Do you always wash your whites separately?

[maslex]

I know everyone does their laundry differently. I've always done 3 separate loads. One with towels/sheets, one with whites using bleach and the other load was all the other clothes. After hurting my back almost 6 years ago and then my knee 2 years ago, my husband has taken on the task of doing the laundry (I have a hard time bringing the laundry basket up/down the basement stairs)

Anyhow, he does the laundry a bit differently than I did it but still does a great job. He does do the whites separately using bleach. The only problem I'm having now is that we are rarely using white clothes anymore so the load of whites are always very small so he waits to do a load once it gets big enough. Mainly, the only things that are in the load of whites would be my DS18's socks, underwear and his work shirts. But sometimes he seems to wait way too long to do the load of whites and my son will run out of some of his socks, underwear or work shirts.

So I'm wondering, do you mix your whites in with your other clothes? Or do you always wash them with bleach.

 

[Lita]

We wash whites separately, but they are our smallest load. Just adjust the load and wash. We don't wait or we'd run out of stuff too. The items we wash are small, so it would take a while to build up to a large load.

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[Disney Doll]

I separate whites, colors and darks. Colors usually tend toward the pastel colors. If something is a deep color (like deep red or forest green) that goes with the darks. If I have a smallish load of the colors or the whites then I do
them together.

Towels I do separately from everything and I also have a few hand wash items that get hand washed and hung to dry.

 

[maslex]

OP again.

What about bras. I'm about to order myself probably 3-5 new bras. I have ALWAYS washed them in with the other clothes. I've never done a separate "delicate" load nor have I ever washed them by hand. AND if they're white (which most of them have always been) I've always thrown them in with my white load and bleached them, which I hear is a no-no. Probably why I've always had issues with them not lasting very long.

How do you wash your bras? And do you throw them in dryer or hang them? I've always put them in the dryer. I know, smack my hand.....

 

[mombrontrent]

I break all the laundry rules! I don't separate anything, it can all go in together for all I care. I usually do at least a load everyday so I will go around to all the kids rooms, bathrooms ect. gathering up enough clothes to make up a full load. I'll wash the sheets from one of the kids beds with their clothes and I'll wash towels with clothes ect. I didn't learn this from my mother though, she always separates and I admit her whites look a lot whiter then mine. However I barely have anything white anyways so I don't worry about it.

 

[Christine]

I separate whites, colors and darks. Colors usually tend toward the pastel colors. If something is a deep color (like deep red or forest green) that goes with the darks. If I have a smallish load of the colors or the whites then I do
them together.

Towels I do separately from everything and I also have a few hand wash items that get hand washed and hung to dry.

This is what I do, exactly.

Bras: I will wash them on the delicate cycle and hang them up to dry. Bleach and heat destroy bras very quickly.

Also, I do not routinely bleach my whites. In fact, I hardly ever wash with bleach at all.

 

[Disneylover99]

I break all the laundry rules! I don't separate anything, it can all go in together for all I care. I usually do at least a load everyday so I will go around to all the kids rooms, bathrooms ect. gathering up enough clothes to make up a full load. I'll wash the sheets from one of the kids beds with their clothes and I'll wash towels with clothes ect. I didn't learn this from my mother though, she always separates and I admit her whites look a lot whiter then mine. However I barely have anything white anyways so I don't worry about it.

Me too!

I used to follow laundry rules, but as I had children these rules just went out the window.

I never buy anything white anymore. The only white in my laundry are my husband's big, thick gnarly work socks that he replaces once a month because he gets holes in them from his work boots.

 

[jodifla]

I stopped doing so much separating after I had a child. I wash sheets and towels separately, or anything I think will "bleed" but throw in stuff together otherwise.

It's not been a problem. I think things are more colorfast today.

 

[North of Mouse]

So I'm wondering, do you mix your whites in with your other clothes? Or do you always wash them with bleach.

Nope, I make 'one' load, providing all are colorfast. Used to separate loads, but now just dh & I so doesn't make sense. I do wash the sheets separately as they make a light load on their own.

Also, I seldom bleach. Occasionally I will 'save up' whites for a few days and lightly bleach them, but otherwise everything washes up bright enough.

I also never put bras or 'good' clothes in the dryer, just hang them to dry and they're ready to go. Most of the time I also hang my sheets outside to dry (love that sunshiny smell) - not flannel ones. Yes, we have covenants of 'no outside drying' but our back yard is secluded and they have to catch me first!!! Occasional sheets are not unsightly at all, plus no one but us sees them.

