Have you ever accidentally dyed all of your white clothes blue because you washed them with a fresh pair of denim jeans? Thankfully, this situation can be prevented by sorting your garments before throwing them in the laundry. Here are some additional benefits of separating your clothes before washing and drying them, along with easy methods to divide them up.

Why You Should Separate Your Laundry

Presorting ahead of time preserves the quality of your clothes. Different materials and colors require different washing styles—usually normal, delicate, or permanent press—to prevent shrinkage, damage, and discoloration.

Controlling the water temperature, detergent type, and speed also allows you to prioritize your laundry in different ways. For example, lighter clothes need colder water and less detergent for optimal results while higher temperatures and faster cycles are necessary for dirty materials.

Sorting Methods to Try

Dark & Light Colors

The easiest way to sort dirty clothes is by dark, medium, and light garments because richer and highly saturated tones are more likely to have dyes that bleed into other materials.

Newer clothes are also susceptible to bleeding, so wash these garments separately for their first few cycles. To give your belongings extra protection, use a color absorbing cloth to absorb some dye from the water.

Fabrics & Materials

Some materials require an alternative washing method because different textures and weights have varying durability levels. For example, delicate items like lace bras and silk lingerie need to be on a gentle cycle or hand-washed to prevent abrasion from rough materials like zippers and buttons.

Heavier items like towels and blankets, on the other hand, need more time to dry than lighter garments to prevent dampness and lingering odors.

Dirtiness

While it’s convenient to include dirty clothes along with the rest of your load, soiled laundry should also be washed separately. They can damage delicate materials by transferring heavy dirt and oils into the water, causing your whites and lights to dull out.

Dirty clothes will also need additional time on a long, strong wash cycle to distress and remove accumulated stains.

Get your chores done in a jiffy at Park Avenue Coin Laundry in Dothan, AL. With over two centuries of experience in the laundry business, their employees are available for drop-off washing, drying, and folding services. If you’re tackling your laundry load yourself, they also have high-capacity washers and dryers and a low-fee ATM in-house. Find more information on their website or by calling (334) 678-0800.