Most people learn (either from guidance or unfortunate experience) that you’re supposed to separate light and dark clothes in the washing machine. But far fewer know that you’re also meant to dry them separately. This laundry rule helps your clothes dry faster and can keep your items from getting dingy.
Separating lights and darks means you’re putting smaller loads into the dryer, allowing items to dry more efficiently. Plus, as Carolyn Forté, the former Home Care & Cleaning Lab executive director, explains, it can prevent loose lint or dye from transferring.
“There can still be some loose dye that rubs off from darks onto lights as items tumble against each other in the dryer,” Forté warns. “Plus, light items can deposit lint onto dark items that make them look dingy and can be difficult to remove. And lint can go either way, from dark to light or light to dark.”
It may seem like an unnecessary extra step, especially when you’re trying to get through doing laundry as quickly as possible. But experts swear it’s worth the little bit of extra time and effort. It’s a simple adjustment that can help preserve bright colors, reduce lint buildup, and keep your pieces looking fresh.
Forté says to keep lights and darks separate, and dry them on cycles recommended for the types of fabrics and garments included in your load. For instructions on how to dry, check the care and fiber labels on your clothes — usually located on seams, at the back of the neck, or near the back waist of your garments.
And when in doubt about all of the laundry symbols on your clothing labels, use our handy guide:
Remember: Anything with deep blue, black, red, brown or dark gray dyes is considered a dark, whereas garments in pastel shades, cream, beige and light gray should be in your whites pile. Items that are in between — like lavender, pink, orange, light blues and greens — should be thrown in with the colors to be safe.
To keep yourself accountable, Forté says it’s best to get in the habit of doing smaller loads, more often, versus trying to cram everything into one large load. A hack she loves is setting out separate sorting bins either in the laundry room or each bedroom to help remind yourself (and others!) to keep their lights and darks separate.
Source: Home Ideas - goodhousekeeping.com
