This is really getting into the weeds here, but my partner and I (hetero couple in our 30s) do laundry maybe once a week, but it is a pretty time-intensive proc

This is really getting into the weeds here, but my partner and I (hetero couple in our 30s) do laundry maybe once a week, but it is a pretty time-intensive process because half of all of our clothes are cold-wash, half of those are line-dry, and following the directions like that significantly extends how long they last and stay brightly colored. It takes a couple of hours a week, and usually falls to me since I work from home. Saying some steps are "optional" requires compromises that probably a lot of people are unwilling to make; so not necessarily a meaningful way to call things optional.