How Often Should You Be Washing Your Clothes?

Fact: Nobody looks forward to laundry day. After all, granny panties, a top knot, and your old college sweats don't exactly scream “Party!” But, if you’re doing it right, you should never find yourself piling 15 pounds of clothes into the machine and wondering why, WHY you let it come to this. The key to doing laundry — not only to preserve your sanity, but to preserve the life and quality of your clothes — is washing items as you go, and understanding that different pieces require different levels of care.

While you might think laundering rules are common sense, there are some guidelines you probably didn’t know about, and others you can ignore completely. (For instance, did you know the whole “never wash your jeans” thing is a dirty myth?)

We spoke to eight experts to find out exactly how to treat every item in your closet — from denim, jackets, sweaters, and socks to lingerie and exercise gear. Click on for insider tips that will be positively sanity-sparing come laundry day.