NOT sorting laundry

[mrs.m]

I love to get hand-me-down clothes that are grey and dingy and make them look new. I think maybe I need a new hobby or something.

 

 

Please share your secrets on how you do this.

[Alice]

I think this thread may be destined to go the way of the shoe/non-shoe or grocery cart putting away/not putting away threads.

 

I’m a moderate sorter. :)

 

I typically sort darks and lights. I like to do whites separately as I do notice they get dingy but I’m the only one who cares so I only worry about it if it’s my white shirts. I wash almost everything in cold but will use warm for towels or things that are very dirty or stained. If we have a load that needs doing but not enough for two loads I will not worry about the sorting.

[twoxcell]

I only sort into towels and clothes.;)

[LoriK]

I don't sort...my kids do. LOL I have a light-dark-whites bin in the laundry room and they sort their own clothes accordingly. I also have hampers in the bathrooms for towels. I bought some really cheap and tiny white bath towels and we all use a towel once and then toss it in the hamper. I keep them stacked in a large pile under the sink in each bathroom. I empty the hamper into a hot wash with bleach every few days.

 

I do sheets once a week on hot. The kids like that day because they don't have to make their beds.

 

If I have a lot of darks or have fallen behind, I will seperate jeans and reds and make a load of them seperate from darks.

 

When DH was in the Air Force, I had to wash his black t shirts alone on cold so they wouldn't fade. He was very particular with his uniforms. The first year we were married, I messed up his blues when I was ironing them and after that they all went to the drycleaners to be laundered. LOL

[Rhonda in TX]

I also recommend Shout Color Catcher. I usually sort, but occasionally I don't and just throw one of those in with the clothes. They really do work.

[Ruby Rose]

Oh the humanity! I'm in shock that there is a world full of non-sorters. :lol:

 

I just don't think I could be THAT rebellious. You are brave women! :lol:

[AngieW in Texas]

I don't sort and never have (aside from cloth diapers way back when I needed them - those were always done separately).

 

I dump clothes/towels into the washer until it's full. I throw in a color catcher (just in case). I run it on cool.

 

The closest I come to sorting is that my girls have lingerie bags to put things in that should not go through the dryer. They are responsible for figuring out what those things are and putting them in the lingerie bags so they can be hung to dry.

[Mama_Rana]

Ya'll are funny! I didn't expect 56+ responses! :lol Thanks!

 

I've used various techniques over the years, sorting by person, by color, etc. If you want the laundry sorted but don't want the sorting to be an extra chore, you can have a centralized hamper set-up, and have people sort as they put things into the hampers. Even the smallest of children can do this. Have one bin for whites, one for reds, one for darks, or whatever organization you prefer. It makes doing the laundry easier too, because you can wash the whites when there's a full load, without having to plow through the non-white clothes. This system can really help if you want to do a "one or two loads a day" approach, rather than a "wait till it's a mountain then take up the whole day with it" approach. You will still want to eyeball things as you put them in the wash to double-check they've been sorted correctly, but it is *so* much easier when things are automatically sorted this way. (Also, of course, you'll want to train the family to unbunch their socks, empty their pockets, etc. before putting the clothes in the hamper.)

 

This is basically what I do now: hampers in each bedroom, weekly chore that they be carried down to the laundry room, but I do the sorting. :/ And that's where the hang-up is. Then I try to do at least one load a day, more if I've gotten behind.

But I'm thinking of having my elder son start doing his own. It would be great if I could just tell him to throw it all in.

 

 

This is the best product ever!

I do have some of these, and just bought more. Do ya'll use a new one each time? Or do you reuse?

 

Wow, I had no idea that sorting was optional! My mom was a compulsive sorter and I guess I am too.

 

 

My mom too. When we all lived together, she literally sorted BY color: reds & pinks in one load, blues [maybe greens] in another, yellows, whites, etc. I still don't fully understand how she sorts now. Has something to do with weight and color.

 

 

Ok, thanks everyone! I'm gonna talk to my dh and the kids about this.

[Soror]

I bet I wouldn't notice any difference. It wouldn't register as something to notice unless you pointed it out and asked me to notice. I would politely acknowledge the difference, but I wouldn't change my laundry habits. The whiteness of my whites is a non-issue for me. I am sure I often see sorters out in general public and their whites may be whiter than ours, but I truly don't notice. :001_smile:

:iagree:

I bet I wouldn't care. I avoid white clothes as it is though. I have a tendency to make a mess of myself, another reason I don't like to buy new clothes.

