Dirty Labs is now available at Whole Foods Market!
Free standard shipping when you spend $30 or more.
Dirty Labs is now available at Whole Foods Market!
Free standard shipping when you spend $30 or more.
How to Do a Load of Laundry: A Guide

Whether you’ve washed laundry for years, or are about to wash your clothes for the first time, we could all probably stand to learn a thing or two about how to launder our clothes the correct way. In fact, everyone likely has a funny story to tell about turning their white socks pink at their first go at the whole thing! Most of us get the general idea, but what follows is a guide that will have you washing your clothes like a pro.
1. Avoid Potential Laundry Mishaps


Be Green where you can: The average household does approximately 400 loads of laundry every year. If you want to be a good environmental steward do the following:

• Switch to an Energy Star horizontal-axis machine. It can save as much as 7,000 gallons of water annually.
• Hang clothes out to dry. Dryers are energy hogs and they emit CO2.
• Use a plant or biobased laundry detergent. Conventional detergents are made from petrochemicals that can pollute our soil and water supply.
• Head to the laundromat since commercial washers & dryers tend to be more efficient than the ones in your home.
2. Know the Proper Load Size
3. Use the Correct Water Temperature
Knowing how to use the correct water temperature helps keep your laundry items clean, while also maintaining their quality. We recommend washing in cold water most of the time since excessive heat can denature fabric fibers. As an added bonus, it’s also more energy efficient to use cold water. Use a cold water optimized formula, which should allow for sufficient cleaning. Additionally, use warmer temperatures for harder to remove stains and hot water for sanitizing.
4. Know How Much Detergent to Use
Most of us are guilty of putting too much detergent in our washing machines. Overdosing can lead to yucky residue on your clothes and washers, which can lead to skin irritations and damage to the washers themselves. Also important: Never, ever pour liquid detergent into your washing machine without measuring first.
So, what is the skinny on how much detergent do you really need? The dosage depends on the size of the load (typically, a medium-size load is considered to be about 6 lbs and a large load is about 10 lbs), the type of washer, and the concentration of the detergent. With that in mind, follow the instructions on each respective detergent.
5. Follow the Proper Loading Order
Using the correct loading order in the laundry process prevents excess soap suds and waste. The correct loading order also minimizes fabric damage that can happen when concentrated detergent sits atop clothing.
Your washing machine lid is typically your first resource for loading laundry properly, so check the instructions there before adding your clothes. If there are no instructions, a good rule of thumb is to add laundry detergent first and then the clothing items. Once you’ve added the detergent and clothing, make sure you start the water cycle immediately.
Special Case: Pretreating a Stain
Before washing laundry loads, it’s best to learn how to pretreat properly since mud or red wine stains on an outfit can get pretty ugly come wash time. To have the best chance at eliminating a stain, time is of the essence. Try pretreating the fabric with detergent right away. And if you don’t have detergent nearby you can try some of your favorite DIY stain removal tricks. The longer a stain hangs around on fabric, the higher the likelihood of it setting in permanently.