Doing laundry sounds simple until you're standing in front of a WashTym machine with a pile of clothes and no idea where to start. The good news is that a few basic habits are all it takes to get consistently great results while keeping your clothes and the machine in good shape. Here's your quick-start guide to doing laundry the right way with WashTym.
Sort Before You Load
Not all fabrics and colors play well together. Before you toss everything into the drum, take a minute to sort your laundry into a few simple categories:
- Whites and light colors — these should always be washed separately, since even a small amount of dye bleed from darker items can leave a permanent tint.
- Darks and bright colors — wash these together to avoid color transfer and fading.
- Delicates — lace, silk, thin knits and anything with embellishments need a gentler cycle (or a mesh laundry bag) so they don't snag, stretch or tear.
- Heavy items — towels, jeans and bedding wash well together but are often best kept separate from lighter fabrics, since they can be rough on delicate weaves.
A little sorting up front saves you from faded shirts and ruined favorites later.
Empty Every Pocket
This one seems obvious but it's the most common laundry mistake. Before loading anything, check every pocket for:
- Coins, keys and loose change
- Tissues (a shredded tissue in a wash cycle is a mess to clean up)
- Pens, which can leak ink across an entire load
- Phones, earphones or any small electronics
Turning pockets inside out for jeans and jackets is a good habit. While you're at it, zip up zippers, fasten hooks and buttons and tie loose drawstrings — this keeps them from snagging other fabrics or getting damaged in the drum.
Keep Metal and Sharp Objects Out
WashTym machines are not built to handle hard or metal objects. Items like belts with metal buckles or clothing with heavy metal studs and embellishments can scratch the drum, damage the machine's interior or even cause dents that affect performance over time. If an item has loose metal hardware, either remove it, secure it or wash it inside a protective bag.
A Note on Hygiene: Skip Undergarments
Because WashTym machines are used by many people throughout the day, we recommend not putting undergarments in the machine. Everything else, from everyday wear to bedding and towels, is completely fine to wash at WashTym as usual.
Know What Shouldn't Go in the Dryer
Just because something can be washed doesn't mean it can be dried on high heat. Keep these out of the dryer, or use a low-heat setting instead:
- Delicates like lace, silk and sheer fabrics
- Activewear and anything with spandex or elastic, which can lose elasticity under heat
- Anything labeled "dry flat" or "line dry" on the care tag
- Items with rubber, foam or plastic parts (like some bags or accessories), which can melt or warp
Always check the care label — it's the fastest way to know exactly how a garment should be treated.
Don't Overload the Machine
It's tempting to cram in one more towel to save time, but overloading prevents water and detergent from circulating properly, leaving some clothes under-cleaned while adding unnecessary strain on the motor and drum. As a rule of thumb, the drum should be about three-quarters full at most, leaving room for items to tumble freely.
No Need to Bring Your Own Detergent
Every WashTym wash comes with a free laundry pod, so there's no guesswork or extra cost involved. One pod is all you need — it's formulated to handle the load regardless of how heavy or light it is, so there's no need to add extra detergent of your own. Curious about how to get the most out of it? Check out our separate guide on the dos and don'ts of using your WashTym laundry pod.
Unload Promptly
Once your cycle finishes, transfer the washed clothes to the dryer immediately. Leaving damp laundry sitting in the drum for too long can lead to a musty smell and set-in wrinkles, which means more work for you later.
Quick Pre-Wash Checklist
Before you hit start, run through this simple checklist:
- Sorted lights, darks and delicates
- Emptied and turned out all pockets
- Fastened zippers, buttons and drawstrings
- Removed metal accessories, belts and loose hardware
- Left undergarments out of the load
- Checked care labels for any dryer restrictions
- Loaded the drum about three-quarters full
- Added your free WashTym pod — just one is all you need
Get these basics right, and you'll spend a lot less time dealing with faded clothes, stuck zippers or a musty-smelling machine and a lot more time enjoying clean, fresh laundry.