[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fVGZ6X-IJfRA3BkpnsjM9uXQdfMpAQsy-RBiJOMZ_nAA":3},{"slug":4,"title":5,"excerpt":6,"category":7,"cover":10,"date":15,"readingMinutes":16,"featured":17,"blocks":18,"seo":399,"publishedAt":403,"updatedAt":404,"alternates":405,"related":518},"how-to-do-laundry-for-beginners","How to Do Laundry for Beginners: Your First Load, Step by Step","How to do laundry for beginners: use the washer, read the care label, sort, and pick temperature and detergent, step by step.",{"slug":8,"name":9},"washing-sorting","Washing & Sorting",{"url":11,"alt":12,"width":13,"height":14},"https:\u002F\u002Fstrapi.milena.marketing\u002Fuploads\u002Fwaesche_waschen_anfaenger_neu_0251b79938.jpg","Lachendes Paar belädt die Waschmaschine, daneben Waschmittel und Wäschekorb",1200,630,"2026-10-02",10,false,[19,27,36,84,88,132,139,200,203,233,267,283,307,329,355,358,384],{"type":20,"body":21},"text",[22],{"type":23,"children":24},"paragraph",[25],{"text":26,"type":20},"Doing laundry as a beginner works best in a fixed order, and then your first load goes smoothly. Here you learn step by step how to use a washer, from the care label to the drying rack. Whether you’re in college, in trade school, in your first apartment or living with roommates, you don’t need any prior knowledge.",{"type":28,"title":29,"tone":30,"body":31},"callout","Quick answer","hint",[32],{"type":23,"children":33},[34],{"text":35,"type":20},"Doing laundry as a beginner takes five steps: read the care label, sort by color and empty the pockets, fill the drum well and dose by the pack, choose the cycle and temperature and start, then hang the laundry up or dry it right away. Normally soiled everyday laundry usually goes in at 86 °F (30 °C) for colors (cold) or 104 °F (40 °C) for whites (warm). The care label always comes first.",{"type":20,"heading":37,"body":38,"id":83},"Care Label Symbols: How to Read Them",[39,43,76],{"type":23,"children":40},[41],{"text":42,"type":20},"Laundry symbols are on the care label, which is usually sewn into the side seam or the neck. US care labels usually give words, often with symbols. Clothes made elsewhere can carry the international ISO 3758 symbols, the system used in Europe and many other countries, which usually come in this order: washing, bleaching, drying, ironing, professional care. Labels from other countries can look different.",{"type":44,"format":45,"children":46},"list","unordered",[47,52,56,60,64,68,72],{"type":48,"children":49},"list-item",[50],{"text":51,"type":20},"Washtub (the symbol that looks like a bucket of water) with a number: the highest allowed temperature in °C. Many labels say cold, warm or hot instead (cold is up to 86 °F \u002F 30 °C, warm up to 111 °F \u002F 44 °C, hot up to 145 °F \u002F 63 °C). Washing cooler is allowed, hotter is not.",{"type":48,"children":53},[54],{"text":55,"type":20},"One bar under the tub: gentle, like the permanent press cycle. Two bars: very gentle, like delicates or wool.",{"type":48,"children":57},[58],{"text":59,"type":20},"Hand in the tub: hand wash only, 104 °F (40 °C) at most.",{"type":48,"children":61},[62],{"text":63,"type":20},"Crossed-out tub: do not wash at all, not even by hand.",{"type":48,"children":65},[66],{"text":67,"type":20},"Crossed-out triangle: do not bleach, so no detergent with bleach.",{"type":48,"children":69},[70],{"text":71,"type":20},"Crossed-out circle in a square: not in the dryer.",{"type":48,"children":73},[74],{"text":75,"type":20},"Iron with dots: the more dots, the hotter you may iron. A circle on its own only concerns professional care.",{"type":23,"children":77},[78,81],{"bold":79,"text":80,"type":20},true,"Rule of thumb: ",{"text":82,"type":20},"The temperature on the