No Stupid Questions

Housewife here, many thousands of loads under my belt; with a modern electric washing machine and regular levels of dirt you don't have to do anything except make sure the clothes aren't bunched up. Like unroll socks if they are in a ball and unwad jeans so the legs aren't half inside themselves.

Use less detergent than you think you need in general. If you have stuff that's extra funky find the soak feature on your machine or just stop it after it's filled with water and let them sit (with soap) for 30 minutes before running it.

The only time you need special treatment is with special garments or special stains in my experience.

Generally you want the dirtiest part on the outside. I find for things like jeans, I leave them outside-out; T-shirts are often inside-out.

The other reason to turn things inside-out is if there are designs or other features that you want to protect.

In short, whatever is on the outside is going to get the "rougher" treatment.

I've only been told to turn T-shirts or garments with dangling bits inside out, so that the friction of rubbing against the other clothes doesn't wear off the print.

I don't really see how turning stuff like hoodies inside out would affect anything, apart from maybe preventing the button/zipper from clanking around in the dryer (which admittedly IS very obnoxious)

I only turn t-shirts with prints on them inside out. I also zip up zippers so they don't abrade other things.

My understanding is that the dryer has a much bigger impact than the washer, although turning things inside out between the washer and drier is a pain in the ass.

Screen prints will last longer because they don't rub on other stuff as much when they are in the inside, especially in the drier where they also touch the hot drum. Some colors will last a bit longer inside out for the same reason. This was a much bigger deal when clothes bled more, but most newer dyes don't have as much of an issue with current detergents.

I don't worry about it except for the screen prints, just whichever way they ended up when taken off.

I've been washing clothes for many decades and although I was also taught to turn some clothes inside out, I've never noticed any difference if I didn't and these days I'll often wash with them oriented normally, mainly because that's how I prefer to hang them in the cupboard or fold them into drawers and turning them when wet or after taking them off the line or out of the drier makes the whole process even more tedious than it already is.

I turn everything inside out because I line dry outside. Since UV bleaches fabric I'd rather fade the inside.

As far as I am aware, this is only something you should do with certain garments and the only garments I know of where it's a good idea are silk screened things (IE graphic Ts). Flipping them inside out, as well as only using cold water, helps keep the silk screening fresh so it doesn't crack or peel.

because the inside is the part that touches you all day, and it’s where the stank is

I dont know any of the finer details but my thought and real practice is that when washing jeans, its better to wash them inside out and all zipped up + pockets out. Not sure where I heard it but I've always observed that

All you ever wanted to know about washing clothes: https://laundryevangelist.com/