Laundry & Ironing is a service where you wash, dry, iron and fold a customer's clothes and household fabrics. On a Laundry & Ironing booking, that is all you do. There is no cleaning on this booking.

Read this guide before you write the Laundry & Ironing test. It covers what you need to know to pass.

🧺 What Laundry & Ironing is

Customers book this service when they need their washing and ironing done well.

Clothes are expensive and people care about them a lot. A shirt that is burned, shrunk or stained cannot be fixed. This is why only Sweepstars with the right skills do this work.

The customer supplies everything you need. The washing machine, the tumble dryer, the detergent, the iron and the ironing board all belong to the customer.

📝 Who can apply for Laundry & Ironing

You need all of these:

• 400 hours of indoor work. This means your probation is complete
• A Trust Score of 80 points or higher
• A star rating of 4.7 stars or higher

You can see your Trust Score and your star rating in your app.

Example: Nomsa has a Trust Score of 84 points. Her star rating is 4.6 stars. She cannot take Laundry & Ironing bookings yet. Her Trust Score is high enough, but her star rating is not 4.7 stars yet.

Your Trust Score and your star rating both go up over time when your bookings go well.

🙋‍♀️ How do I apply for Laundry & Ironing?

1. Open your Worker App.
2. Go to My Support Tickets
3. Tap 'Create a ticket'
4. Choose "Apply for a new service"
5. Tap Apply for Laundry & Ironing

You can also apply here: https://sweepsouth.com/worker/v2/help/new_request/apply_new_laundry_skill

📋 What happens after I apply?

When you apply, we add you as a candidate.

Sweepsouth checks all candidates on the 15th of every month. This is what we check:

1. Your hours, your Trust Score and your star rating
2. If you pass that, you write the Laundry & Ironing test

You get an SMS after the checks. The SMS tells you if you are successful or unsuccessful.

Example: Lindiwe applies on 3 March. She waits until 15 March for her checks. Thabo applies on 20 March. He waits until 15 April for his checks.

If you are unsuccessful, you stay on the candidate list. We check you again on the 15th of the next month. You do not have to apply again.

Example: Precious has a star rating of 4.5 stars on 15 April. She is unsuccessful that month. She stays on the list. She does good work and her rating goes up to 4.8 stars. On 15 May we check her again, and she writes the test.

⭐ What happens when you pass the test

When you pass the test, we add Expert laundry and ironing skills to your profile.

You see the word Expert Laundry and Expert Ironing on your profile. Customers see it too.

This helps you in two ways:

• Customers booking an Indoor clean can see that you are an Expert at laundry and ironing
• Customers booking the Laundry & Ironing service can choose you
• You can also grab Laundry & Ironing bookings on Earn More

✅ How do I know a booking is a Laundry & Ironing booking?

Every booking has a blue label that shows the type of service. If the label says Laundry & Ironing, it is a Laundry & Ironing booking.

The booking also shows you:

• The location
• The date and time
• The hours of work
• The tasks the customer asked for

🚫 What you do not do on a Laundry & Ironing booking

On a Laundry & Ironing booking, you only do laundry and ironing.

You do not do any cleaning on a Laundry & Ironing booking. No sweeping, no dishes, no bathrooms, no windows. The customer did not book that service and did not pay for it.

If the customer asks you to do other work, tell them kindly that this booking is for laundry and ironing only. Then carry on with the laundry and ironing.

Example: Thabo arrives for a Laundry & Ironing booking. The customer asks him to wash the dishes too, because the machine is busy. Thabo says kindly that this booking is only for laundry and ironing. He carries on with the ironing while the machine runs.

This is different on an Indoor booking. On an Indoor booking you do the cleaning tasks the customer chose, and laundry and ironing if they chose those too.

🧾 Always read the care label first

Every item has a small label sewn inside it. The label tells you how to wash and iron that item. Read it before you put the item in the machine.

The label is the customer's instruction, not yours. If you follow the label and something still goes wrong, you did the right thing.

What the symbols mean:

• A tub with water in it is washing. A number inside it is the hottest water you may use: 30, 40 or 60
• A tub with a hand in it means hand wash. Do not put it in the machine
• A tub with a cross through it means do not wash it at all
• A circle means dry clean only. Put the item to one side and tell the customer
• A square with a circle inside is tumble drying. A cross through it means do not tumble dry
• An iron shape is ironing. A cross through it means do not iron

The dots on the iron symbol tell you the heat:

• 1 dot is low heat, for nylon, acrylic and other synthetic fabrics
• 2 dots is medium heat, for polyester, wool and silk
• 3 dots is high heat, for cotton and linen

Example: Lindiwe is loading the machine. A jersey has a square with a circle and a cross through it. That means do not tumble dry. She washes it and hangs it up to dry instead.

🖐 Handwashing delicate items

Handwashing is only for delicate items, and only when the customer asks you to do it.