label is a limit, not a target.","care-label-symbols-how-to-read-them",{"type":85,"headline":86,"text":87},"app-box","Can’t read the symbols? Just take a photo.","WashGuard detects material and color and checks the care instructions. If something is unclear, you get the safe option.",{"type":20,"heading":89,"body":90,"id":131},"Sorting and Prepping Your Laundry",[91,95,101,105,109],{"type":23,"children":92},[93],{"text":94,"type":20},"To start, sort laundry by color: whites and lights, colors, darks. Delicates like wool and silk go separately. One red sock among the white laundry is enough, and the shirt comes out pink. Wash new dark or red items on their own or only with the same color the first few times, because they can still bleed dye.",{"type":23,"children":96},[97,99],{"bold":79,"text":98,"type":20},"Only one load? ",{"text":100,"type":20},"Then colors and darks go into the drum together, at the lowest temperature setting on any of the labels. Whites, new items and delicates stay out.",{"type":23,"children":102},[103],{"text":104,"type":20},"Heavily soiled work clothes are better washed as a load of their own. Protective clothing only as the manufacturer or your employer specifies.",{"type":23,"children":106},[107],{"text":108,"type":20},"Before you load:",{"type":44,"format":45,"children":110},[111,115,119,123,127],{"type":48,"children":112},[113],{"text":114,"type":20},"Empty the pockets: tissues, pens and coins don’t belong in the drum.",{"type":48,"children":116},[117],{"text":118,"type":20},"Close zippers and buttons.",{"type":48,"children":120},[121],{"text":122,"type":20},"Turn jeans, dark items and printed items inside out.",{"type":48,"children":124},[125],{"text":126,"type":20},"Pretreat stains while they are fresh. Then they come out much more easily.",{"type":48,"children":128},[129],{"text":130,"type":20},"Put bras in a mesh laundry bag if you have one.","sorting-and-prepping-your-laundry",{"type":28,"title":133,"tone":30,"body":134},"Good to know: No label?",[135],{"type":23,"children":136},[137],{"text":138,"type":20},"Secondhand piece, gift, or a label you cut out? Then go with the cautious option: 86 °F (30 °C) at most, delicate or gentle cycle, little spinning, the first few times on its own and not in the dryer. Wool or silk you can recognize is better washed cold by hand with wool detergent, without rubbing or wringing.",{"type":20,"heading":140,"body":141,"id":199},"Using a Washer: Loading, Dispenser, Cycle",[142,146,165,169,195],{"type":23,"children":143},[144],{"text":145,"type":20},"Using a washer means: open the door, load the laundry, add detergent, choose a cycle, start. That works on a machine you don’t know, too:",{"type":44,"format":147,"children":148},"ordered",[149,153,157,161],{"type":48,"children":150},[151],{"text":152,"type":20},"Open the door or lid and check whether anything from the last person is still in the drum.",{"type":48,"children":154},[155],{"text":156,"type":20},"Load the laundry: for everyday cotton, fill the drum well and leave a hand’s width of space at the top. Permanent press items only about half full, delicates and wool even less.",{"type":48,"children":158},[159],{"text":160,"type":20},"Add detergent as your washer’s manual says. On many top loaders it goes into the drum or a built-in dispenser. Machines with a dispenser drawer, common in Europe, use “II” for the main wash, “I” for the prewash, which you usually don’t need, and a flower or “III” for fabric softener. A dosing ball goes straight into the drum.",{"type":48,"children":162},[163],{"text":164,"type":20},"Choose the cycle and the temperature (cold, warm or hot), set the spin as the label says (spin means the drum turns fast and presses water out), then