# Quick laundry question
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-laundry-question/88480
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [October 19, 2001, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-laundry-question/88480 "2001-10-19T19:47:42Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@TexasSpur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TexasSpur)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2001, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-laundry-question/88480/1 "2001-10-19T19:47:42Z")
Hopefully I can get this answer soon. It’s okay to dry the lights and darks together, right? I mean, do the colors only bleed during the washing process and not the drying process?
Thanks in advance.
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### Author:  [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2001, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-laundry-question/88480/2 "2001-10-19T19:51:08Z")
All the dryer can really do is shrink your clothing? For colors to run, water is required.
Ignore the fact that your lint filter may turn out with some weird colors.
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### Author:  [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2001, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-laundry-question/88480/3 "2001-10-19T19:58:04Z")
Mostly this is safe. However, if you have a real bleed-y piece of clothing, it can bleed color onto light-colored clothes that brush against it while they are still damp. And woe to you if the dryer stops before both are dry and they lie next to each other for awhile.
But if you have something that bleeds color that badly, the thing ought to go in the dumpster anyway. Your average load of darks is just fine being dried with lights.
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### Author:  [@TexasSpur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TexasSpur)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2001, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-laundry-question/88480/4 "2001-10-19T19:59:30Z")
Appreciate the quick responses. I wanted some assurance before I lumped them together in about 20 minutes.
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### Author:  [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2001, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-laundry-question/88480/5 "2001-10-19T22:22:51Z")
That’s for new clothes, for older clothes washed before a lot it won’t matter too much.