How do you unstretch clothes?

How to wash clothes and shoes to keep it looking as new as possible?

• My parents do all the laundry and usually my clothes end up looking stained, faded, old and etc. My mom tries to put extra care into her clothes, but doesn't really care for mines. So I want to take up washing my own clothes. I would ask my parents, but they get very impatient with me, so I'm here to ask you guys how to wash clothes! What are the usual steps to washing clothes? What is the best way to clean clothes without fading and shrinking them? Besides clothes, I also need help washing my shoes. I have a pair of vans (the prison-locks?) and recently I spilled soda, they're sticky and they look worn out. How can I wash them? I only keep one pair of shoes and sandals, so I really want to make them last throughout the school year.

• Answer:

  The way to wash your clothes is: 1. Sort your clothes (make a pile of whites, then a pile of light colored clothes, then a pile for darks..like jeans, black clothing or any other dark color) 2. Set the size of load on your washer. (If you have a lot of clothes, it would be a "large load", "medium" if your clothes fill the washer half way, and "small" if you are only washing a few things. 3. Set the temperature. (Hot for whites, Warm for light colors, and Cold for darks) 4. Pour in the detergent. (Usually on the bottle cap of the detergent, it has several measuring lines....less for small loads, a little more for medium loads and a full cap for a large load) Use some fabric softener, there is usually an opening right in the middle of the washer opening. (just fill that opening with fabric softener) or use a dryer sheet when you put the clothes in the dryer :-) 5. Now add your clothes or shoes or both. (shoes can be washed just like clothes, but just don't put them in the dryer, let your shoes air dry) 6. Start the washer 7. When the wash is done, take the clothes out and transfer them to the dryer. (if there is anything delicate or sweaters you may want to hang them on a hanger and let them air dry or lay them flat on a towel) 8. Set your dryer on high heat. (Usually about 50 minutes if it is a big load, or if there are jeans in there, and maybe 40 minutes for medium loads and 30 minutes for small loads) 9. Now you can fold, or hang your clothes Here are a few other little tips to help you: *washing your jeans inside out seems to preserve the color longer *If your mom or dad could order you a refresh'n towel (they sell 'em at refreshn.net or on amazon.com) you can use that refresh'n towel to just "refresh" your clothes instead of washing them every time you wear them. I use it all the time for my clothes. You can watch the commercial on refreshN.net and it shows you how to use it. *If you are washing whites, you can add a little vinegar to the water in the washer and that will brighten your whites. Good Luck Sugar!!!!!!!! ;-)