To wash clothes using a washing machine, you follow a few key steps involving preparation, loading, adding detergent, selecting settings, and starting the machine.
Preparation: Sorting Your Laundry
Before you even open the washing machine door, proper sorting is essential to prevent color bleeding and ensure clothes are washed effectively.
- Separate your clothes into piles:
- #1 Whites
- #2 Light colors
- #3 Dark colors
- Wash each pile separately. This ensures whites stay bright, and colors don't transfer onto other garments.
Washing Steps
Once your laundry is sorted into separate piles, you are ready to begin the washing process for one pile at a time.
Here are the basic steps:
- Put clothes in the machine. Add one sorted pile of laundry into the drum. Avoid overloading the machine, as this can prevent clothes from getting clean and can damage the machine.
- Put in detergent. Add the appropriate amount of laundry detergent to the designated dispenser or directly into the drum, following the detergent packaging instructions.
- Select water temperature. Choose the water temperature setting that is suitable for the fabric type and color of the load you are washing (e.g., hot for whites, warm for lights, cold for darks or delicates).
- Turn machine on. Close the door securely and start the washing machine by selecting the wash cycle and pressing the start button.
Following these steps will allow you to effectively use a washing machine to clean your clothes based on common practices.
