Do you only put white things in your 'white wash'??

[Appuskidu]

I have never quite understood this! I will do washes of DS's school shirts which are white, but can I then put vests/knickers belonging to the girls in which are white, but with coloured flowers/lace on?? What about white pj bottoms with flowers on!? If you do just white things-do you then do your nearly white (ie white background with patterns on or pink/cream things) in with your coloured bits-ie jeans/dark t-shirts? DS's shirts now aren't particularly white and I don't know if that's because they are getting old/worn or if my washing style is crap!!

Please help!

Oh I think you need to do a longer wash. Most of the programs on my machine are about 2 hours, or a bit less. I only use the 30 minute wash for things which need a very quick turnaround.

I keep my whites wash as white as possible, and then do light/white for things with patterns etc, and then light coloured, a blue wash, a red/purple one and then darks, plus separate ones for towels, bedding and nappies.

Ahem

Bathroom mats

White towels, bedding, tea towels, table cloths

Coloured towels, bedding, tea towels, table cloths

White clothes (50 deg long wash)

Pastel coloured clothes

Bright coloured clothes

Dh's shirts

Dh's gym clothes, black socks and undergruds

Soft dark clothes for me and the dc including tights

Hard dark clothes - denims, school trousers/skirts etc

Delicates

Woollens

I do a whites, lights, coloureds and towels wash. I find sticking to a whites only wash helps clothes stay white for longer. My bedding is white so it goes in with my whites (else I'd have a half empty washing machine).

Oh and I do whites, towels and lights at 60 and coloureds at 40... My washing machine cycle is about 2 hours.

Whites, plus mostly white, or cream things with the occasional other pale thing that I know is well washed and colourfast. Even then, I often only manage a half load.

DH's white t-shirts end up looking a bit grey, but nothing else does.

I'm in the finicky camp

Blacks
Greens greys and browns
Dark blues, greys and purples
Light blues and purples (often a hard wash, since this includes the kids' polo shirts)
Reds, oranges, pinks and yellows
Whites and lights
Dark towels
Light towels (no fabric conditioner in either towels wash, which i do at 60C or hotter)
Floor mats and cleaning rags
Woollens
Delicates and wool socks (can usually stand a tougher wash than normal wool and some can go in the main wash)

I do 10-12 loads a week, thanks to messy boys and only the things that need to go in a small load, apart from the whites end up not filling the drum. I consider it an achievement if I can get the lid on my laundry basket.

Quinion - the M&S colour care detergents are lovely and much cheaper and IME better than persil - they do a liquid and a gel. I have hard water, anyhow and persil always left my laundry hard and rough, even with conditioner and extra rinses. The Markses stuff cleans better and doesn't leave things as crusty. Their sensitive range is good, too - I love their sensitive fabric conditioner which appears to be identical to the surcare stuff, but cheaper.

DDs and I have this argument frequently.
Please sort the washing.
But what is "light washing, Mum)
Anything, white, predominately white, pale pink etc. Basically anything that won't run and can be dome with White waging liquid.
Dark is obvious anything black, blue or bright coloured. Yes this leaves a small heap of violet, beige and grey.
That gets washed as light, dark or on it's own dependent on the hight of the heaps.

I wish I could drown auto correct - waging liquid is of course washing liquid!

Ouryve thanks for the tip. We'll have a look at M&S.

It's on offer at the moment. I just stocked up, this afternoon.

Blimey!!!! If there's loads of washing cos i've left it a day or two then darks and light wash. Otherwise i chuck it all intogether [shame].

Realised that some of DD's school shirts were starting to look a bit dull, and the baby vests but just popped them in with some of that oxi stuff and they look fab again.

I can't stand putting on half a load, but i can't bear to wait for colour coordinated piles of plain white, mainly white, light, medium, dark etc as i'd just cry at the size of the piles and the task of drying and putting away!!!!