Laundry is an ongoing chore. While it may be tempting to throw your entire laundry pile directly into the washing machine, doing so can be detrimental to your favorite clothes. Separating your laundry will help keep your clothes looking their best and will keep you from having to replace items. If you’ve been wondering how to separate laundry, this guide will help you learn the correct way.

How to Separate Laundry

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Step 1: Separate by Fabric
Step 2: Separate by Color
Step 3: Separate by Dirtiness
Step 4: Bag Delicates
Step 5: Do the Laundry

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Step 1: Separate by Fabric

First, separate your clothing items by their different types of fabric. Be sure to separate heavier items, like towels, from light items, like t-shirts. Washing these items separately will help prevent damaging your softer and more delicate fabrics. This method of separation also helps when it comes to drying your items. Heavier items tend to take longer to dry, causing some items to over dry. This can stress the fibers of lightweight items while leaving your heavier items damp. Be sure to check the care label on delicate items – they may need to be washed by hand or on a delicate wash cycle.

Step 2: Separate by Color

Next, you’ll want to separate your fabric piles by color. Clothes in dark, deep colors can sometimes bleed dye when they are in the washing machine. Sort your laundry by colors, grouping dark, medium, and light colors separately. This will keep your colors looking fresh by preventing dyes from mixing.

Tip!

If you have dark items or new clothing items, turn them inside out to wash to minimize bleeding dyes.

Step 3: Separate by Dirtiness

If you or your little ones often have stained clothes, wash those dirty items separately. This allows you to put that particular load on a heavy-duty cycle, which uses a harsher agitation that is needed to clean off the stain or dirt. Some stained items may need to be pretreated. Separating these items will let you stay on track with laundry while allowing you the time to treat extra-dirty clothes.

Step 4: Bag Delicates

If you find yourself with various delicates, woolens, or even performance fabrics, it may be best to protect them by turning them inside out and placing them in a washing bag. These bags tend to be mesh and are even great for washing small items, like socks, to help prevent them from getting lost in the wash.

Step 5: Do the Laundry

Now that all of your clothes are separated, it’s time to do the laundry. Wash each pile according to its material type and dirtiness. If you are unsure how to wash something, be sure to check the care tag on the inside. Looking for a new washer? Check out our guide How to Choose the Best Washing Machine.

Tip!

Don’t forget a laundry basket. Choosing the right laundry basket will help save you time sorting your clothes. Opt for a partitioned laundry basket that keeps your dirty clothes in one place while also allowing you to separate clothes. The basket has different sections, which helps save time with sorting in the long run.