Did you feel a bit lost when it came to doing your own laundry? We have come up with 5 things to teach your kids about doing the laundry so they feel confident when the time comes for them to make it on their own.

You may think you have a while yet but if you’re preparing yourself for sending your child into the world on their own, either to university or if they are just planning to take the step to live on their own, it pays to be prepared. By teaching your children these simple steps to laundry now they will have plenty of time to perfect their skills before they venture into the unknown.

1. Inspection and stain removal

Stains can be easily missed during a quick wash, so teaching your children the art of inspecting clothes for stains is a very important step. By teaching your children about the importance of using stain removal products you will be saving them, and no doubt yourself, a lot of money. The Dr. Beckmann Stain Devils Survival Kit could mean that your child will never have to throw away clothes because they are stained. This simple kit contains 3 of the most popular Stain Devils meaning by having this little kit in their cupboard they can remove over 40 of the toughest stains in just 3 minutes, the time it takes to make a cup of tea. The kit even comes with a handy fridge magnet to tell them which Stain Devil to use for their stain, so never again need your child be confused about stain removal.

2. The importance of sorting

To keep colours from bleeding and ruining clothing, the general rule is to sort lights from darks, colours from whites. Explain the potential hazards of mixing new fabrics with old, red fabric with lights and then introduce them to the wonder that is Dr. Beckmann Colour & Dirt Collector. A product that will save even the best of us from colour runs caused by those unwanted garments that find their way into our wash and more commonly mixed colour washes, whilst also collecting all the stray dirt. These ingenious sheets mean that your child wont have to wait till they have a full wash load of one colour or waste water by doing small loads of washing, these sheets mean they can wash mixed colours with confidence.

3. Laundry boosters

As well as teaching your children to add products such as fabric softeners to their laundry its a good idea to teach them about adding whiteners to keep their whites looking like new for longer. Adding laundry boosters such as Dr. Beckmann Glowhite, can help their whites stay white and also restore whiteness to clothes that have gone that inevitable grey colour.

4. Fixing colour runs

Colour run is something everyone will have to deal with at some point and by teaching your children that it does not necessarily spell the end for their favourite dress or t-shirt you can save them a lot of disappointment. Dr. Beckmann Colour Run Remover can help rescue clothes from unwanted dye runs, for example if the red from a red and white striped t-shirt runs and they now have a red and pink striped t-shirt, or that naughty black sock invades the white wash and turns everything grey. This product is available for whites and for use on colours.

5. Timing and temperature

There are a lot of dials, buttons and options to choose, making the washing machine look a lot like a NASA space shuttle to a teenager or someone who has never had to do their own laundry before. If you’re not a seasoned washer with years of experience it may be overwhelming. Make sure you use your expert knowledge and know how to install confidence into your children that they’re making the right selections even for delicates and woollens.

When it comes to using the tumble dryer it is also a good idea to introduce them to drying sheets. These products keep your clothes feeling soft and makes them easy to iron, meaning if your child is about to rush out of the door to a party or important job interview they don’t need to worry about how long the ironing will take them.

By teaching your children these 5 simple steps you are building a foundation of life skills alongside those such as table manners. You can feel confident that your child is equipped with the knowledge of how to carry out, what can sometimes be, a daunting task . However if you’re not quite ready to shut down the ‘Mums Hotline’ just yet then may be leave a step out, ensuring your darling son or daughter will always have something to consult your expert knowledge on.