Laundry: How Big of a Load Can I Do?

Big Loads! Huge Loads! Even small to medium loads do well in front load machines.

However, (you knew that was coming, didn't you?) front load washers like for you to separate the clothes into like items. Such as, all towels, all jeans, heavy colors, lightweight colors, whites, you get the idea. That doesn't mean you have to be as particular about it as I am. I am obsessive about sorting.

Big Loads: Really need to be judged by the size of the tub on your machine. Mine has a 4.5 cubic foot tub. That means I can do 10 to 12 pair of adult jeans per load and have it do a really nice job.

Huge Loads: Towel loads can get pretty big around our house. My biggest complaint about towel loads is that they take forever to fold and put away! But the rule of thumb for me is, if the door doesn't pop back open when I close it, I can do that load. If it does then something has to come out. Now that's for towels. Other things you don't want to get quite so carried away.

For a front load machine, if you can get your fist in the center of the clothes in the machine, you have just about the perfect load. It will be full but not jam packed.

Small Loads: The biggest thing to remember for small loads is to use the appropriate cycle. For top loaders it's not so critical, but front load machines it really is. Even a single item that is not delicate can be washed on delicate. The delicate cycle is made for small loads and single items. Use it that way.

Now for sorting. Sorting to me is the most important thing you do when doing laundry.

Towels: A load unto themselves, small or large load, only towels. Towels are lint givers. They will deposit as much lint as they can on other things.

Jeans: Should be washed together for the simple reason that they fade into everything else. They are not colorfast. Have you ever gotten a white sock in with the jeans? Only to never have it get white again? Jeans are also heavy weights. If you wash 3 pair of jeans and 3 t-shirts you will most likely end up with an off balance load. The machine will have a hard time spinning all the water out. (Top load or front load!)

Colors: I can usually get all my colors in one load. My husband, Ron, wears uniforms, so he doesn't contribute to the colors load very much. But in the winter I wear several layers, so sometimes the loads get separated into sweatshirts and heavy things or lightweight items. Otherwise I wash them all together. And of course I separate out the new colors to be washed by themselves. Reds are always washed a couple of times by themselves.

I don't buy things that need to be "washed separately" or "dry clean only" or anything like that. Today's machines are so much better at doing those kinds of things than any washer ever used to be. There are all kinds of cycles now that can do those things without worrying about them being damaged. Read your book that comes with the washer or ask your dealer. (or call or write me)

Today's fabrics are so varied, from natural fibers to synthetics. Some are lint catchers and some are lint givers. That "pilling" you get on things is usually because you have washed a lint giver with a lint catcher. Pilling will still happen but not as fast or as much if you will separate the two. Pilling also comes from friction. Maybe I will save that for another post.

Whites (usually meaning socks and underwear): I'm going to be blunt here. Those of you who have been married or living together for a while will know what I mean. Our blue collar workers can be disgusting. White Collar workers can be just as bad. I do not wash my husbands underwear with my bra's. I always have 2 loads of whites. My lightly soiled white shirts and underthings in a quick load. Then everything else in a long sanitary cycle. (My machine has a cycle called "Sanitary". It starts with hot water from the water heater and heats it up even more to 160 degrees. It is supposed to kill all of the little "germs" that we don't want all over everything else.)

Bedding: Sheets should be their own load. A sanitary cycle is really good for doing bedding. It gets rid of all the body oils and soils without having to use bleach or harsh detergents. The high temperature is not as hard on things as it sounds. My sheets are 100% cotton and they don't shrink.

In the end though a load of laundry is a load of laundry. No matter how you sort it. No matter the size. Some of us are short on time and just throw it in. With a front load machine you will save yourself enough time though to do some of these things. It is an investment up front, but pays big in the long run. Save yourself time, water and energy, detergent and the all important MONEY!