start.",{"type":23,"children":166},[167],{"text":168,"type":20},"The main cycles:",{"type":44,"format":45,"children":170},[171,175,179,183,187,191],{"type":48,"children":172},[173],{"text":174,"type":20},"Normal or Cotton (names vary): jeans, hoodies, towels, bedding.",{"type":48,"children":176},[177],{"text":178,"type":20},"Permanent press: blends (cotton with synthetic fibers) and synthetics such as sports and performance shirts, usually everything with one bar under the washtub symbol. Fill the drum only halfway and spin only briefly, or it wrinkles more, especially shirts and blouses.",{"type":48,"children":180},[181],{"text":182,"type":20},"Delicates or wool: everything with two bars under the washtub symbol, fill the drum to one third at most.",{"type":48,"children":184},[185],{"text":186,"type":20},"Hand wash: only if the label allows it.",{"type":48,"children":188},[189],{"text":190,"type":20},"Eco or energy-saving: saves energy, but often runs much longer. That’s normal, the machine isn’t stuck.",{"type":48,"children":192},[193],{"text":194,"type":20},"Quick cycle: for small loads. For laundry that should be hygienically clean, it doesn’t run long enough.",{"type":23,"children":196},[197],{"text":198,"type":20},"Most washers in the US are top loaders: you load the laundry from the top, and the steps stay the same. On a front loader, you load through the door at the front. The display shows the time left.","using-a-washer-loading-dispenser-cycle",{"type":85,"headline":201,"text":202},"Cycle names unclear? Photograph your washer.","Photograph your washer once. Then WashGuard shows under “For your appliances” what the matching cycle is called.",{"type":20,"heading":204,"body":205,"id":232},"Washer in a Dorm, Shared Apartment or Laundromat",[206,210,228],{"type":23,"children":207},[208],{"text":209,"type":20},"In a dorm, a shared apartment or a laundromat, a few simple rules apply:",{"type":44,"format":45,"children":211},[212,216,220,224],{"type":48,"children":213},[214],{"text":215,"type":20},"Ask when the machine is free, and check the laundry schedule or house rules.",{"type":48,"children":217},[218],{"text":219,"type":20},"Bring your own detergent, and use someone else’s only if they agree.",{"type":48,"children":221},[222],{"text":223,"type":20},"Pick up your laundry on time. If someone else’s finished laundry is sitting in the drum, ask first before you take it out.",{"type":48,"children":225},[226],{"text":227,"type":20},"At a laundromat, choose the machine by load size, have coins or a card ready and follow the display.",{"type":23,"children":229},[230],{"text":231,"type":20},"If in doubt, ask someone there.","washer-in-a-dorm-shared-apartment-or-laundromat",{"type":20,"heading":234,"body":235,"id":266},"The Right Temperature for Your First Load",[236,240,262],{"type":23,"children":237},[238],{"text":239,"type":20},"For normally soiled everyday laundry, 86 °F (30 °C) is usually enough for colors and 104 °F (40 °C) for whites. In Germany, consumer and environmental agencies see it the same way. Washing cooler saves energy, and colors last longer, because dyed cotton can fade in heat.",{"type":44,"format":45,"children":241},[242,246,250,254,258],{"type":48,"children":243},[244],{"text":245,"type":20},"Colors, lightly or normally soiled: 68–86 °F (20–30 °C).",{"type":48,"children":247},[248],{"text":249,"type":20},"Whites and lights: 104 °F (40 °C).",{"type":48,"children":251},[252],{"text":253,"type":20},"Bedding, heavily soiled laundry or laundry when someone at home is sick: 140 °F (60 °C), the hottest setting your machine offers, with powder detergent with bleach, if the label allows it. Only whites or colorfast items.",{"type":48,"children":255},[256],{"text":257,"type":20},"Mixed