How to Organize Laundry for Washing

Organizing your washing loads into various categories before you do the laundry is important as clothes may get ruined if washed with the wrong load. Sorting the clothes will save time and money and keep your family's colored clothes from fading; their whites, white and keep them looking great. Read on to learn how to organize laundry for washing.

Things You'll Need

• Laundry baskets

Instructions

1. Delicate clothes such as bras, panties, stockings, pantyhose, light blouses, cheesecloth clothes, silky fabrics, lacy items and other thin, flimsy items of clothing should be washed in cold water together on a delicate wash. Socks and men's shirts do not belong in this category. Silk should be dry-cleaned.

2. Whites such as cotton sheets, pillowcases, white T-shirts, white socks, white underwear, white handkerchiefs, white tablecloths, white counterpanes, white duvet covers and white trousers and pants belong in this category although the large white items should be washed together and then the smaller items like T-shirts, socks, underwear and handkerchiefs.

3. Colored clothes that have been washed before belong in this category. These include colored T-shirts, socks, underwear, pants, summer blazers, capris, skirts and pillowcases. Wash new colored clothes separately until you know they won't "bleed" their color onto other fabrics.

4. Heavy jeans and work-pants should be washed in small loads to achieve a clean wash. Overloading heavy items into a washer results in dirty, black-streaked jeans that need to be rewashed. Save time by doing small loads with plenty of room to agitate. Heavily soiled items from Step 1 through Step 3 may be washed separately.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember for delicate clothes washing use a cold wash laundry detergent.

• Pre-treat soil stains with a laundry stain stick or spray prior to washing.