Organizing Tips

Sorting Your Laundry for the Best Results

Did you know that there’s more to sorting your laundry than just tossing it in the washing machine? Follow these tips to get the best results when it comes to laundry – so your white t-shirts don’t end up pink.

Sorting your laundry seems pretty easy, right? Just toss it all in the washing machine and go on about your day.

Nope. It’s not as simple as that. Unless you want your white t-shirts to end up an odd shade of pink or some other weird color. (Yes, this has happened to me.)

If you don’t want that to happen, then it’s best to learn how to sort your laundry the right way. Follow the tips below to get the best results on laundry day.

Sorting Your Laundry 101

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  • Sort by clothing type: Make sure you read the tags before throwing the item in the washing machine. Some clothes need to be washed by hand and some need to be laid flat to dry.
    • Towels: Towels produce a lot of lint, which sticks to other types of clothing. Wash towels separately or with sheets and blankets. However, I prefer to wash a load of towels separate from everything else.
    • Heavier items: Heavier items, such as sweatshirts and hoodies, take longer to dry than lighter ones. Overdrying clothing can ruin the fiber in clothing.
    • Specialty clothes: Clothes that have zippers and buttons should be washed separately from knit clothing and lingerie because they can tear those types of clothing in the wash.
  • Sort by color: Keep colors separate so the dyes do not bleed onto other clothing items.
    • Whites: Whites should stay with whites because you want them to stay white. All it takes is one red sock to ruin a load of white socks and t-shirts. Also, whites should be washed in a warmer water temperature for the best result.
    • Bright Colors: Pinks, oranges, purples, and reds can be mixed together. However, reds are known for bleeding onto other fabrics, so wash reds separately if you’re unsure.
  • Sort by the amount of dirt: Clothing that is badly stained or has a lot of dirt on it should be washed separately from other clothing and on a longer, heavy-duty cycle.
  • Check pockets: Don’t forget to check all the pockets before putting them into the wash. Receipts and gum can cause a huge mess! (Speaking from experience here!)
  • Turn clothes inside out: Turning your clothes inside out protects them during the wash and keeps jeans from turning white at the seams.
  • Pretreat: Make sure you pretreat any stains before washing. Otherwise, the stain will set in and never come out. Click here to see how to pretreat stains with baking soda.

Following these steps to sorting your laundry will prevent any major laundry disasters. I’ve had quite a few of those and it didn’t take me long to learn what to do before every wash.

How do you sort your laundry? What method works best for you?


For more cleaning and organizing tips, I recommend these:
How to Let Go of Sentimental Stuff
How to Clean Your Mattress the Right Way
10 Best Organizers for Your Bedroom
Bedroom Organizing Ideas That Will Work for Anyone


Thank you for sharing!
Michelle

Michelle lives on a small homestead with her husband, daughter, 6 silly hens, 1 crazy rooster, 2 lazy cats, and 1 rescue dog. She loves DIYs, frugal living, crocheting, and reading. She's also a full-time proofreader.

View Comments

  • Excellent tips, tissues I think everyone misses this especially if tired or rushing. Colours which run can be helped by soaking them in salt and cold water before their first wash.

    • Thank you so much! Yes, tissues are the worst. Thank you for the tip on preventing colors from running. I'll remember that next time. :)

  • This post made me smile so much because i get quite obsessive over the laundry piles. I get so triggered when I see people mixing colours with whites or colours I wouldn't usually wash together. Sounds like you have a good system! x

    • I'm glad I'm not the only one who is bothered by mixing the laundry piles. :) Thank you for reading!

  • I'll keep your turn it inside out idea in mind! I used to grumble about my kids giving me baskets full of inside out clothes. Who knew it was actually helping their clothes wear and wash better! Great tips!

    • Sometimes I think they know better than we do even if they don't realize what they're doing. :D

      • Lol! That is a very positive way of looking at things! Laundry is my least favorite chore and I am looking for all the positivity I can get!

    • Thank you! I'm glad you found them helpful. I'm glad I'm not the only one to end up with different colored shirts. ?

  • Awesome tips as always, Michelle. I laughed at 'sort by the amount of dirt'. Not sure I can do that because I might get triggered. Haha!

    • You're welcome! I do, too mostly unless there's something that needs to be washed by hand. We don't have many "special" clothes. :)

  • I always wash towels separate and my bed sheets separate, I may occasionally toss in pj's with my sheets but mostly I was them separate, but with the rest I've gotten real lazy and I just toss everything together, you've encouraged me here to separate my delicate clothes and wash them separate from the heavier ones. Thanks Michelle great tips xoxo

    • I wash my towels and sheets separately, too. I just think it makes the sheets feel softer for some reason. I'm glad you found this encouraging! :) I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

  • These are such great, practical tips! I'm so guilty of not emptying out my pockets before putting my clothes in the washer though. You don't know how many coins I've found at the bottom of the machine, it's crazy!

    • Thank you so much! I put a container by my washing machine to collect all the coins and that thing would fill up fast! LOL! Now it sits empty because my husband only uses his bank card.

  • Great tips! I’m a laundry snob. I don’t dry most of my clothes and they get ran on gentle cycle. They last so much longer. I have clothes that I’ve had for 10 years. Still doing good! ?

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