Going away to college? Brush up on your laundry skills

Ah, college... Term papers. Keg parties. Laundry. What do these three things have in common? If you don't know what you're doing, you're going to be in for a world of hurt. Granted, you won't fail your class and you won't wake up with hangover. But throw that red T-shirt in with a load of tighty whities and you may be wearing pink underwear for the rest of the semester.

Fear not, young freshman. Learning how to do your own laundry is much easier than writing 50-page report and nowhere near as painful as a hangover. We scoured the web for some great laundry tips that will earn you an A in Laundry 101.

Doing laundry begins in your room

Unless you plan on wearing the same clothes day after day, you're going to need something to store your dirty duds in: a laundry basket, a hamper or a bag. Mary Marlowe Levertette, About.com's guide to laundry, recommends collapsible laundry hampers, which she says are "great space savers for those few times you have no laundry to do." For fine washables and small items, like socks, she says, a mesh laundry bag is a must. "Tie it shut, you can wash them together and never lose a sock." (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)

Sort your clothes before you hit the laundry room

Yours truly once made the mistake of washing several pairs of light-colored chinos with a new pair of jeans. Result? Chinos covered with so much fine, dark lint that a second washing was required. I violated the cardinal rule of laundry: Always sort your clothes. Some experts say it's sufficient to divide your clothes into lights and darks; others say you should sort your wash into whites, lights (think khakis and neutrals), like colors (reds, oranges) and darks. Once you've done that, sort again by fabric type. "Place all clothes that are labeled 'wash separately' or 'hand wash' into separate piles," Leverette says. "As a novice launderer, if it says 'dry clean only' believe the label and place in a bag to take to the dry cleaners."

Before you put your clothes in the washing machine

Inspect the empty washing machine. Make sure there's no debris in the tub -- like paper, coins or someone's forgotten lipstick tube -- that could damage your clothes. If there's water or soapy residue in the tub, chances are the washer is faulty and you should use a different machine.

Some machines take quarters, others use smart cards. Either way, make sure you've got enough money to do your laundry with a little extra left over. Ten bucks should be enough for two washers and two dryers.

Check the pockets of all your clothes. You don't want to wash your cell phone or iPod nano by mistake.

Pretreat stains with a stain remover like Shout or a dab of detergent applied directly to the stain. Use an old, clean toothbrush or rub the fabric together to work the detergent into the stain gently.

Loading and washing

Place your sorted clothing into the machine one item at a time. Don't dump it all in at once.

Do not try to economize by jamming all of your clothes into one washer -- the agitator won't be able to circulate properly and your laundry won't get clean. Worse, the washer could become unbalanced and stop working, leaving you with a sopping wet mess. A properly loaded washer should be no more than three-quarters full of loosely loaded clothing, experts say.

Add your laundry detergent -- but not too much, or your clothes may end up with soapy residue on them (or worse, you'll turn the laundry room into a foam party). Most detergents have pre-measured indicator lines on the scoop (for powders) or cap (for liquids). If your laundry room uses front-loading or high-efficiency (HE) washers, be sure to choose a detergent that's specially formulated for these machines, such as Tide HE With Bleach Alternative Liquid Laundry Detergent, named a ConsumerSearch Best Reviewed laundry detergent.

Choose the proper water temperature setting for your clothes. Sheets and towels should be washed on hot, as well as whites like T-shirts and socks. Use cold water for bright colors and delicate fabrics. Warm water works for most everything else.

Drying your clothes

Remove your clothing from the washing machine carefully, as some items may have become entangled

Inspect the dryer tub for debris like used fabric softener sheets or clothing left behind by the previous user. Stains on the tub may mean that something melted in the dryer -- a forgotten pen, for example -- which can ruin your clothes. Choose another dryer.

Clean the lint trap. It's gross, but a dirty lint trap will prevent a dryer from working properly.

Shake your clothes out before adding them to the dryer. This will help them dry evenly and prevent wrinkles.

Add a fabric softener sheet, if desired.

Laundry room dryers are notorious for being unreliable -- some run too hot, others not hot enough. It's better to err on the side of caution and use a lower setting than risk frying (and shrinking) your clothes. The normal (hot) setting should only be used for preshrunk items like white T-shirts or cotton socks. The permanent press (medium) cycle is generally good for all colored clothing like jeans and shirts. The delicate (low) setting is good for thinner fabrics that need to be dried gently.

When in doubt, always check the care label on your clothes before you dry them to prevent shrinkage or heat damage.

When the dryer stops

Unless you're going for that just-rolled-out-of-bed look, you'll want to fold your clothes as soon as they're out of the dryer to prevent wrinkles. How-to site ExpertVillage.com offers a great video that shows you how to fold jeans, T-shirts, socks, towels and more.

Congratulations! You've just passed Laundry 101!

Useful laundry links

Need to brush up on your laundry skills? These online resources are a good place to start:

How-to website Howcast.com offers an excellent step-by-step guide to doing laundry.

Spend all day taking notes in class, and you may end up with an ink stain on your clothes. A Howdini.com video shows you how to remove them.

Good Housekeeping magazine shows you how to avoid using too much laundry detergent.

Ever wondered how a washing machine works? The folks at HowStuffWorks.com explain it all for you.

And last, but not least...

Betty White has been a Happy Homemaker, a Golden Girl and the hottest octagenarian in Cleveland. In the 1970s, she also was a TV spokesperson for Spray 'n Wash.