Checklist before you wash

Short answer: Empty the pockets, close zips, turn clothes inside out, sort by colour and check the temperature on the care label. Five steps that take a minute and prevent most accidents in the wash.

Empty the pockets

A forgotten pen, a tissue or a receipt can ruin a whole load. Ink leaves stains, and paper breaks down and settles as small bits of lint on everything else. Put a hand into every pocket before clothes go in the basket or the drum. It is the step most often forgotten. See bamboo underwear for women.

Close the zips

An open zip snags everything else in the drum. The teeth can pull threads in knitwear and thin fabrics that cannot be fixed afterwards. Close every zip fully, and ideally buttons and press studs too. It protects both the garment itself and the rest of the load, and the zip lasts longer as well.

Colours inside out

The outside rubs against the drum and loses colour first. Turn coloured clothes and printed pieces inside out before washing. The inside then takes the wear, and the colour on the outside stays fresh for longer. This matters most for dark colours, where wear quickly shows as pale, dull patches. See bamboo socks.

Sort by colour

Darks and lights should not share a load, especially when something is new. New, strongly coloured clothes can release dye the first few times, and light pieces can turn greyish when washed with dark ones. Keep two baskets, one for darks and one for lights, so the sorting is done before washing day.

Check the label on new pieces

New pieces may need a lower temperature than the rest. Read the care label the first time a new item is washed, and set the temperature for the most delicate piece in the load. Once you know the instructions, next time it can go straight into the right pile. See bamboo sweatshirt for women.

Put delicates in a laundry bag

Thin pieces, underwear and socks benefit from a laundry bag when washed with heavier clothes. The bag protects against zips and buttons and keeps small items together, so they do not vanish in the drum. It is especially useful for underwear with lace or fine details that can easily catch.

Do not fill the drum completely

Clothes need room to move to get properly clean and rinsed. A packed drum means more rubbing between pieces and more creases. A good rule of thumb is that a hand should fit into the drum above the clothes. Better one more load than one that is stuffed full.

One minute that saves trouble

The whole checklist takes about a minute once it becomes a habit. In return, it prevents most of the accidents that ruin clothes in the wash: stains from a forgotten pen, pulled threads from a zip and colour that runs. Go through the steps in the same order each time and it soon happens by itself.

Frequently asked questions

What should you check before a load

Pockets, zips, inside out, colour sorting and the temperature on the care label. It takes a minute and prevents most accidents.

Why close zips

Because an open zip snags everything else in the drum. It can pull threads in knitwear that cannot be fixed afterwards.

When does the care label matter most

On new pieces. They may need a lower temperature than the rest of the load, and only the label tells you.