load: the lowest temperature setting on the labels applies.",{"type":48,"children":259},[260],{"text":261,"type":20},"Unsure: the lower setting.",{"type":23,"children":263},[264],{"text":265,"type":20},"For normally soiled laundry, you usually don’t need a boil wash at 203 °F (95 °C), a sanitize cycle or a prewash.","the-right-temperature-for-your-first-load",{"type":268,"title":269,"items":270,"id":268},"facts","At a glance",[271,274,277,280],{"label":272,"value":273},"Wash colors","usually 86 °F",{"label":275,"value":276},"Wash whites","usually 104 °F",{"label":278,"value":279},"Mixed load","lowest setting",{"label":281,"value":282},"After washing","out right away",{"type":20,"heading":284,"body":285,"id":306},"Dosing Detergent: How Much Is Right?",[286,298,302],{"type":23,"children":287},[288,290,292,294,296],{"text":289,"type":20},"To start, two kinds are enough: ",{"bold":79,"text":291,"type":20},"color detergent",{"text":293,"type":20}," (without bleach and brighteners) for colors and darks, ",{"bold":79,"text":295,"type":20},"heavy-duty detergent",{"text":297,"type":20}," for whites. Some detergents, mostly powders for whites, contain bleach, and bleach makes colors fade. Check the pack to see what is in it. For wool and silk, use a wool detergent.",{"type":23,"children":299},[300],{"text":301,"type":20},"The amount depends on the size of the load, how dirty it is and the water hardness, meaning how many minerals like calcium are in the water. Follow the dosing instructions on the pack. You can ask your water utility or your landlord how hard your water is. Measure with the measuring cup or the cap of the pack.",{"type":23,"children":303},[304],{"text":305,"type":20},"More detergent doesn’t make laundry cleaner, just more expensive. Too little, on the other hand, doesn’t clean properly. You don’t need fabric softener, scent boosters or laundry sanitizers, the extras from the laundry aisle. If your skin reacts to freshly washed clothes, talk to your doctor.","dosing-detergent-how-much-is-right",{"type":28,"title":308,"tone":309,"body":310},"Wash and dry safely","warning",[311],{"type":44,"format":45,"children":312},[313,317,321,325],{"type":48,"children":314},[315],{"text":316,"type":20},"Keep detergent, and especially pods, out of reach of children. They look colorful and can cause poisoning and eye injuries. If a child got some in their mouth or eyes, call Poison Help in the US at 1-800-222-1222 (free, 24\u002F7) right away. If they have trouble breathing or are unconscious, call 911 (or your local emergency number) right away.",{"type":48,"children":318},[319],{"text":320,"type":20},"Never mix chlorine bleach with vinegar, acidic or lime-scale cleaners, or ammonia. This creates toxic gases.",{"type":48,"children":322},[323],{"text":324,"type":20},"On the dryer, empty the lint filter after every load, and switch the machine off when you leave the house or go to sleep.",{"type":48,"children":326},[327],{"text":328,"type":20},"Clothes with gasoline, thinner or solvents must not go straight into the dryer: let them air out outdoors first, then wash them as usual.",{"type":20,"heading":330,"body":331,"id":354},"Drying Laundry: Dryer, Clothesline or Rack?",[332,336,340],{"type":23,"children":333},[334],{"text":335,"type":20},"Take the laundry out as soon as possible after the cycle ends, or it quickly smells musty. The label shows whether an item can go in the dryer. If the dryer symbol is missing, air-dry it to be safe.",{"type":23,"children":337},[338],{"text":339,"type":20},"If you don’t have a dryer, hang the laundry outside on a clothesline, or on the balcony, or in a shared laundry room, where allowed (in the US, your lease, building or HOA rules decide). If you