# What is your laundry sorting strategy?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-laundry-sorting-strategy/705821
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [November 28, 2014, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-laundry-sorting-strategy/705821 "2014-11-28T13:42:19Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2014, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-laundry-sorting-strategy/705821/1 "2014-11-28T13:42:19Z")
If possible, please state where you do your laundry (home, laundry mat, building laundry room, etc.)
I do laundry in the laundry room of my building, and I sort to minimize my loads as much as possible.
Undershirts, underwear, white socks, towels, and bedsheets all go together (doesn’t matter what color).
Dress shirts, dress pants, and black socks are each done in separate loads. Black socks are done separately because they pick up colored lint when washed with other colors.
Everything else gets separated like the 1950s - whites and colored.
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### Author:  [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2014, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-laundry-sorting-strategy/705821/2 "2014-11-28T13:46:51Z")
Building laundry room.
Everything goes in one load.
Socks and underwear I do by hand in the bathroom sink, hang dry.
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### Author:  [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2014, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-laundry-sorting-strategy/705821/3 "2014-11-28T13:56:12Z")
Whites
Reds
Everything else
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### Author:  [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2014, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-laundry-sorting-strategy/705821/4 "2014-11-28T14:01:55Z")
I do laundry at home.
Whites and colors separated. If I have enough loads of laundry, I may even subdivide the loads into cold and warm otherwise I wash most things in cold water. Every so often I’ll also do a load of greasy shop towels and work clothes in hot water.
I do a lot of exercising and have clothing made of technical materials like Kool Max which shouldn’t be machine dried and/or no fabric softeners. I do these in a separate load in cold water and hang dry them.
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### Author:  [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2014, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-laundry-sorting-strategy/705821/5 "2014-11-28T14:10:55Z")
I do my laundry at home. I just stick everything in the same load, always cold water. I’m a rebel without a cause.
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### Author:  [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2014, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-laundry-sorting-strategy/705821/6 "2014-11-28T14:11:49Z")
Shout Dye Catcher sheets in the wash–no sorting needed.
Never failed me.
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### Author:  [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2014, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-laundry-sorting-strategy/705821/7 "2014-11-28T14:14:41Z")
Heavy. Blue jeans, towels, socks, etc.
Light. Everything else.
Brand new bright colors may get washed as a small load by themselves the first time or two. After that they get sorted as above.
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### Author:  [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2014, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-laundry-sorting-strategy/705821/8 "2014-11-28T14:15:04Z")
My washer is my hamper, when it get’s full I throw some soap in there and turn it on.
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### Author:  [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2014, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-laundry-sorting-strategy/705821/9 "2014-11-28T14:19:21Z")
My scrubs tend to get washed in their own load, not because I do much gross bodily fluid related work in them (I don’t) but because I have enough to last me a week, and then they need to be washed. Since they’re all the same weight and same general color family (I like to think of them as Modern Preschool) they make a nice load.
White socks and underwear make a load, with lots of bleach and hot water.
Towels make a load, because they need hot water but no bleach, and only fabric softener every once in a while (otherwise, they don’t towel due to wax buildup).
Bedsheets make a load, because a set of queen bedsheets is about the size of my washer, and if I do them together, they can go back on the bed before bedtime and I don’t have to fold sheets.
The rest of the clothes get separated by weight of the fabric, and then if the pile is especially huge, by “light” or “dark” colors. Weight of the fabric is most important to me, because I don’t want my tissue t-shirts to overcook in the dryer while the jeans are still damp. That’s hard on the fibers.
Reds (except for the scrubs, which have proven themselves colorfast) get their own laundry bag to pile up in, which means they don’t get washed all that often. Doing the reds is like opening Christmas gifts; I discover sweaters and shirts I totally forgot I had, and they feel new again.
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### Author:  [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2014, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-laundry-sorting-strategy/705821/10 "2014-11-28T14:35:33Z")
Do at home. Four hampers:
1. whites
2. sturdy colors (i.e. wash on regular cycle, tumble dry)
3. delicate colors (i.e. wash on delicate cycle, hang dry)
4. towels
My wife will periodically put bras and nylons into a lingerie bag and wash them separately.