• If the customer asks you to handwash a delicate item, handwash it
• If an item says hand wash on the label and the customer has not said anything, ask the customer what they want you to do with it
• You do not handwash normal clothes, towels or bedding. Those go in the machine.

How to handwash an item safely:

1. Use cool water and the detergent the customer gives you.
2. Press the item gently up and down in the water. Do not rub it and do not scrub it.
3. Rinse it in clean water until the water runs clear.
4. Never wring or twist a delicate item. Twisting stretches it and breaks the fabric.
5. Press the water out gently. Then roll the item in a dry towel and press again.
6. Dry it flat, not on a hanger. A wet jersey on a hanger stretches long and stays that shape.

Example: Zanele finds a silk blouse in the washing. The customer asks her to handwash it. She uses cool water and presses it gently. She does not twist it. She rolls it in a towel and lays it flat to dry.

🌀 Washing

Sort the washing first

Never put everything in together. Sort into piles before you start.

Put anything that says dry clean only to one side. Do not wash it.

Sort by colour

Make separate piles by colour:

• Whites on their own
• Light colours and pastels together
• Brights and darks on their own

Colour runs out of clothes in the water. A red shirt in a white load turns everything pink.

Watch white and light synthetic clothes carefully. They pick up colour from dark clothes faster than cotton does.

Sort by how dirty things are

Keep very dirty items away from lightly dirty items.

Very dirty clothes make the water dirty. The lightly dirty clothes in that same load pick up that dirt. Whites slowly go grey or yellow. Colours slowly go dull.

Special piles

• Mix big and small items in one load. A load of only big items cannot move properly and does not come clean
• Keep delicate and loosely knitted items separate. Wash them on the gentle cycle
• Wash fluffy things on their own. New towels, fleece tops and flannel leave fluff on other clothes. Keep them away from dark clothes, which pick fluff up easily
• Wash a very bright item on its own the first few times. Hot pink, bright green and electric blue lose their colour easily. Do not put stain remover on them without testing a hidden part first

Get the clothes ready

• Empty every pocket. A tissue in the wash ruins a whole load. A pen ruins the clothes and the machine. 
• If you find money or items in the pockets, give them to the customer.
• Close all zips. An open zip catches other clothes and tears them
• Unbutton shirts. Buttons pull off when they are closed in the wash
• Turn dark clothes inside out. This stops them fading
• Turn clothes with a picture or writing on the front inside out. This stops the picture cracking
• Put socks, underwear and other small items in a mesh bag if the customer has one

Load the machine

• Do not overload the machine. Clothes need space to move or they do not come clean
• You should be able to fit your hand flat on top of the washing in the drum
• Put big and small items in the same load. A load of only big items does not move properly
• Use the amount of detergent written on the pack. Too much leaves the clothes stiff and marked. Too little leaves them dirty

Choose the temperature

• 30°C for dark colours, bright colours and delicate items
• 40°C for everyday clothes
• 60°C for white cotton towels, sheets and very dirty items

Hot water shrinks clothes and fades colour. When you are not sure, use the cooler setting.

Choose the cycle

Every machine is different, but most have these settings:

• Normal or Cotton for everyday clothes, towels and sheets
• Delicate or Gentle for silk, underwear and light fabrics
• Heavy Duty for jeans, work clothes and very dirty washing
• Quick Wash for a small load that is only lightly dirty

🧴 Marks and stains

• Deal with a stain before the item goes in the machine
• Find out what made the stain if you can. The right treatment depends on it
• Use cold water on blood, milk and egg. Hot water sets these stains into the fabric forever
• Blot a stain with a cloth. Do not rub it, because rubbing spreads it and damages the fabric
• Test any stain remover on a hidden part first, like an inside seam. Some stain removers take the colour out
• Do not use stain remover on very bright fluorescent colours without testing first
• Treat a spill even when you cannot see a mark. Cool drink, wine and juice leave sugar behind. The sugar turns yellow or brown weeks later
• If the customer asks you to use bleach, put it through the whole item, not only on the spot. Bleach on one spot leaves a pale patch

Check the stain is gone before you dry the item. Heat from a dryer or an iron sets a stain permanently. If it is still there, wash it again.

