Is separating laundry colours dated practice?

[willywallaby]

When I moved out and started doing my own laundry I separated light and dark colours but then gradually I stopped doing it when I realised nothing bad ever happened if I mixed everything together. For most of my life though I've been quite careful about keeping brand new dark items away from white items until they'd been washed a few times. A few months ago I accidentally washed a new red t-shirt in with some white things and they stayed white. And we got some new dark things recently and because of the experience with the red t-shirt I didn't separate anything and still everything is fine. Have dyes modernised or something so that they don't run and you don't actually have to do this anymore?

I still separate strictly. My clothing lasts a long time and stays looking fresh and bew.

I separate into white, dark and bright colours

I know that certain Clothes won't run so I often add the odd black to the colours and vice versa

My whites always come out lovely and bright which gives me great joy

I do whites, darks, reds, lights, delicates.

I do whites, lights, darks, towels (no softener). Your whites go grey if you mix.

I separate. Clothes do look grotty after a while you don't separate colours.

I was wearing a 2013 sponsored run top to the gym the other day and my teacher was fascinated that it was still white, it's been worn most weeks for a decade.

I separate:
whites
colours
darks
work scrubs
towels
bedding
DH chucks it all in together even though I’ve asked him 46544577 times not to!!
He’s adamant nothing runs these days even though he’s ruined a new white too and all my new white knickers!!.He turned them all chewing gum grey 🤬

I washed a pale pink dress with white bed sheets. I kid you not when I say the bedsheets are now Barbie pink. I'm not even sure how it was possible. Honestly you would need to see them to believe them. Never mixing loads ever again!

Organised

Bedding
Towels
Kitchen Towels
Cleaning cloths
White clothes
Everything else
Occasionally a delicate wash but I rarely buy delicate clothes

Oh and sometimes I hot wash my husbands pants

I separate just to be on the safe side. Some dyes may not transfer, others may, you can't rely on them. That time you were lucky.
Think - what's the payoff, a few minutes work or several spoiled garments?

I was everything together with a colour catcher sheet in. All fine.

Whites, brights/lights, darks. I find that even if things don’t run in one wash like they used to, whites do end up grubby if you don’t separate them.

I don't separate but the only white things I own are socks, so it really doesn't matter if they get a bit grubby looking!

I always separate, my DIL doesn’t and her family seem to fashion a grubby shade of grey - the kids look like little ragamuffins most of the time!

It's roulette isn't it. I washed a new white t-shirt with a blue logo in with lights assuming it'd be fine. Reader, it was not. The whole load came out weirdly blue, kind of looked fluorescent.

I always separate as over time I do think you can tell.

I separate colours, reds/pinks and whites out.

As others have said whites go grey with time otherwise. And have had instances where pinks pick up the dark colours too turning them a weird dingy colour.

It keeps the clothes wearable for longer, saves landfill and means we all look smarter for a while. We do have a lot of pinks and reds though due to school uniform and having girls.

I haven't separated out darks and lights for years and my white stuff looks great even after two or three years of regular washing.

I still do it

Whites
Mids
Darks
Also wash sports gear, wool/silk and towels in separate wash loads

I separate darks, whites and towels

This, one hundred per cent. Cannot give a fuck about DC school stuff looking dingy, if that actually even happens.

If you really can't give a fuck about how your/your dc clothes look and smell then no, why would you separate your laundry? I think those of us who do it, do it because we do care about these things.

I don't separate laundry.

I also don't wear whites much to be honest - underwear is black or nude, no school shirts in this house.

Bed linen goes through separately as it's awash on it's own,

I have a couple of white T shirts I guess but that's about it.

I'm surprised how few people seem to use colour catcher sheets. They're a marvel! I put one in every wash and everything goes in together and whites stay perfectly white. The colour the sheets come out do show that without them, whites probably would get grubby over time. Although I can't say I'd be that bothered if they did as it's pretty much just DD's school shirts and by the time they get to the grubby stage they'll be stained anyway.

I do whites, darks, other colours, towels and bedding all separately.

In the past when I was trying to save time I used to throw it all in however the whites went a weird colour after a few months. The Only whites I have are some underwear and dc school shirts, so I only do one wash a week.

I have started washing on a higher temperature again, I did my towels on a full long 60 wash and the colour of the water was vile…bedding is now also back on a 60 long wash!

I do seem to have a lot of laundry..

I split in to lights and darks (and bedding/towels separate again).

In my experience, the odd mixed wash doesn't do any harm. I do mixed washes when we're on holiday due to logistics and have never had a problem). But over time, the lights pick up dye and look grubby/grey.