A box or bottle of all-purpose laundry detergent. Give it a sniff before you buy it--be certain that you like the scent.

Laundry baskets or bag: Bags work fine for carrying in dirty clothes, but baskets keep folded laundry together more neatly.

Optional:

An abundant quantity of coins (if you're using a pay-as-you-go, self-serve laundromat). Most are engineered to accept exactly one kind of coin--in the U.S., that's a quarter. Figure on the local equivalent of two dollars (U.S.) of change per load. If you can't scare that much coin before you go, try to round up your least crumpled small-denomination banknotes. Laundromat change machines are notoriously picky.

Fabric softener, if you care to indulge in this product, makes clothes feel softer, and in some cases, reduces static cling. Some people wouldn't think of a washday without it, while others dismiss it as a marketing gimmick. It's a matter of personal taste.

When washing several loads, these tasks can be done simultaneously:

5 minutes to sort laundry

25-35 minutes per wash load

30-50 minutes per dry load

5 minutes per load to fold

2torial #0454: Learn2 Wash, Dry and Fold Your Laundry Honey, I shrunk the clothes! For some of us it's the most difficult part of striking out from home and living on your own: battling that mysterious transformation of wardrobe into the Laundry Lump, a rapidly-mounting pile that threatens to leave you huddled naked in your room. But fear not: this 2torial will show you how to restore that pile of cloth to its useful state, with a minimum of hassles and time. These instructions talk you through the task either at home (with your basic domestic machinery) or at the laundromat (with the coin-operated types). Decide when "laundry time" occurs and stick to that schedule; don't always wait until you're down to last year's Halloween costume and a trenchcoat. There's a wide range of views on the optimal time to do laundry: some folks wait until two or three loads pile up. Others have a weekly date with their washer and dryer that they'd hate to miss. You'll have to decide for yourself where you fit into that range. If you want a weekly schedule, pick a time where you won't have too many other temptations (i.e., Saturday night, or the night of your favorite TV show). If you rebel at the notion of a schedule but don't want to always be driven by desperation, you may want to pick a "trigger item" in your wardrobe. For example: the day you wear that green striped shirt (you know, the one you don't really like but can't throw away), that's the trigger for laundry day. If going to a laundromat, consider bringing a book or magazine, or perhaps some letter-writing materials. Rather than dashing about to complete other errands, consider this your time to relax and have some quiet time while. And you'll be keeping a better watch over your clothes (theft, even of soggy clothes, is not uncommon in some parts). Step 1