Laundry Sorting and Laundry Products

Laundry Sorting

Almost everyone has a story about laundry sorting disasters. However, with today’s labeling and laundry products, laundry if much easier to figure out and do without a catastrophe.

Download this handy laundry sorting guide. Keep in mind that if the label on a garment tells you something different, then do what it says or use a milder option (cooler water or heat, weaker cleaning agent).

Laundry sorting basically comes down to sorting by color (dark, light, red, brights), weight (towels vs. lingerie) and the amount of laundry you have.
At the most basic, you will have lights and darks (and reds- Don’t mix these with anything else!)

Wash all clothes before wearing them, to keep chemicals (like formaldehyde and other chemicals used to add and set dyes) and critters (fabric mites) off yourself. You probably want to wash dark clothes like jeans and intensely colored towels separately the first time or so becasue they may crock (color rub off on things when dry) or bleed (color runs when wet).

Laundry Products

Don’t use fabric softener on:

• Flame retardant clothing (kid’s jammies- makes them MORE flammable)
• Microfiber (especially if its used for cleaning- prevents absorption and dust attraction and can cause streaking)
• Bamboo (causes serious pilling)
• Athletic clothing with wicking ability (prevents wicking)
• Towels (don’t use or reduce as it makes them less absorbent)

How big is a load?

About the size you can fit into a normal square laundry basket. This depends on the size of washer and dryer you are using, and whether commercial (laundromat) or home.  Its best not to overload the washer or dryer or the clothes won’t get clean or dry.

What you will need:

• Laundry detergent
• Non-Chlorine bleach
• Fabric softener

Spots and stains

• A bar of Dove soap this will get out most stains (dove because the moisturizers lift oily stains)
  • Moisten area with cold water
  • Between your hands, lather up the dove bar
  • Apply the lather to the stain and lather the stain
  • May need to add more Dove
  • Rinse out then wash as normal
• Hairspray (preferably the old fashioned spray kind) or stain remover (gets out the other stains, like pen, tar)
  • Spray the hairspray directly on stain til saturated (test small area where it cant be seen first to be sure the dyes can handle it)
  • Gently rub the stain area
  • Rinse or follow with the Dove bar
  • Wash as normal

Optional:

• Chlorine bleach- be careful where and if you use this. Use it only on white cotton that does not have a ‘do not use chlorine bleach’ care label. It’s the best thing to use to get rid of mold and mildew and (diluted) to clean wooden cutting boards.
• Vinegar- I use a cupful with the fabric softener in the rinse cycle to remove soap or detergent residue.
• DeMite laundry Additive if you have allergies to dust mites. Use this on sheets, bed coverings and blankets, and pillows. This can make the sheets smell a bit funky, so I wash in the morning and let them air out during the day.

Other Drying Options

Dry flat
If a garment says to dry flat, the best way to do this is on a drying rack (I like this one from OXO because it folds up easily when not in use. Other less expensive ones I’ve tried fall apart or have to be unassembled and reassembled every time.  This one also stacks nicely if there is limited space.

Line Dry
If a garment needs to line dry, hang it on a hanger that will not leave bumps from the ends of the hanger. This hanger for instance, can also hang clothes or washables when traveling and can be folded to pack.

If it’s heavy (like a heavy hoodie), hang it upside down to dry. When I hang my son’s hoodies, I use 2 skirt/slack hangers for each hoodie and distribute the weight between 4 clips.

If you have the room in the kitchen or basement, you can hang from a clothes rack. If you don’t have a basement in which to dry your clothes, they can be hung over the shower curtain bar in the bathroom with a mat or towel on the floor beneath if necessary (not usually necessary if machine washed and spun dry, but will be necessary if hand washed or not spun dry).