Sorting laundry is the process of separating your soiled clothing, linens, and other fabrics into heaps or piles in a way that each of them can receive the TLC it so truly deserves. From laundry powder to water temperature to drying method, every aspect of laundry starts falling in place when you have the sorting done right.  

In this fabric care guide, we will tell you how to separate and sort laundry to get perfect cleaning every time. Let’s get started!

Why is sorting laundry important?

Sorting laundry has become much more complicated than it used to be for our grannies because there are new fibres, finishes, and fabric blends to deal with. Even the care labels can sometimes seem to overcomplicate the laundry care instructions rather than simplifying them. For example, just last week I counted ten different laundry instructions given on the care labels of the clothing that I added in one medium-sized loads. Can you imagine the level of frustration?

On top of that, drying instructions add more complications. If you truly stick to the fabric care guidelines mentioned on the care labels, you might have to run thirty or forty loads on every laundry day. Due to all these challenges, sorting has become a kind of laundry Mini crisis in which the older rules no longer work, and the youth have become skeptical and nihilistic. Nothing ever seems to work anymore!

That’s the primary reason behind writing this blog. No matter what you believe, you can still figure out sorting. And if you give up, over time your wardrobe will suffer the subtle or not-so-subtle consequences in the form of bleeding dyes, fabric pilling, shrinking, tearing, and many other problems. Damage can be mild or immense, but one thing is for sure- without sorting, damage will happen.  

Rules of sorting laundry

First thing first, gather all your dirty laundry including clothing, linens, tablecloths, handcloths, towels, and any other fabrics. Once all the laundry is in one place, sort it according to these five golden rules explained below.  

1. Sort according to wash cycle or fabric care instructions based on fibre and fabric type.
   
2. Sort by colour. The first pile is for whites and pastels, the second is for clothing with cool toned colours i.e. blue, green, purple and the last one is for clothing with warm toned colours like orange, yellow, and red.
   
3. Sort by level or kind of soiling in the clothing. For example, if you work out keep all your active wear at one place as it will have a lot of sweat accumulated in it.
   
4. Sort according to whether some clothes will cause other clothes to pick up lint, snag, tear, and so on.
   
5. Make some compromises as necessary and safe to create good-sized loads.

Also, make sure to wash all pairs and sets including socks, gloves, sheets, and pajamas etc. in the same load. If you wash one piece of a matched set without the other, there is a high chance that you’ll end up with un-matched sets because items fade differently depending on what other items are washed in the same load.

What cycle should I use for clothes?

Depending on the fibre and fabric type, divide the laundry into different piles corresponding to the four primary wash cycles i.e., “regular”, “permanent-press”, “gentle” and “handwashing”. During sorting, keep an eye out for any stains and spots and pretreat them before adding to the laundry cycle. Now, even though four different methods are mentioned here, a regular laundry day comprises of using only one or two of these.

Regular Cycle

The “regular” or “normal” cycle is best suited for sturdy whites and colourfast cotton clothing and linens that do not need any special fabric care treatment. All the plain and twill weaves, and sturdy knits like tees, underwear, diapers, towels of all types, sheets, work clothing, play clothes, and sportwear generally go into the “regular” cycle.

Permanent-Press

The “permanent-press” is recommended for “easy-care” cotton, linen, and rayon fabrics or the clothing made of their blends. Some synthetics like polyester, nylon, spandex, and blends having these fibres are also washed in this cycle.  

Gentle Cycle

Next is my personal favourite i.e. the “gentle” cycle, which is generally used for washing fine cotton knits, washable silk clothing, wool, acrylic and modacrylic, some spandex, viscose rayon, and blends and clothing with lining containing them. All your lacy, netted, fringed, embroidered, or loosely knitted clothing belongs to this cycle.  

Not only this, but the cycle is also great for washing sheer weaves like cambric or lawn, satin weaves with floats (as they snag and tear easily), irregular surfaces, clothing with low yarn counts, or fabrics with open or loose weaves in them.  

P.S. You can also use the “gentle” cycle to remove lint and pilling from your clothing made of cotton or cotton blends with BIORESTORE Re-Tergent. Simply add your worn-out or dull cotton faves into the washer, add the recommended amount of BIORESTORE cotton pill remover, and let the cycle work its magic for 2 hours.  

Handwashing  

Handwashing is best for washable acetate, washable delicate acrylics, silks, rayons, wools, some cotton knits, and fragile, or old delicate items. The difference between gentle and handwashing group is only a matter of degree. For example, the fine fibres and fabric blends become fragile over time, so they need to be handwashed. Panty hose and stockings are safest to wash by hand, but you can also try putting them in the “gentle” cycle in a mesh bag if you are not that scared of occasional snags or tearing.   Keep in mind that a one-size-fits-all approach cannot be used in fabric care. No matter how many rules you read or guidelines you go through, there is always the need to use some common sense in your laundry care processes for taking care of your clothing. Also, paying attention to linings, trims, buttons, and other hidden parts of a garment that may require special treatment goes a long way!