This seems intuitive, but it's more difficult than most people think. Sort laundry based on cleaning instructions, type of laundry, and color.Make sure that you are only washing dirty clothes, as unnecessary washing of clean clothes can shorter their life.   Set aside any dry-clean only articles of clothing. Group together any delicates or cold-wash only clothing. Group towels and heavy linens. Separate the rest of your clothes into whites and dark or colored groups. Turn T-shirts inside out to prevent the outside from wearing out and fading.  This is especially important with graphic tees. Now that your clothes are sorted you are almost ready to start washing. Review cleaning instructions for whichever group of laundry you want to begin with. Pre-treat any stained items with a stain removing spray or pen. Add detergent and fabric softener (if desired) to the washing machine. Some washing machines have various preset cycles. If yours does, select the cycle that applies to your group of clothes. If yours does not, follow cleaning instructions on the tags of your clothes and follow a few guidelines.  Delicates and cold-wash only clothing need cold water and a gentle spin cycle. Towels and linens can generally tolerate a warmer temperature and heavy spin cycle. Whites will get cleanest using hot water, making it ideal unless any whites are not pre-shrunk.  Hot water can cause some color bleeding for dark or bright colors, so use warm or cold water. This step is simple. Close the lid or door and press start! Be sure to observe the wash time - you'll want to dry your laundry quickly after washing it, lest it start to become stale. Never wash the clothes marked as ‘Dry Clean Only’ at home, as these delicate clothes/ fabrics may lose their color, shine, texture or embellishments on washing. Ones marked ‘Dry Clean First Wash’ should be given to professional cleaners the first time. Subsequently, you can wash them, using detergents meant for delicate clothes and tepid/ cold water. Give them to professional and trusted dry cleaners for ‘petrol wash’. Ethnic clothes like heavily embroidered Lehengas, delicate sarees and silk kimonos must not be washed/ dry cleaned frequently.
Sort your laundry. Get ready to wash. Choose your wash cycle. Wash your clothes. Know what to do for clothes that cannot be washed at home.