Let's get this straight. You're not sure how to do your own laundry. And when it becomes obvious to you (and others) that your clothes finally need washing, you buy new ones or send the dirty ones off to the dry cleaners. Sound familiar?

Well, read on rookie! Here's a game plan that will get your clothes clean without begging your mom (or someone else) to clean them or racking up huge dry-cleaning bills.

Know the Rules of the Game

It's important to read the care labels inside your clothes before washing them. These instructions not only indicate how to care for the garment, they often give guidance on separating loads too. So, learn to crack that laundry care symbol code.

Preparing loads is more than separating the whites from the colors (which you'll want to do); it's also about choosing the best temperature settings for wash and rinse. When in doubt, set your machine for cold-water wash and cold-water rinse to prevent colours from fading.

Pre-game Pretreating

To remove stains from dirty clothes, it's best to pretreat before you wash. If you're wary of pretreating, perform a colorfastness test first. Then grab a bottle of whatever formula of Tide Liquid you prefer, pour a small amount onto the stain and gently rub it into the clothing. This process takes only a minute and helps ensure that clothes come out clean, with no evidence of your messiness.

When you've tackled the basics of pretreating, study or print out the Stain Solution Cheat Sheet for more sophisticated methods of stain identification and removal

Start Your Washers

Now, turn your machine on and add the necessary amount of the same Tide Liquid you used for pretreating. (There's a fool-proof guide on the back of the bottle, and the cap serves as a handy measuring cup.) Pour the detergent into the washer and allow it to mix with the water, then dump in your clothes. Within minutes your clothes will be cleaner than you ever thought possible.

Play Ball

To get the soft fresh feeling of Mom's laundry, you'll want to add fabric softener to the rinse cycle. Don't panic. It's easy. All you need is Downy® Liquid and a Downy Ball. Fill the cap of the Downy bottle with the recommended amount of fabric softener then pour it into the Downy Ball. Seal it, and drop it into the washer with your clothes at the start of the wash cycle. The Downy Ball will automatically release fabric softener during the rinse cycle.

Or, for outstanding clean, try Tide with a touch of Downy. This innovative laundry detergent provides cleaning plus softening.

See? Soft isn't so tough!

Don't Blow Drying

Once the washer clicks off, move that load to the dryer. Again, make sure you check care instructions and settings. Some clothes shouldn't go into the dryer — it's better to lay them flat or hang them up to dry. Other clothes may shrink if they stay in the dryer at excessive heat. Separate as needed, then hit the start button. (And always be sure to clean the lint filter before each load.) Your clothes will come out warm, dry and clean.

Know When To Fold 'Em

One last tip. Remove clothes from the dryer as soon as they're dry and fold, hang or organize as necessary. That way, your nice clean clothes won't end up all creased and wrinkled. If you're a neat freak, read Fabric Care in the Closet for more on folding and hanging know-how. If you own an iron and like a more pressed look, read To Iron or Not to Iron for ironing and other wrinkle-reducing tips.

Now go into that laundry room and show us what you're made of!