can only dry it indoors, this helps:",{"type":44,"format":45,"children":341},[342,346,350],{"type":48,"children":343},[344],{"text":345,"type":20},"Spin as high as possible if the label allows it. Then less water stays in the laundry and in the room air.",{"type":48,"children":347},[348],{"text":349,"type":20},"Set up the drying rack with space between the items, and not directly against a cold outside wall.",{"type":48,"children":351},[352],{"text":353,"type":20},"Several times a day, if the air outside is drier than inside, open the window all the way for a few minutes and close the door to cooler rooms. Ideal is 40–60% humidity, which a hygrometer shows.","drying-laundry-dryer-clothesline-or-rack",{"type":85,"headline":356,"text":357},"Dryer or clothesline? Photograph first.","WashGuard shows whether an item can go in the dryer, with the setting, or hints like “Dry flat”.",{"type":20,"heading":359,"body":360,"id":383},"Laundry Gone Pink, Musty or Shrunk: What to Do?",[361,365],{"type":23,"children":362},[363],{"text":364,"type":20},"Small mishaps happen to everyone:",{"type":44,"format":45,"children":366},[367,371,375,379],{"type":48,"children":368},[369],{"text":370,"type":20},"White shirt turned pink? Don’t let it dry and don’t put it in the dryer. Wash it again on its own right away, while it is still wet, because heat sets the color. A color remover only helps if you follow the pack and the label exactly.",{"type":48,"children":372},[373],{"text":374,"type":20},"Laundry smells musty? Wash it again and hang it up right away.",{"type":48,"children":376},[377],{"text":378,"type":20},"Sweater shrunk? The best fix is prevention: never go above the temperature the label allows.",{"type":48,"children":380},[381],{"text":382,"type":20},"Machine smells? Leave the door or lid and the detergent dispenser open after washing, and wipe the rubber door seal dry if your washer has one. With your own machine, a cycle about once a month, the hottest your machine offers (up to 140 °F \u002F 60 °C), with powder detergent with bleach helps, empty or with only white laundry whose label allows 140 °F (60 °C).","laundry-gone-pink-musty-or-shrunk-what-to-do",{"type":385,"items":386,"id":385},"faq",[387,390,393,396],{"question":388,"answer":389},"Powder, liquid or pods: which should a beginner use?","Powder or liquid detergent, dosed by the pack. Pods are usually more expensive, did worse in detergent tests by a German consumer group, and are dangerous for children.",{"question":391,"answer":392},"Do laundry pods go in the dispenser or the drum?","Into the drum, together with the laundry. In the dispenser, they don’t dissolve quickly enough.",{"question":394,"answer":395},"How much detergent for a half load?","About two thirds of the amount for a full load. For just a few items, use the smallest amount listed on the pack for lightly soiled laundry.",{"question":397,"answer":398},"How long can wet laundry stay in the washer?","Ideally not long at all: take it out right after the cycle ends. If you’re not home, set the delay start so the machine finishes when you’re back.",{"title":400,"description":401,"image":402,"noIndex":17},"How to Do Laundry for Beginners: Step-by-Step Guide","How to do laundry for beginners: use the washer, read the care label, pick the temperature and detergent. So nothing turns pink and nothing