Handy Tips for Laundry Sorting
There really isn’t one best way to sort laundry. It’s a mixture of easy tricks that streamline your hamper to get the best out of every wash. Just a little extra attention when laundry sorting can go a long way. Proper laundry care can lengthen a garment’s life and save time drying and putting your wardrobe away!
It doesn’t just come down to whites and darks (though that is important!). Here is a list of the best tricks and tools to sort laundry for a quality wash every time. Next time a laundromat visit is on the cards, keep these handy tips in mind.
Sort Laundry by Darks, Whites & Lights
This tip goes back to the basics—sort your laundry by darks, lights, and whites! There’s rhyme and reason to this old trick; it stops colours from bleeding (transferring) into one another. White or light clothes are more susceptible to darker dies (especially on warm washes), so keep them separate!
Each colour code needs a special wash cycle as well. Here’s a quick overview of laundry washing by colour.
Keep it Cool with Dark Clothing
Dark clothing dyes tend to transfer easier than light ones and are much harder to remove when they do! Gather dark red, greens and blue hues, turn them inside out and pop them on a cool or warm wash.
Top tip: If you use laundry powder, dissolve it in a little warm water before putting it in the dispenser. Most powders are temperature activated, so you’ll get more from the soap this way!
A Warm Wash for Light Clothing
Lavenders, pinks, and pastels are colours that might tinge your whites, but are also vulnerable to dark colours themselves. A warm wash will do fine for these gentle colours.
Turn Up the Heat on Your White Clothes
White garments need a little heat to keep them bright and shiny. If the fabric is sturdy, a hot wash with a little bleach will maintain whites at their best.
Get to Know Your Fabrics
The next best thing in laundry sorting is getting to know the fabrics of each garment. Look at the tag. Each piece should detail what it’s made from and provide some handy washing guidelines.
A good place to start is by separating wool, denim, and delicate. Go further by looking at the ‘fluffiness’ of the clothing. Ask yourself, will this leave lint on all my other clothes? There’s not much worse in self-service laundromats than getting your fresh wash out of the machine, only to be greeted by little balls of fluff on everything. It’s just one reason to pay attention to separating your fabrics.
Wools, Cottons, Jeans, or Silks?
The most important fabrics to sort are wool, denim, and cotton. Each of these needs specific temperatures and washes to keep them at their best. Wool needs a gentle, cool wash so they don’t pull or shrink, cotton and silk also love a gentle spin, but can go slightly warmer.
Denim on the other hand is best on a more vigorous cold wash and should be turned inside out!
Don’t Forget to Weight It Out
It’s not just the type of fabric that counts, but also the weight of the fabric. Have you ever left the laundromat and noticed your cotton shirt didn’t get as clean as the bedsheet you washed it with? Or maybe a towel is soaked, while other garments have spun dry? Separate your heavy towels and fabrics for a more thorough wash.
It’ll keep your clothes cleaner, and your towels fluffier!
Laundry Sorting by Stains
The dirtier the laundry, the longer it needs in the machine on a heavy duty wash cycle. Separate deeply soiled or stained clothes from others, pre-treat them and pop them on together for a longer soak to get them back to sparkling.
Pay Attention to the Hardware – Zips, Buttons, and Buckles
Another top tip is to pay attention to the glitz, zips, and accessories on your clothing. Any metal, sequins or bra hooks can pull or tear other garments in the machine. Consider turning clothes inside out and ensure they’re not mixed with any delicate fabrics.
Handy Tools to Make Laundry Sorting a Breeze
There are some simple tools that you can use to streamline your laundromat trip. Here are some great things to have on hand so you don’t have to think too much about your laundry sorting:
- Separate laundry hampers for darks, whites, lights, and sheets.
- Keep a little stain remover next to the hamper so you can treat stains on the spot!
- Get a delicates bag. A delicates bag will keep your smalls safe from pesky hooks, zips, or just twisting out of shape.
It’s not a tool, but a final tip is to re-hook any bras but un-do your zips! This will keep them from catching on anything during the wash.
Take Your Pro Laundry Sorting Tricks to the Laundromat!
Make sure your clothes, sheets and towels get the wash they deserve and visit a Liquid Laundromat for a self-service laundromat that makes washing a breeze! Take control of keeping your washing in top shape by taking our laundry sorting tips to any of our Auckland laundromats.
Further reading
Our laundromats are card-operated, so you don’t have to worry about scraping together gold coins for a quality wash and dry. Keep an eye out for a Liquid Laundromat near you for a laundry experience that is easy on you and your clothes!
