I toss fabric into the washer when I bring it home ( if I'm going to prewash it) then into the dryer. I don't prewash everything, I prewash if a fabric feels funky, smells funky, is loosely woven or might bleed. I feel to deal with any of those issues the machine is needed. I do not prewash precuts, if I had one I worried might bleed I would check it ( by hand) if it was a bleeder I just wouldn't use it except in a project that would not be laundered.