The Right Way to Wash Your Clothes, From Whites to Brights

Of the many household tasks we do each day, the laundry seems like it should be a no-brainer: put clothes in the washer, add detergent, and press start. While the process may seem simple, regular washing can take a toll on your garments, so it's important to understand the necessary steps to achieve a perfect load of laundry. Whether you're wondering how to keep white garments from becoming dingy or the right way to sort bright clothing, our comprehensive laundry guide will show you how to keep your clothes as beautiful as the day you bought them.

How to Wash White Clothes

Wash whites separately from other garments. "Separating is key for keeping whites clean, as it prevents your laundry from absorbing colors from your other laundry items," says Morgan LaLonde, laundry brand manager for Whirlpool. "If you’d like to go a step further, consider sorting pure white clothing from 'light' clothing that has patterns, embroidery, or pale shades like yellow."

Before washing, soak heavily soiled items using an enzyme detergent or oxygen bleach and launder them separately. Wash whites by selecting the hot water setting on your washing machine. Add in your detergent (choose one with a bleach alternative and/or enzymes), using the maximum amount recommended. You can increase the cleaning power of a detergent by adding a laundry booster, such as Borax, oxygen bleach, or washing soda, to help maintain whiteness.

Why White Clothes Change Color

When washing whites, remember that even with meticulous sorting, these garments may change in appearance over time. When white fabrics are manufactured, they are often treated with optical brighteners, which are chemicals that boost whiteness. But there are some other factors to keep in mind if you notice your white clothes have become lackluster.

• Incorrect sorting: People generally have few all-white loads, so they tend to mix whites with colored garments. Unfortunately, some types of fabric aren't colorfast, so their dye molecules wind up in the wash water and settle on other lighter fabrics.
• Washing whites with heavily soiled clothes: Cleaning your whites with extra dirty garments (think athletic clothes) can also lead to dinginess. Unless you add enough detergent to hold the dirt in suspension, it will end up back on the very articles you intended to clean.
• Water with high iron content: Iron-laden water can render detergents less effective and cause staining. If your water has a high iron content, launder with an iron-removing product. Don't use chlorine bleach, which can yellow clothing when combined with iron and hot water. Instead, use oxygen bleach, which is a more effective alternative.
• Hard water: Hard water (rich in calcium and magnesium) can also make detergents less effective. Some detergent labels call for using larger amounts to remedy this. If your water is particularly hard, you may not be able to get whites pristine unless you install a water softener, which removes minerals.

How to Treat Stains on White Clothing

To remove perspiration and other greasy stains, pretreat with liquid detergent, dishwashing liquid, or shampoo (use colorless ones to avoid dye transfer). Gently rub the liquid into the fabric using a clean toothbrush or complexion brush. For delicate fabrics, skip the brush and use a sponge or just your fingers to avoid harming the fibers.

Tackle colored stains such as food spills (think: coffee or juice) and underarm yellowing, which is residue from antiperspirant or deodorant, by applying undiluted liquid oxygen bleach directly to the fabric immediately before laundering.

Once a month, or when your whites become dull, wash them with a color remover or soak items in boiling water and oxygen bleach in a basin (this is suitable only for fabrics that won't shrink).

How to Wash Dark Clothes

To preserve the original colors of your dark clothes, wash darks inside out on the shortest cycle using cold water (60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit). Select the appropriate setting depending on how soiled the clothes are and what fabric they're made of. Use a liquid detergent tailored to dark clothing (or one without a bleach component) to prevent fading, says LaLonde. "Always check the care tag on your clothing for proper washing and care instructions," she says.

Although cold water helps prevent dark clothing from fading, frigid outdoor temperatures may cause the washer's water temperature to fall below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, rendering even detergents designed to work in cold water ineffective. If you live in an area with particularly chilly winters, don't use the cold-water wash setting during that time of year. Instead, select a warm-water wash and a cold rinse.

Why Dark Clothes Change Color

While it's normal for dark clothes to fade over time, there are some things you may be doing to exacerbate changes in color.

• Excess friction: Articles of clothing collide with one another in the washer's interior during the wash cycle, which causes some of the fibers in the fabric to break, exposing the raw fiber ends. This friction disrupts the surface of the fabric, tricking the eye into seeing less color. Tumble drying can cause similar damage, though to a lesser extent.
• Using hot water: Washing darks in warm or hot water can hasten dye loss. With some fabrics, expect a certain amount of fading; there's no such thing, for instance, as truly colorfast cotton.

Line-Dry Darks

Whenever possible, hang dark items to dry (out of direct sunlight), as this helps maintain their original appearance. When you do use the dryer, opt for the lowest temperature suitable for the material, and be careful not to overdry your clothes. Remove them from the machine as soon as they're dry or even while they're slightly damp; this will help keep shrinkage to a minimum.

How to Wash Bright Clothes

To avoid color loss, separate brights by color intensity. Launder colored items in two groups: brights and pastels. Wash bright clothes inside out on the shortest cycle using cold water (60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit). While the process may be similar to washing and drying dark clothing, it’s best to wash brights separately to prevent darkening. Newly purchased brights should be washed on their own for the first few cycles, which is when they're most likely to bleed significant amounts of dye.

Why Bright Clothes Change Color

As with darks, wear and tear in the washer and dryer as well as warm and hot water can cause colors to fade. Deep, bright garments often shed a little dye over time, so some color loss is inevitable.

What to Do When Bright Colors Run

Skip soaking your bright fabrics in salt or vinegar to forestall bleeding—it won't help. If brights bleed onto other clothing in the wash, don't put the stained items in the dryer. The heat will set the dye, making any discoloration permanent. Instead, launder the clothes again separately. As long as you don't apply heat, the dye should come out, even if you don't rewash the items immediately.

How to Wash Delicates

While delicates can come in many colors, these pieces have their own unique washing requirements. "Delicates such as undergarments, sweaters, and items with sensitive fabrics like silk or lace should be washed carefully on the delicates or 'gentle' cycle, which uses cold water and a low spin speed," says LaLonde. "Delicate items can also be sensitive to certain detergents, so opt for a gentle detergent when possible." As is the case with all clothing, always follow guidance on the item’s care tag to ensure proper care.