White, Light and Dark

Nannagarra

Correction: Shinamae - it’s been a long day….

😁

Light and dark.
Occasionally a dark sock gets mixed up in the lights wash, but there are no ill effects.
Never heard of colour catchers, and thanks to the warnings in here, I won’t bother.
I do a 60degree whites wash about twice a year!
My biggest problem is keeping towels soft. Even with towel softener, they are still stiff. ( I do not have a tumble dryer .)
I tend to alternate between using fabric conditioner, which causes black mould in the drawer, and white vinegar. Neither really helps.

I don’t use colour catcher thin sheets as I’d been told years ago they can cause damage to the washing machine, so I use the Terry towelling type colour catchers which are great much thicker and generally last 30 washes ( think that’s right) I’ve used them for many years

I also don’t use fabric conditioner

Cold washes for me, everything in together!

When my machine is not in use I leave the drawer open . It stops it moulding. Always put washing powder or liquid straight into drum.
I never understand the logic of washing bedding or towels at higher temperatures as clothes are equally in touch with our bodies.

I have always divided washing into lights and darks - and thats it. One load of each a week. Woollens, when washed are done on 15 minute hand wash.

I prefer heat to harsh chemicals that damage the environment and the skin to make sure things are fully sanitised. I use a soap based detergent and no other washing related products at all.

Whites
Light coloured clothes
Dark coloured clothes
Woollens
Towels
I live alone so I only need to wash once a week but that's how I do it.

White, dark and delicate hand wash here.

Never used fabric conditioner and hadn’t heard of colour catchers until my so brought some home from university. They are still in the cupboard unused years later.

Line dry until just damp if possible and tumble to finish and soften towels etc.
Mainly wash everything at 30 with the occasional 60 for the whites every now and again.

All colours go in together with a colour catcher, never had a problem yet, although I do separate washes for bedding, towels. and ordinary stuff.

We used to use those thin colour catcher ones until they blocked the machine. Lakeland do a nice thick terry one which you just add to the laundry and reuse - it starts off brilliant white and does a fantastic job of absorbing any leaking colours. It lasts a minimum of 30 washes.

Alternatively, an old terry nappy cut into a small square and hemmed might do the job?!

Dont bother with colour sorting but do wash sheets and duvet in a separate wash otherwise rverything gets stuck in the duvet cover.

I separate lights and darks.

I misread the title. I thought this was a thread about how the Tories sorted refugees and asylum seekers (white from Ukraine, light Hong Kong, black Afghanistan and the rest).

I mostly do lights and whites etc separately
Sometimes I miss the twin tub used to love the smell of the tea towels etc boiling in percil
never seem to get that gorgeous fresh air smell as much nowadays either.

I have two. separate washing machines/tumble driers combined. One for coloured and one for whites. I found that when tumbling coloured it left deposits regardless how well I wiped it out which discoloured my whites. I have one in the garage for coloured and one in the kitchen for whites. Being an ex-carer for 2 elderly people at the same times it was brilliant with all the bedding.

I still sort my washing, old habits die hard.

I have always sorted my washing and taught my daughters (and son!) to do the same. Unfortunately they can be rather slapdash about it. I can’t count the number of times I am presented with some off-white article to be rescued, which may or may not be possible! At the moment I have my son’s greyish canvas trainers waiting to be done….

Shinamae

I don’t do this and just put a colour catcher sheet in with the wash..

I used to sort them but now into only dark and pale and bedding. I use colour catcher sheets as well you can use them quite a few times if they have been in with pale colours.
I remember white terrys but my machine always kept some water back from the previous wash. One day when preparing to visit MIL I pushed a load in out of the nappy san and ended up with pale pink nappies. The previous wash had been DH sports gear including a dark red top.
When I got to MIL she would not let me hang them on her line as I would show her up. So DH was dispatched for a new set. Luckily we had girls.

I only have two piles, light and dark. Works for us.

I know a lot of grans don’t iron stuff, but if anyone is suffering from crispy towels, a quick iron on steam works a treat. I now have a very basic tumble dryer that I only ever use as a last resort, and to finish towels, but in the days of terry nappies I would give them a quick steam iron. Took seconds, although I will admit to not minding ironing, and I’m sure babies bums were grateful.

I sort my washing between dark and lights still and also delicates and not delicates !

My Washing-Machine Engineer told me that if I ever use a "Colour Catcher" then it MUST be safely placed inside one of those Net Bags, used for small items of Lingerie etcetera - I once discovered to my horror that a Colour Catcher had been syphoned out through the Drain Hose, and had totally blocked my machine. He said "This is always happening!!" and is the cause of many expensive damages to washing machines.

I sort the washing out into different colours and then put those that are similar together. So, for example, I put the pinks and the reds together to make a wash load and if not enough maybe some oranges. Greys and blacks, blues and purples, etc. If colours do run, it isn't normally too disastrous...as long as one sock isn't washed without the other!

I too still sort my washing.

Bedlinen, towels, underpants, dish-cloths and tea-towels go on the shortest hotest cycle with appropriate laundry soap and water softener.

Dark clothes with laundry soap for dark colours washed on short cycle at 30 degrees.

Dusters, floor-cloths mops and other cleaning cloths washed when there are enough of them to fill the machine on short 40 degree cycle. Ifit takes to long to fill the machine with this category, I steep cloths overnight, rinse and scald them and hang them out.

New clothes (rare occasion these days) washed with same colour only, as the colour is almost bound to run,

Woollies washed on cold cycle only.

I never use fabric softener, as I am allergic to it, and as I sort in colours I have never considered the added expense of colour catchers.

I use a dye catcher sheet for my 49 degree washes, but do my sheets separately at 60 degrees then towels and cotton undies any the hottest. It works for us!