Essentials

• Washing machine

• Laundry detergent or capsules

Method

• Firstly, sort your laundry. Separate lights from colours and check whether any of the items require specialist washing (for example, shirts made from sensitive materials like wool). You should never mix whites and colours, and sensitive items should be washed separately, as per the label instructions. It's good practice to check all labels before completing any laundry.

• Once you’ve decided on the load, fill the washing machine until the barrel is between ½ and ¾ full - any more than this could damage your machine and will impact the efficiency of the wash.

• Place a capsule into the barrel or, alternatively, fill the relevant compartment with liquid.

• Choose your cycle and start the machine. Again, you can find information on which settings to wash clothes on by checking the labels.

• Once the cycle is finished, hang the clothes evenly on a clothes horse. Ensure that no items are overlapping as this can lead to damp & smelly clothes. Button down shirts, jackets or similar can also be hung on clothes hangers, if preferred.

• Certain items may be able to go in the tumble dryer after the washing machine or you may even have a washer/dryer that has both functions. You can refer to clothes labels for instructions on whether they are suitable for the tumble dryer.