🌤 Drying

• Shake each item hard before you hang it. This shakes out the creases and saves ironing time
• Hang shirts and dresses on hangers, not folded over the line
• Hang dark clothes inside out, or in the shade. Strong sun fades colour
• Never tumble dry anything with the tumble dry symbol crossed out
• Never tumble dry wool. It shrinks and cannot be fixed
• Dry delicate items flat, in the air
• Make sure items are fully dry before you fold them. Damp clothes in a cupboard start to smell

Most tumble dryers have these settings:

• Normal for everyday cottons and linen
• Delicate or Low Heat for light fabrics and anything that shrinks easily
• Permanent Press for synthetics. It has a cool-down at the end that stops creases
• Air Fluff or No Heat for freshening things up without heat

🔥 Ironing

Before you start

• Check the label of every item for the heat and for the do-not-iron symbol
• Start with the coolest items and work up to the hottest. An iron heats up fast but takes a long time to cool down
• So iron synthetics first, then silk and wool, then cotton and linen last
• Test the iron on a hidden part first, like an inside seam
• Slightly damp clothes iron much easier than bone-dry clothes. Use the steam or the water spray

While you iron

• Iron dark clothes on the inside. A hot iron leaves a shiny mark on the outside of dark fabric
• Iron clothes with a picture or writing inside out. The iron melts the picture
• Never iron over a zip, a button or anything plastic. Iron around them
• Keep the iron moving. An iron that stands still on fabric burns it in seconds
• Stand the iron up whenever you stop, even for a second. Never leave it lying flat

How to iron a shirt

1. The collar. Do the inside first, then the outside
2. The cuffs. Open them flat and do the inside first
3. The sleeves. Lay each one flat and smooth it before you iron
4. The shoulders. Put them over the narrow end of the board
5. The front panels, one at a time, going around the buttons
6. The back, last

Other items

• Trousers: do the waistband and pockets first. Then lay the legs together, matching the seams, and iron both at once
• Bed sheets: fold the sheet in half, then in half again. Iron each section
• Hang each item up as soon as you finish ironing it
• Let an item cool down before you fold it. Warm fabric creases again as soon as you fold it

Iron safety

• Never leave a hot iron alone in a room with children
• Keep the cord away from the edge of the table and away from the floor
• Switch the iron off and unplug it when you finish
• Let it cool down before you put it away

Example: Sipho has 4 black work trousers to iron. He turns each pair inside out first. The iron does not leave a shiny mark. The trousers look new when he hangs them up.

📦 Folding and finishing

• Fold everything as soon as it is dry. Clean washing left in a pile creases again
• Fold everything the same way, so the pile looks neat
• Group the same things together: shirts with shirts, towels with towels, socks with socks
• Put the folded laundry where the customer asks you to put it
• Hang up anything that creases easily instead of folding it
• Only fold items that are completely dry

⏳ Time, and getting paid for the work you do

A washing machine takes a long time to finish a cycle. You cannot do anything about that.

Start the first load of washing as soon as you arrive. Then iron while the machine runs. This is the most important habit in this job.

Look at all the work before you start

Look at all the washing and all the ironing at the beginning of the booking. Then work out if you can finish it in the hours the customer paid for.

Tell the customer at the start if you cannot finish it in that time. Do not wait until the end of the booking.

If the customer wants you to work longer

The customer can ask you to stay and work extra hours.

Tell them that they pay for the extra hours. You do not work for free.

• If the customer agrees, work the extra hours
• When you close the job in your app, put in the real number of hours you worked
• The customer is charged for the hours you actually worked, not the hours they booked

If the customer does not want to pay for extra hours, work only the hours they booked. Ask them which washing matters most, and do that first.

Example: Nomsa arrives for a 3 hour booking. She sees 5 loads of washing and a big pile of ironing. She tells the customer straight away that 3 hours is not enough. The customer asks her to stay for 5 hours. Nomsa tells her that she will be charged for 5 hours. The customer agrees. Nomsa closes the job with 5 hours, not 3 hours.

Example: Lindiwe arrives for a 4 hour booking and sees too much work for 4 hours. She tells the customer at the start. The customer says she cannot pay for more hours today. Lindiwe asks what matters most. The customer says the school uniforms. Lindiwe does the uniforms first and works her 4 hours.

💬 Always talk to the customer

Ask the customer whenever you are not sure. Nobody expects you to guess.

Ask these at the start of your first booking at a new home:

• Which washing to do first
• Which items must be ironed, and which must be hung up instead
• Which delicate items they want you to handwash
• Where the detergent is, and how much they use
• Where to put the folded laundry
• Whether anything must not go in the tumble dryer

Tell the customer at the end which items you left out, and why. For example, an item that says dry clean only.

Remember

• On a Laundry & Ironing booking you only do laundry and ironing. There is no cleaning.
• You need 400 hours of indoor work, a Trust Score of 80 points or higher, and a star rating of 4.7 stars or higher.
• Sweepsouth checks all candidates on the 15th of every month. If you are unsuccessful, you stay on the list for the next month.
• Read the care label on every item before you wash it or iron it.
• You handwash delicate items when the customer asks you to. Never wring or twist them.
• Empty every pocket, close every zip, and do not overload the machine.
• Iron dark clothes inside out, and stand the iron up whenever you stop.
• Start the washing machine as soon as you arrive, then iron while it runs.
• Look at all the work at the start. Tell the customer then if the hours are not enough.
• If the customer asks you to work longer, they pay for the extra hours. You do not work for free.