[Barb_]

I sort. Clothes are expensive and I view sorting as insurance. One mishap can ruin $100s of dollars worth in a big front loader.

[nd293]

I sort very loosely into dark and light. If we have new dark clothes I might be stricter for a few washes. If needed to make up a full load I throw dish rags, towels and bedding in with clothes, otherwise they are washed separately. I wash only in cold water, and everything is line dried.

[stripe]

The only clothing I sort is Mr. Ellie's all-cotton underwear, because I use bleach, hot water, and add an extra wash cycle.

 

I find this very funny.

 

Anyway I sort. However, I rarely have trouble filling the machine, even though I sort. Usually the only thing I hold off washing for a short while, while I get enough other stuff is delicate items of mine.

 

I started washing my laundry at age 9 or 10 because I hated that my mom didn't sort and always put everything in the dryer.

[justLisa]

Laundry is one of the only things I keep up with :tongue_smilie:

 

I sort whites: DH and DS wear white unders and a white t-shirt daily,all socks are white for DH and DS.

very lights and pinks for DD and I

lights for everyone

dark colors and black

pants separate or anything with zippers

delicates like hand washables/bras

kitchen towels

bath towels

bedding

[cin]

 

I tried washing things all together but even after many many washings the white shirts start to look dingy because of color run off from other things, and this is when I even use one of those shout color catcher things.

 

DH and I don't wear much white clothing. The girls do, but it doesn't last long enough to get dingy (they out grow it). We use to sort everything, but after reading this, I'm thinking I really don't need to be wasting all that time. My clothes will probably be sorted by hang-up loads and don't care loads.

 

We have a washer dryer combo. I put the clothes in and about 3-4 hours later, it's FINISHED. I love it. I put jeans in before bedtime and they are ready to wear in the morning.

 

I didn't think about delicates. Bathing suits, dry-fit, and certain lingerie items do get washed alone. Sheets get washed by themselves, but they are a whole load anyway. And clothes that don't get dried (microfleece, delicates) are washed alone. But by color, I do NOT sort.

Edited July 6, 2012 by cin
second thought....

[sassenach]

I don't sort by color. My laundry looks like this:

 

Linens- heavy duty, hot

 

kid 1- washed normal, warm

 

kid 2- ditto

 

kid 3- ditto

 

kid 4-ditto

 

dh- ditto

 

me- 1 load normal, warm

1 load normal, cold

1 load delicates

 

Not a darn thing is sorted by color unless it's new. No problems.

[LibraryLover]

I do sort, and I have taught the children to sort, as well as turn their favorite shirts inside out to help them last longer (control pilling etc). I also taught them to check fav outfits/shirts for stains so they can treat them before washing. I don't do their laundy. Each child does their own, which does cut down on my laundry stress.

 

I do encourage the kids to wash sheets, quilts, and pillow cases together on hot. And if there is room, and your bath towels don't stink, throw those in with the sheets. However, I'm not sleepiing on your sheets, or using your towels. lol I don't care if a child o' mine washes their own darks and lights together. It's not my clothing. It will either work for you, or your favorite white shirt or skirt will turn mud-brown or gray or whatnot. That's up to you. I taught them to sort, wash in cold sometimes, hot other times. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. I honestly don't care, as they are not my items.

 

Dishtowels, rags, and napkins are washed alone! The thought of filthy house rags and napkins in with underwear ...well.. no. Think of me what you will on that. lol However, since each person contributes by doing their own laundry, it's not overwhelming for me. Yet! Clean -up rags, dishtowels, and supper napkins in with other stuff? No. Cannot go there. :D My dh knows this. He knows I will sort and re-wash a load if I find kitchen or barn items in with items to be worn or slept on by me.

 

But I am not OCD. I'm not. Not clinically. :)

Edited July 6, 2012 by LibraryLover

[Tap]

I sort, but my older kids do not. Since this in in the same household, with the same detergents, I can tell the difference. Over time, their cloths have more fuzz balls and the whites are dull. Their clothes also don't seem to last as long, it seems like they wear out faster. I know many people don't care about such things, but I do.

 

If I am in a hurry, I still wash these separately:

 

Jeans and anything with exposed zippers (pocket details etc).