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### Author:  [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2014, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-laundry-sorting-strategy/705821/11 "2014-11-28T14:56:28Z")
My cleaning lady does my laundry. 🆒
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2014, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-laundry-sorting-strategy/705821/12 "2014-11-28T15:35:04Z")
I wash everything together, one big load, in our basement. Never had a problem, but then again I’m not picky. My gf does many seperate loads. She sometimes talks about doing her wash my way, but lacks the balls to try. 😉
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### Author:  [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2014, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-laundry-sorting-strategy/705821/13 "2014-11-28T15:52:34Z")
I pay a neighbor $5 per load to do mine. 🙂 Works great. Drop the laundry off on my way yo work, pick it up at the end of the day. I have no clue what her strategy is but it’s all nicely folded and clean, which works for me.
My house is really small, and the bathroom is in the rear of the house next to the mud room. There’s hook ups for the washer and dryer in the mud room but I’m using the space for other stuff. I hate doing laundry anyhow.
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### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2014, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-laundry-sorting-strategy/705821/14 "2014-11-28T16:02:35Z")
I have a washer & dryer in my basement. Everything goes into one load. I don’t own a lot of white things anyway.
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### Author:  [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2014, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-laundry-sorting-strategy/705821/15 "2014-11-28T16:04:16Z")
At home.
Whites
Darks (includes anything red, always!)
Bright colours
Greys (mostly sweats and socks, can always top up with anything overflow from any of the other piles)
Sheets (because it’s enough by itself!)
Cleaning rags (have a ton, {face clothes from the dollar store!} as I clean and dust they go into the washer, when done, run the load, works awesome!)
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### Author:  [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2014, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-laundry-sorting-strategy/705821/16 "2014-11-28T16:04:49Z")
> [@WhyNot](#):
>
> My scrubs tend to get washed in their own load, not because I do much gross bodily fluid related work in them (I don’t) but because I have enough to last me a week, and then they need to be washed. Since they’re all the same weight and same general color family (I like to think of them as Modern Preschool) they make a nice load.
>
> White socks and underwear make a load, with lots of bleach and hot water.
>
> Towels make a load, because they need hot water but no bleach, and only fabric softener every once in a while (otherwise, they don’t towel due to wax buildup).
>
> Bedsheets make a load, because a set of queen bedsheets is about the size of my washer, and if I do them together, they can go back on the bed before bedtime and I don’t have to fold sheets.
>
> The rest of the clothes get separated by weight of the fabric, and then if the pile is especially huge, by “light” or “dark” colors. Weight of the fabric is most important to me, because I don’t want my tissue t-shirts to overcook in the dryer while the jeans are still damp. That’s hard on the fibers.
>
> Reds (except for the scrubs, which have proven themselves colorfast) get their own laundry bag to pile up in, which means they don’t get washed all that often. Doing the reds is like opening Christmas gifts; I discover sweaters and shirts I totally forgot I had, and they feel new again.
Oops, forgot to add: I have a coin operated washer and dryer in my basement, three levels down. $1 for wash, $1 for dry. There are two other apartments in the building, we all share the one washer and dryer. So neither laundromat or quite my own. 🙂
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### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2014, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-laundry-sorting-strategy/705821/17 "2014-11-28T16:05:24Z")
Everything in the same load.
Unless I have a new red shirt. I learned the hard way to be wary of it. Red is the color that bleeds and ruins laundry.
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### Author:  [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2014, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-laundry-sorting-strategy/705821/18 "2014-11-28T16:45:39Z")
Home, separated by drying time:
- Socks and underwear.
- Lightweight fabrics (e.g. t-shirts, pillowcases, etc.)
- Heavy fabrics (e.g. jeans, towels, sweatshirts, etc.)
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### Author:  [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2014, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-laundry-sorting-strategy/705821/19 "2014-11-28T16:53:47Z")
I do laundry at home.
Load: underwear and socks
Load: towels/linens/undershirts
Load: everything else, lights
Load: everything else, darks
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### Author:  [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2014, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-laundry-sorting-strategy/705821/20 "2014-11-28T16:55:10Z")
1. White stuff.
2. Colored stuff.
3. Heavy colored stuff that takes longer to dry.
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