🧺 Laundry
In this section you'll learn useful Spanish vocabulary for doing laundry, caring for clothes, and talking about common laundry tasks.
🟢 Basic Laundry Vocabulary
🧺 Laundry → La ropa / La ropa sucia
👕 Clothes → Ropa
🧼 Detergent → Detergente
🧴 Fabric softener → Suavizante
🧺 Washing machine → Lavadora
🌬️ Dryer → Secadora
🧺 Laundry basket → Cesto de la ropa
👔 Iron → Plancha
🟡 Doing the Laundry
🫧 To wash clothes → Lavar la ropa
🌞 To dry clothes → Secar la ropa
👕 To fold clothes → Doblar la ropa
👗 To hang up clothes → Colgar la ropa
🌤️ To hang clothes out to dry → Tender la ropa
🔥 To iron → Planchar
🗄️ To put clothes away → Guardar la ropa
🎨 To separate the clothes → Separar la ropa
👕 Clothing Care Vocabulary
✨ Clean → Limpio / Limpia
🧦 Dirty → Sucio / Sucia
💧 Wet → Mojado / Mojada
☀️ Dry → Seco / Seca
🫗 Stain → Mancha
✨ Stain remover → Quitamanchas
👔 Wrinkled → Arrugado / Arrugada
🌤️ Clothesline / Drying rack → Tendedero
🫧 Washing & Drying Options
🎨 Colored clothes → Ropa de color
⚪ White clothes → Ropa blanca
🧶 Delicate clothes → Ropa delicada
❄️ Cold water → Agua fría
♨️ Hot water → Agua caliente
🔄 Wash cycle → Ciclo de lavado
🫧 To rinse → Enjuagar
🌀 To spin → Centrifugar
🧠 Useful Grammar Tip
When talking about laundry tasks, you'll often use tener que + infinitive to say that you have to do something.
Tengo que lavar la ropa.
I have to do the laundry.
Tengo que doblar las camisas.
I have to fold the shirts.
Tengo que lavar la ropa.
I have to do the laundry.
Tengo que doblar las camisas.
I have to fold the shirts.
Use necesitar + infinitive to talk about something you need to do.
Necesito lavar esta camisa.
I need to wash this shirt.
Necesito lavar esta camisa.
I need to wash this shirt.
🌎 Regional Vocabulary Tip
The English word "laundry" does not always have one direct Spanish equivalent. Depending on the context, Spanish commonly uses la ropa, la ropa sucia, or expressions such as lavar la ropa.
A laundromat is commonly called a lavandería, although vocabulary and usage can vary between Spanish-speaking regions.
The words used for appliances can also vary. For example, lavadora is widely used for washing machine, while other household vocabulary may differ by country.
💬 Common Laundry Phrases
🧺 Necesito lavar la ropa esta tarde.
I need to do the laundry this afternoon.
I need to do the laundry this afternoon.
👕 Voy a separar la ropa blanca de la ropa de color.
I'm going to separate the whites from the colored clothes.
I'm going to separate the whites from the colored clothes.
🌞 Voy a tender la ropa afuera.
I'm going to hang the clothes outside to dry.
I'm going to hang the clothes outside to dry.
🫗 Esta camisa tiene una mancha.
This shirt has a stain.
This shirt has a stain.
💬 Everyday Conversations
Doing the laundry
A: ¿Ya lavaste la ropa?
B: Sí, pero todavía tengo que doblarla.
A: Did you do the laundry already?
B: Yes, but I still have to fold it.
A: ¿Ya lavaste la ropa?
B: Sí, pero todavía tengo que doblarla.
A: Did you do the laundry already?
B: Yes, but I still have to fold it.
At the laundromat
A: ¿Dónde está la lavandería?
B: Está al final de la calle.
A: Where is the laundromat?
B: It's at the end of the street.
A: ¿Dónde está la lavandería?
B: Está al final de la calle.
A: Where is the laundromat?
B: It's at the end of the street.
Washing clothes
A: ¿Puedo lavar esta camisa con la ropa blanca?
B: No, es mejor lavarla con la ropa de color.
A: Can I wash this shirt with the white clothes?
B: No, it's better to wash it with the colored clothes.
A: ¿Puedo lavar esta camisa con la ropa blanca?
B: No, es mejor lavarla con la ropa de color.
A: Can I wash this shirt with the white clothes?
B: No, it's better to wash it with the colored clothes.
📝 Example Sentences
🧦 La ropa ya está limpia y seca.
The clothes are already clean and dry.
The clothes are already clean and dry.
🌞 Prefiero secar la ropa al aire libre.
I prefer to dry clothes outside.
I prefer to dry clothes outside.
👕 Voy a doblar la ropa y guardarla en el armario.
I'm going to fold the clothes and put them away in the closet.
I'm going to fold the clothes and put them away in the closet.
🫗 Necesito quitar esta mancha antes de lavar la camisa.
I need to remove this stain before washing the shirt.
I need to remove this stain before washing the shirt.
💧 La ropa todavía está mojada.
The clothes are still wet.
The clothes are still wet.
👔 Esta camisa está arrugada y necesito plancharla.
This shirt is wrinkled and I need to iron it.
This shirt is wrinkled and I need to iron it.
🏆 Final Practice
Try saying each phrase before pressing play.
- Tengo que lavar la ropa.
- Voy a doblar la ropa.
- La ropa todavía está mojada.
- Voy a tender la ropa afuera.
- Esta camisa tiene una mancha.
- Necesito planchar esta camisa.