Blacks (poly blend cloths for work, dress pants etc)

Towels

I was all of dd5s Dry Fit fabrics (half of her wardrobe) in one load so I can pull them out to skip the dryer.

Reds, hot pinks and purples

 

The rest of the whites, light colored cottons and misc items get sorted sometimes and sometimes not. I prefer to do a load of whites, a load of lights, a load of dhs work shirts/items that are ironed, a load of micro-fleece (very lightly packed so it doesn't pill), one of blankets and one of sheets.

 

 

I do laundry once a week, and I will have about 9 loads anyways, so I prefer to sort.

[Ghee]

I sort, but my older kids do not. Since this in in the same household, with the same detergents, I can tell the difference. Over time, their cloths have more fuzz balls and the whites are dull. Their clothes also don't seem to last as long, it seems like they wear out faster. I know many people don't care about such things, but I do.

 

If I am in a hurry, I still wash these separately:

 

Jeans and anything with exposed zippers (pocket details etc).

Blacks (poly blend cloths for work, dress pants etc)

Towels

I was all of dd5s Dry Fit fabrics (half of her wardrobe) in one load so I can pull them out to skip the dryer.

Reds, hot pinks and purples

 

The rest of the whites, light colored cottons and misc items get sorted sometimes and sometimes not. I prefer to do a load of whites, a load of lights, a load of dhs work shirts/items that are ironed, a load of micro-fleece (very lightly packed so it doesn't pill), one of blankets and one of sheets.

 

 

I do laundry once a week, and I will have about 9 loads anyways, so I prefer to sort.

 

We have a big family, so I'm also going to have a ton of loads no matter how I sort or don't sort. Mine looks similar to yours:

 

Jeans/shorts/anything zippered in one load

Lights

Darks

Whites - sometimes with bleach

Towels - whites always with bleach

Sheets - whites always with bleach

 

I drip dry pretty much everything except socks, underwear, sheets, and towels. It works well for us, and people always say the clothes I'm getting rid of (many times worn by 2 or 3 kids through the years) looks almost new.

[MiniBlondes]

I never sort. The only time I will ever sort anything is if there is something new in the wash and it's red or hot pink. I keep a pile of those things and wash them together the first few times.

[posybuddy]

All these non-sorters are making me twitchy. ;) We have three hampers in the laundry area and my guys have all been trained to sort their dirty clothes right into the hampers and do a load when necessary, so it's pretty easy to just dump a load in the washer when someone happens to be downstairs. We have one hamper for whites/lights, including rags/sheets/towels - it's all getting washed in hot water, so I don't see the point of separating. Another hamper is for reds, and the third is for darks/brights, both of which get cold water loads. I've never bought a color catcher.

[stripe]

Please share your secrets on how you do this.

 

My grandma used to take on my white socks as a personal project when I'd come to visit. It seemed to involve soaking in bleach.

[sarahbobeara]

I read the first page of replies and my brain is about to trip offline, some people DON'T SORT THEIR LAUNDRY??!??

 

And it works!??!? I've been programmed from such a young age that you have to sort laundry or...or....something horrible may happen.

 

I have never thought about just throwing everything in together. I am a sorter, and psychoanalyze me if you wish, but sometimes sorting the laundry really stresses me out.

 

Take tshirts for example...we have regular heavy cotton tshirts and then poly-cotton mix Ts. They wash just a tiny bit differently so I separate them into 2 piles. Really dirty sturdy jeans go in one pile, good not-so-dirty jeans go in another pile, thin pants go in yet another pile. I'm to the point where I'm washing subcategories instead of piles. And if something doesn't fit in subcategory A or B, then it will never get washed since it doesn't match anything else to make it's own subcategory. (It's like outlining...if there's not 2 sub-headings, don't make it heading.)

 

Wow. People that don't sort their laundry...that's something to ponder for a while.

[sarahbobeara]

My mom too. When we all lived together, she literally sorted BY color: reds & pinks in one load, blues [maybe greens] in another, yellows, whites, etc. I still don't fully understand how she sorts now. Has something to do with weight and color.

 

 

Sorry to double post on this topic...

 

The above is how my mom sorts, but she only does it by color. Red underwear and red jeans would all go in the red/pink pile...it drives me crazy (heavy denim workshirts of my dad's and regular cotton tshirts in one pile!! ack!!). I usually sort based on whites/darks/lights and then categorize into the weight of the fabric.