Laundry Washing Tips

Laundry Washing Tips – Remember when your mom had separate laundry baskets for whites, colors, jeans, blankets, and everything else? Well, what actually happens if you wash all your clothes together at the same time? Can this be done? Read on to learn more and see if separating your laundry is really necessary!

Pink Undies!

Laundry Washing Tips

We’ve all seen it on TV before. The man who has to learn to do his own laundry, and pulls out his previously white, now pink, boxers. As silly as it is, there is some truth to this. Washing dark colors with whites can end up in gray shirts that used to be white.

Washing reds and purples with whites can end up in pink clothes! Mixing all your clothes together can result in some fun colored undies! Now this happens in particular when there are colored items of clothing that are on the newer side.

The dye is still fresh and can leak off the article of clothing when submerged in water. This leaked dye will stick to items of lighter color and can stain them in spots or completely changes their color.

Now, this isn’t to say that it will for sure happen every time. It is less likely to happen if you wash everything in cold water, as hot water is more likely to make colors run.

It’s also much less likely to happen if the colored article of clothing is older and has been washed many times. If the dark item of clothing has been washed at least five times, you are probably safe throwing it in with the light clothes.

Laundry Washing Tips

Laundry Washing Tips

So what are the keys to great laundry washing? It seems so easy to just throw it all together in one load. Sometimes, this can work. As mentioned above, if the colored clothes are fairly old and have been washed many times, you’re probably safe to wash them all together.

However, if you know you have new pieces of colored clothing, your best bet is to separate your laundry. Wash dark items, especially new ones, together in one load multiple times before you toss it in with white clothes.

This way, if the dye does come off the dark clothing item, it will stick to items that are already that color. That, or they won’t show the color at all.

If you’re set on doing all your laundry washing in one load, there are products you can use that will minimize the color running. There are “color catcher” type sheets that you throw in the washer. These sheets help “catch” the extra dye that comes off new clothing, but they are still not a guarantee.

Ideally, you separate your laundry. You do whites and darks by themselves in cold water. Blankets and towels should also be their own load, washed in hot water. If you wash cloth diapers and the like, those should also be in a separate load and in hot water.

Colored Clothes

If you want to get really specific with your laundry washing, you can even separate the colors into different loads. This will be even safer than throwing all the colors in together at the same time.

The dark colors like blues and greens would be washed together in their own load. Lighter colors like oranges, yellows, and red would be washed in their own load. This will ensure that the colors stay with like colors.

In addition to separating colors, you can also take further precautions. You can use a fabric conditioner that will help the colors stay vibrant and steadfast. Washing them in cold water will also help the colors last longer.

Following the washing machine, hanging the clothes instead of putting them in the dryer will also help the colors stay.

Laundry Washing Tips – Conclusion

Laundry Washing Tips

In summary, yes, you absolutely can wash all your clothes together. However, you run the risk of the dark colors leaching onto the light clothes and staining them. They can possibly change colors completely!

The better question is should you wash everything together? The answer to that is probably not. Separating your clothes into their respective colors will give your clothes the longest life possible. Washing them in the correct temperature and using the correct precautions will help as well!

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