Your laundry chart

DETERGENT

Universal powder, full dose — the bleach in powder is what keeps whites from going grey

WASH TOGETHER WITH

White Socks

DRYING

Tumble dry normal, or line dry in the sun — sunlight bleaches whites for free.

IRON

NOTES

Wash whites on their own. One stray coloured sock is all it takes.

DETERGENT

Universal powder, full dose

WASH TOGETHER WITH

White

DRYING

Tumble dry normal.

IRON

DETERGENT

Universal powder, full dose. Go lighter rather than heavier: excess detergent stiffens terry.

WASH TOGETHER WITH

nothing else — wash alone

DRYING

Tumble dry medium — the tumbling is what fluffs the pile back up.

IRON

NOTES

Never fabric softener: it coats the loops in silicone and the towel stops absorbing. White vinegar in the softener drawer once a month softens instead.

DETERGENT

Colour liquid detergent — no bleach, no optical brighteners

WASH TOGETHER WITH

Coloured Socks

DRYING

Line dry inside out, or tumble on low.

IRON

NOTES

Wash new or strongly dyed items separately for the first two or three washes.

DETERGENT

Colour liquid detergent

WASH TOGETHER WITH

Coloured

DRYING

Tumble dry low or line dry.

IRON

DETERGENT

Colour liquid detergent. Go lighter rather than heavier: excess detergent stiffens terry.

WASH TOGETHER WITH

nothing else — wash alone

DRYING

Tumble dry medium — the tumbling is what fluffs the pile back up.

IRON

NOTES

Never fabric softener — it kills absorbency. Run them at 60 °C every month or so if they start to smell.

DETERGENT

Liquid detergent, half dose. What doesn't rinse away stays in the split fibre and stops it picking anything up.

WASH TOGETHER WITH

nothing else — wash alone

DRYING

Air dry, or tumble on low. High heat fuses the split ends shut and the towel never absorbs again.

IRON

NOTES

Never fabric softener — it fills the split fibres with silicone and the towel is finished. Wash with microfibre only: the same split ends that make it absorbent grab cotton lint and never let go.

DETERGENT

Liquid detergent for dark/black — optical brighteners are what leave that grey haze

WASH TOGETHER WITH

Black Socks, Denim

DRYING

Line dry inside out, out of direct sun. Skip the dryer: heat fades black fastest.

IRON

NOTES

Turn everything inside out. The extra rinse matters here — detergent residue dries as grey streaks on black.

DETERGENT

Liquid detergent for dark/black

WASH TOGETHER WITH

Dark, Denim

DRYING

Line dry, or tumble on low.

IRON

DETERGENT

Liquid detergent for dark/black

WASH TOGETHER WITH

Dark, Black Socks

DRYING

Hang by the waistband and air dry. A hot dryer shrinks them and destroys the elastane in stretch denim.

IRON

NOTES

Inside out, zips and buttons closed. Wash them far less often than you think.

DETERGENT

A capful of pH-neutral or denim-specific detergent. No bleach, no enzymes.

WASH TOGETHER WITH

nothing else — wash alone

DRYING

Hang inside out indoors, away from sun and radiators. Never tumble.

IRON

NOTES

Unwashed denim is meant to go months before its first wash. Gentler than the machine: a 45-minute cold soak in the bath, inside out, no agitation, no wringing — then roll in a towel to press the water out.

DETERGENT

WASH TOGETHER WITH

each other

DRYING

IRON

NOTES

DETERGENT

A small dose of mild pH-neutral liquid detergent. Too much is what makes them smell.

WASH TOGETHER WITH

nothing else — wash alone

DRYING

Air dry on a hanger — dry within the hour. Tumble heat kills the stretch.

IRON

NOTES

Inside out. Never softener: it films over the fibres these rely on for wicking and stretch. A cup of white vinegar in the rinse resets a load that already smells. Covers tops, shorts and base layers — one fabric family, one wash. Mixed colours are fine in one run: at 30 °C the dyes on polyester barely move. The exception is a brand-new black or strong red piece, which can crock for a wash or two — give that its own run first.

DETERGENT

Liquid detergent, normal dose

WASH TOGETHER WITH

nothing else — wash alone

DRYING

Tumble dry low or line dry.

IRON

NOTES

Give them a 60 °C cotton run every few weeks — 40 °C keeps them clean but doesn't reset the smell.

DETERGENT

A small amount of mild detergent — a wool detergent is ideal. No bleach.

WASH TOGETHER WITH

nothing else — wash alone

DRYING

Air dry only, somewhere with moving air: outside, by a window, or in front of a fan. Never the dryer and never a radiator — heat warps the sole and shrinks the wool upper.

IRON

NOTES

Pull the insoles and laces out first and wash those by hand. The shoes go in a mesh delicates bag or a pillowcase, on their own — a loose trainer batters the drum and everything in it.

DETERGENT

Mild liquid detergent, no bleach — bleach yellows linen and breaks the fibre down over time.

WASH TOGETHER WITH

nothing else — wash alone

DRYING

Line dry, or tumble on low and pull it out a little damp — bone dry in the machine is what locks the creases in.

IRON

NOTES

New linen sheds a little dye and lint for the first few washes — run it alone until the water rinses clear, then it's fine with any other 40 °C load.