shrinks.",{"url":11,"alt":12,"width":13,"height":14},"2026-10-04T10:57:19.644Z","2026-10-04T10:57:21.021Z",[406,408,411,414,417,419,422,425,428,431,434,436,439,441,443,445,448,450,452,455,458,461,463,466,469,472,475,477,480,482,485,487,489,492,495,498,500,502,504,506,508,510,512,514,516],{"locale":407,"slug":4},"en",{"locale":409,"slug":410},"de","waesche-waschen-anfaenger",{"locale":412,"slug":413},"nb","vaske-klaer-for-nybegynnere",{"locale":415,"slug":416},"sv","tvatta-klader-for-nyborjare",{"locale":418,"slug":4},"zh-Hant",{"locale":420,"slug":421},"nl","de-was-doen-voor-beginners",{"locale":423,"slug":424},"vi","cach-giat-quan-ao-cho-nguoi-moi-bat-dau",{"locale":426,"slug":427},"cs","jak-prat-pradlo-pro-zacatecniky",{"locale":429,"slug":430},"sk","ako-prat-bielizen-pre-zaciatocnikov",{"locale":432,"slug":433},"it","come-fare-il-bucato-principianti",{"locale":435,"slug":4},"mr",{"locale":437,"slug":438},"sl","pranje-perila-za-zacetnike",{"locale":440,"slug":4},"ja",{"locale":442,"slug":4},"he",{"locale":444,"slug":4},"or",{"locale":446,"slug":447},"es","como-lavar-la-ropa-principiantes",{"locale":449,"slug":4},"ru",{"locale":451,"slug":4},"hi",{"locale":453,"slug":454},"fr","laver-son-linge-debutant",{"locale":456,"slug":457},"pt","como-lavar-roupa-principiantes",{"locale":459,"slug":460},"hr","pranje-rublja-za-pocetnike",{"locale":462,"slug":4},"ur",{"locale":464,"slug":465},"pl","jak-prac-dla-poczatkujacych",{"locale":467,"slug":468},"ro","cum-speli-rufele-pentru-incepatori",{"locale":470,"slug":471},"tr","camasir-nasil-yikanir",{"locale":473,"slug":474},"fi","pyykinpesu-aloittelijalle",{"locale":476,"slug":4},"uk",{"locale":478,"slug":479},"hu","ruhamosas-kezdoknek",{"locale":481,"slug":4},"el",{"locale":483,"slug":484},"ms","cara-basuh-baju-untuk-pemula",{"locale":486,"slug":4},"ta",{"locale":488,"slug":4},"ko",{"locale":490,"slug":491},"da","vaske-toej-for-begyndere",{"locale":493,"slug":494},"ca","com-rentar-la-roba-principiants",{"locale":496,"slug":497},"id","cara-mencuci-baju-untuk-pemula",{"locale":499,"slug":4},"pa",{"locale":501,"slug":4},"ar",{"locale":503,"slug":4},"te",{"locale":505,"slug":4},"bn",{"locale":507,"slug":4},"zh-Hans",{"locale":509,"slug":4},"kn",{"locale":511,"slug":4},"gu",{"locale":513,"slug":4},"ml",{"locale":515,"slug":4},"bg",{"locale":517,"slug":4},"th",[519,530,538],{"slug":520,"title":521,"excerpt":522,"category":523,"cover":524,"date":15,"readingMinutes":529,"featured":17},"how-to-sort-laundry","How to Sort Laundry: What Can Go in the Washer Together?","Light, dark, delicate, sturdy: the sorting rules that keep colors from bleeding and your clothes from wearing out.",{"slug":8,"name":9},{"url":525,"alt":526,"width":527,"height":528},"https:\u002F\u002Fstrapi.milena.marketing\u002Fuploads\u002Fmedium_waesche_sortieren_neu_8a5b1a0588.jpg","Paar sortiert Wäsche nach Farben in vier Körbe",750,394,9,{"slug":531,"title":532,"excerpt":533,"category":534,"cover":535,"date":15,"readingMinutes":16,"featured":17},"wash-new-clothes-before-wearing","Do You Have to Wash New Clothes Before Wearing Them? Yes, Here’s How","Wash new clothes before the first wear: why, how often, what water temperature, separate or with similar colors, and what can go unwashed.",{"slug":8,"name":9},{"url":536,"alt":537,"width":527,"height":528},"https:\u002F\u002Fstrapi.milena.marketing\u002Fuploads\u002Fmedium_neue_kleidung_waschen_neu_7508ba66f0.jpg","Lächelnde Frau hält einen Stapel frisch gewaschener, farbiger Kleidung mit einem Etikett",{"slug":539,"title":540,"excerpt":541,"category":542,"cover":545,"date":15,"readingMinutes":548,"featured":17},"how-to-remove-stains-from-clothes","How to Remove Stains From Clothes: Red Wine, Blood, Grease, Makeup","The first minutes decide. Blot, don’t rub, learn what comes first for which stain and what must never go in the dryer.",{"slug":543,"name":544},"stains-odors","Stains & Odors",{"url":546,"alt":547,"width":527,"height":528},"https:\u002F\u002Fstrapi.milena.marketing\u002Fuploads\u002Fmedium_flecken_entfernen_neu_a8fd3b23df.jpg","Frau behandelt einen Rotweinfleck auf einem weißen Hemd, daneben Fleckenspray",11]