric Conditioner

Know how to use downy with your top and font load washing machine and add the right amount during wash cycle

While detergent cleans and Fresh Protect neutralizes odors, Downy softens, freshens and protects clothes. Top loaders and front loaders behave differently, so first, check out how to use Downy with your washer. Downy conditions your clothes, not only softening, but also protecting them from stretching, fading, and fuzz.

8. Fight static cling with a dryer sheet

Use Downy Dryer sheets to fight against static cling

Determine which items can go in the dryer and which need to hang-dry. Add your machine-dryable clothes to the dryer, then place a Downy Dryer Sheet on top of them. Not only will using a Downy Dryer Sheet help fight static cling, but it also will help add even more softness and freshness to your finished laundry.

9. See 7 tips for doing laundry the Downy way