I don’t know about you, but my parents never taught me how to laundry like an adult. They just woke up one day and decided that my laundry was “my responsibility” and left me to fend for myself, confused and weak, in a literal desert of fabric softeners and seperate colours.

So naturally I’ve been making it up as I’ve been going along, with way more trial and error than you can poke an accidentally pink sock at.

Here’s some of the common mistakes I’ve definitely made, and you may be too.

#1 Using Too Much Detergent

The more detergent you use, the cleaner the clothes, right? Not really.

According to Real Simple, excess suds can get trapped in the dirty areas of your clothes and won’t rinse out. Too much detergent could build up, foster some nasty bacteria and leave your clothes smelling worse, not better.

Stick to the recommended detergent amount, if not less, to make sure your clothes are washed thoroughly.

#2 Forgetting To Clean The Lint From The Dryer

For a long time, I thought clothes coming out of the dryer with grey fluff on them was just how it was. I was all, “drying your clothes is whack! How come people do it if they end up with all this shit stuck to them? Just dryer things, you know!!!!”

But of course, this shouldn’t happen. In fact, lint is a combustible material that can spark and cause a goddamn house fire if you’re not careful. 20,000 housefires per year in the US, to be exact.

Ideally, you should be cleaning the lint after every single cycle and avoid leaving it on while you’re not at home. But of course, we live in one of the sunniest nations on earth. The dryer should be your last resort.

 #3 Not Zipping Your Zippers

Washing your stuff – particularly delicate items – with zippers can cause super annoying snags that straight up ruin your clothes. Don’t mess with this.

Same goes with unclipped bras.

#4 Only Separating Whites And Darks

Literally everyone knows about separating lights and darks after watching that scene in The OC where Marissa turns Alex’s shirts pink (#iconic). But did you know there’s more separation to be done?

The more you seperate your clothing, the cleaner and fresher it will be. Seperate your really grotty clothes from your averagely dirty clothes, seperate your sheets from each other to prevent twisting, seperate your socks and throw them all in at the start of the load to prevent them from getting lost. There’s also the whole cold, warm and hot separation to take into account too.

Just seperate pretty much everything and set aside three whole days to do your washing. Will it be worth it? Hard to tell.

#5 Not Washing New Sheets Or Clothes Before Use

I know what you’re thinking: but they’re already clean! Why would I waste water and effort on them if they’re already completely fine?! I hate you, internet lady!!

Look, I’m sorry guys. Brand new sheets and clothes will still have residual chemicals left over from manufacturing. If these chemicals come into contact with your skin, you could have an allergic reaction that’ll make your skin break out in a rash. Not nice.

Besides, hundreds of people have probably handled those sheets before they got to you. Gross. Just give it a bloody wash already.

(Lead image: Friends/NBC)