[girl0808]

this may sound stupid but ive never had to wash my own clothes and im not sure about the rules of mixing different colours..can someone inform me so i dont end up ruining my clothes.

[cpj1987]

I simply do light colours and dark colours separately.
If I don't have many clothes to wash, and I'm sure that my dark clothes have been washed at least a few times already, I wash them all together.

[Aspiring]

Sort into three piles: whites, light colours, dark colours; then wash them in those groups.

Always, always always check the labels for the washing instructions, some clothes are machine washable, some clothes can only be handwashed and some items need to be dry cleaned.

If you're not sure what the symbols means I'll find a link to a chart and edit this post with it


ETA: Care symbols: http://www.washing-machine-repair.co.uk/symbols.php

http://www.sofeminine.co.uk/guide/fa...es-labels.html

RealUni - http://www.realuni.com/index.php?page=washing (good little website!)

How to wash clothes: http://www.wikihow.com/Wash-Your-Clothes

HTH

[wendizzle22]

I generally separate whites and non-running light colours from darker colours and just do 2 separate washes. Some people are more specific than this and wash all blues together, all pinks together etc but that's not very energy or time efficient. If anything looks like it has dye that will probably run, hand wash it on its own first so you can tell whether it's safe to put in the washing machine.

[lizk123]

I just put them all in together, only ever had one problem, and that was with a new pair of jeans. So anything new you should probably separate until the colour comes out, but other than that it is fine. I don't really own that much white, if I did I would do a white load, but all my stuff is of various colours.

[Posthumous]

Mostly 3 groups, white, light and dark.
If I have 'special' pieces of clothing, I'll put them in alone on a cool wash

[DeeDub]

Turn jeans inside-out otherwise the colour goes streaky.

[Lil Piranha]

Follow the instructions on the label. If something says hand wash, hand wash! Don't put it in the washing machine. You can't just chuck everything in together, some things need washing at 40, others at 30, so make sure you look and seperate these. If you wash them at the wrong temperatures you risk the material deforming and the colours running or fading. Make sure you wash wools on a wool wash, otherwise they will bobble / shrink / not stretch.

If you have tshirts etc with prints or detail such as stuck on rhinestones then wash them inside out.

Once you've seperated these out then you need to wash similar colours together. Don't put your whites and light colours in with bold and dark ones, otherwise your white clothes will go grey and your light colours will look horrible.

If you have something new that's a particularly bright colour (reds in particular) wash it on it's own the first time round so that the colour that hasn't fixed yet can run and you don't get stains when you put it in with the rest of your laundry.

It is also a good idea to wash all your blue denim (jeans!) together as a wash because the indigo dye in denim often comes out. Once you've had the jeans a while and they've been through the wash a few times then you can put them in with the darks. Make sure you always wash them inside out!

In the case of structured clothing (ie collared shirts) make sure you reform them immediately after you take them out of the machine and hang them up (not on a clothes horse! A coathanger on a curtain rail is fine ) this will save you a lot of ironing and will also help the garment to keep it's shape.

And if you are ever in doubt about something, hand wash it!

Remember that the instruction labels are there for a reason. If you follow them and take care of your clothes properly then they will last forever, even cheap Primark stuff!

[tigermoth99]

Follow the labels carefully. Wash whites separately from dark coloured clothes.

[Jabblez]

I've generally found that whacking everything in together works fine, no need to seperate, but again like some people have already mentionned, if anything is new, dont put it in, hand wash it to make sure the dye doesnt run, and after that wash, it will be fine to put in with everything else the second time. if you do want to be more careful though, then do just follow the label and seperate lights from darks, saves alot of time then seperating each colour individually.

[NoHands]

wash whites (even if it is only partially white it should be colour safe), then everything else together. Otherwise use colour catcher.

[girl0808]

thanks for the help!
bloody hell three washes though. its not like i have loads of clothes so im not sure i could do 3 washes, their would probably be about two items in each wash!
if things arent new will they still run?

[alexa123]

Originally Posted by girl0808

thanks for the help!
bloody hell three washes though. its not like i have loads of clothes so im not sure i could do 3 washes, their would probably be about two items in each wash!
if things arent new will they still run?

To be honest i tend to put it all in together aslong as it has been washed a few times ive never had a problem.

This is mainly because i see it as such a waste to wash light colours seperately when i would probably have about 3 items!

But as others have said, things like wool etc. must be washed on a different setting to avoid ruining it.

[fredscarecrow]

I just do a white wash and an other colour wash unless it's like all my clothes and my bedding in which case there is whites, reds, blue/blacks.

I never read labels etc. Everything gets washed together and tumble dried. Never had any issues apart from one top which had padded boobs and the padding has got all squished up in it so now it makes my chest look really strange.