 

[WhatATreat]

I usually do three loads: lights (which includes our few white things - mainly socks), colors, and darks. I do not use bleach at all and, yes, our socks are dingy.

For bras I have one of those mesh lingerie bags that I put them in and throw in with a regular load then hang to dry.

ETA: make that four loads with the sheets. Towels go in with whichever load the color fits best. DS19 does his own laundry (I am sure this is one load of whatever he needs most mixed together. LOL)

 

[Christine]

I usually do three loads: lights (which includes our few white things - mainly socks), colors, and darks. I do not use bleach at all and, yes,

our socks are dingy

.

Ours too! The think about bleach that's always confounded me: aren't you supposed to use it only on 100% cotton. Most of my whites are some fabric blend (even the socks have some sort of polyester or spandex mixed in with the cotton) and most of my white have instructions that discourage you from bleaching. The only things I could ever think I might bleach are my son's white T-shirts. I probably should bleach them but I don't. My mother used to tell me that bleach weakens your fabrics very quickly so be sparing with it.

 

[poohfriend77]

I have so much laundry that I do end up sorting into pretty specific loads (darks, "brights," red/pink, whites). Heck, I actually did a whole load of zebra print the other day (DDs blanket, sham, pj pants, and shirt) I only use bleach occasionally, but I do keep whites like underwear/socks separate and wash in hot. Towels go in hot too, but pretty much everything else is cold.

My "cold water" whites/lights is usually my smallest load, especially in the summer when I'm not washing kids' school uniform shirts. My bras go in with that, so cold water/no bleach... but I do usually throw them in the dryer.

I have been known to wash the kids' white school shirts with their dark pants/jumpers in a pinch (usually at 10 p.m. when I realize they don't have any clean for the next morning.) And I just dump DH's gym stuff into the washer without touching anything, so white towel, dark shorts, underwear, tshirt all go in together on the "sanitize" steam cycle!

 

[TLSnell1981]

My grandmother recently under went emergency surgery and was diagnosed with cancer. I am her caregiver. So to say, I'm behind on my chores...is definitely an understatement. Anyways, my car died a couple of weeks back and I needed a replacement STAT. So, I washed a load of clothes and headed to the dealership. Now, I've driven a white vehicle for 25 years, and it wasn't time for a change. I received a few comments, regarding how well my attire matched my new SUV.

So to answer the original question, I ALWAYS wash my whites separately. And YES, I was dressed in white, head to toe,...because it was my first load of the day.

 

[alicat8]

I break all the laundry rules! I don't separate anything, it can all go in together for all I care. I usually do at least a load everyday so I will go around to all the kids rooms, bathrooms ect. gathering up enough clothes to make up a full load. I'll wash the sheets from one of the kids beds with their clothes and I'll wash towels with clothes ect. I didn't learn this from my mother though, she always separates and I admit her whites look a lot whiter then mine. However I barely have anything white anyways so I don't worry about it.

Me too-no separating here. Just throw everything in the washer until it's full, then run it.

 

[Laura66]

Whites by themselves - always!

I do a khaki load, a jean load, grey/blues load, red/pink load, a navy/dark load and a towel load.

Some loads might be smaller so I set the size on the washer. I do about 4 loads a day!

 

[Breezy_Carol]

I separate lights and darks. I rarely use bleach and don't have that many whites so this works. I do towels and sheets separately as they are enough for their own loads.

For bras, I use a lingerie bag then throw them in with lights. Keeps them from getting stretched and tangled. Then I hang them to dry.

 

[MIGrandma]

I have always separated our laundry loads. Lights, darks, whites, sheets, towels. Oh, and DH's farm clothes is another load. Whites is the smallest load. I use Tide, Liquid Oxy Clean, and either Downy liquid softener or vinegar as a softener. Bras I toss in with whites or lights, depending on what color the bra is, then I lay them on top of the dryer to dry.

 

[Meriweather]

whites with bleach....one load (it tends to be small, but washer adjusts water level)
sheets and towels.....one load
colors.....one load.....this is pants, shorts, dark shirts, etc.
pajamas, colored underwear, bras (not delicate cycle), light colored tees......one load

 

[TinkerBelled]

I always wash everything together, unless it's something I know has color bleed issues (new jeans, etc.). The only white things we own are undershirts, underwear, and socks, which makes me less careful about them.

I do separate out towels and flannel sheets, mostly because they take an extra 15 minutes in the dryer.

Low-heat items (tshirt bras, leggings, flannel shirts) get washed and then air dried. Delicates (nice lingerie) get washed by hand.

 

[Sugardimples]

Do not use bleach on your bras and do not put them in the dryer! They will last MUCH longer!