How to do Laundry in The Sims 4

First of all you’ll need The Sims 4 Laundry Day Stuff. This includes a washing machine, wash tub, clothes line, dryer so your Sims can start doing laundry in their own home or on a venue.

When you place a hamper, Washing Machine, Wash Tub, Clothesline or Dryer on a lot your Sims can start doing their laundry. If there are none of these objects on the lot your Sims will change their clothes like they used to without creating laundry.

How to create (dirty) laundry

When your Sims changes outfits it will create laundry, it doesn’t matter if the clothes are dirty or not. The clothes will go automatically into the hamper placed on your lot. It doesn’t matter on which floor you are and it will even work if your Sims are outside. When you’re away from your lot you won’t create any laundry at all.

Cleanliness

The dirtiness of your laundry is based on your Sims hygiene. When their hygiene is very low it will create dirty laundry but if your Sims hygiene bar is almost full it will create a pile of used laundry. There are 5 different stages how dirty your clothes can be:

Filthy, Dirty, Used, Clean and Pristine

Dryness

There are also 4 different stages of dryness:

Soaked, Damp, Dry and Warm

Dryness can be affected when your Sim just got out of the swimming pool. When he/she changes the outfit if will create a pile of soaked swimming clothes. To dry your clothes, place them in the Dryer or hang them on the Clothesline.

Scents

And 2 different scents to the Washing Machine (requires the Laundry Additive Tray upgrade):

• Fragrant (This will show you butterflies flying around the clothing)
• Foul (This will show you flies flying around the clothing)

You can change the scent by adding additives in your Washing Machine or Wash Tub. Flowers can get you a nice clean fragrant while food gives you a smelly foul outcome.

If your Sims have the Slob trait, they won’t place their dirty clothes into the hampers but they’ll be throwing them on the ground. You’ll have to take those clothes and place them in the hamper yourself with an extra interaction. Click on the hamper and select ‘Pick Up Clothing Piles’ to make sure you’ll collect all clothing piles on your lot.

You can start adding dirty clothing in the washing machine with just one pile of clothing but you can also wait until the hamper is full when they collected 20 piles of clothing. This will roughly take around one week to collect this many clothing.

Clean your Sims’ dirty laundry

When your hamper is filled with laundry, click on the hamper and choose between cleaning your clothing in a Washing Machine or in a Wash Tub.

What are the differences between using a Washing Machine and a Wash Tub?

When your Sims is cleaning their laundry in the Washing Machine they just have to push one button and wait until the machine is finished cleaning the laundry. After this you’ll only have to take out the laundry and places them in the dresser. You can also start gathering all the clothes for every hamper first to put in the washing machine, you can turn it on when the washing machine is full.

Washing Machine functions

• Wash laundry
• Add Laundry Additive (upgrade)
  You can add every kind or food or flower you have in your inventory as an additive. There’s also an option to add extra soap for a bubblicious outcome.

If you choose the Wash Tub you’ll have to do the work yourself. This will slightly increase your Sims’ fitness skill but in can give an uncomfortable moodlet. If will take more time but it’s a lot cheaper than buying a Washing Machine.

Drying clean wet clothes

When you’ve washed the laundry you can either choose to add the clothes to the Dryer or you can hang them up on the Clothesline. You know when your clothes are dry when the Dryer is playing a tune and the end. If you place the clothes at the Clothesline you should check if the clothes stop dripping.

Dryer functions

• Unload & Set Laundry Down
• Clean Lint Tray
  A full lint tray is a fire hazard.

Maintaining your Washer, Dryer and Wash Tub

It’s important to make sure your machines are well maintained. Upgrade them, clean them and repair them.

Washing Machine

Washing Machines can break in two different ways. It can break it’s electronics or it can break it’s plumbing. When your Washing Machine breaks both it’s electronics and plumbing, it can be very dangerous to repair the machine when standing in a puddle of water. Make sure you clean up this puddle first before repairing the electronics.
You can also clean your Washing Machine. This will get rid of extra soap or additives you placed in them.

Washing Machine upgrades

• Laundry Additive Tray (Handiness level 6)
  Unlocks a laundry additive tray that can be used to add pleasant or foul scents to loads of laundry.
• Presoak (Handiness level 5)
  The presoak cycle will take slightly longer, but increases the chance that the Washing Machine will make your clothing pristine.
• Speed Cycle (Handiness level 7)
  The Washing Machine will take less time to clean laundry.
• Tungsten Drum (Handiness level 8)
  The Washing Machine will not break down over time.
• Whisper Quiet (Handiness level 6)
  Decreases the noise when the Washing Machine is turned on.

Dryer

Make sure you clean the lint tray. It will catch fire if you don’t do this often enough

Dryer upgrades

• Lint-Less (Handiness level 5)
  Using the Dryer will not create lint. This helps laundry dry faster, and prevents the chance of starting a fire.
• Speed Cycle (Handiness level 7)
  The Washing Machine will take less time to clean laundry.
• Tungsten Drum (Handiness level 8)
  The Washing Machine will not break down over time.
• Whisper Quiet (Handiness level 6)
  Decreases the noise when the Washing Machine is turned on.

Wash Tub

When you’re done doing laundry you’ll have to replace the dirty water with fresh water. This will also get rid of any additives.

‘Fun’ facts

• Cats are very curious around active Washing Machines. They will watch the laundry spinning and jump on top of the machine.
• Sims can get dizzy when watching the Washing Machine doing it’s spinning cycle.
• Cheat: If you activate testingcheats true you can shift click the pile of laundry to set the stage on how dirty the laundry should be.
• If your Sim puts on dirty clothes it will generate a moodlet that can be embarrassed, angry or uncomfortable.
• Maid and butlers can do your laundry and clean the lint trays.