How do you sort your laundy?

[MadAboutTheBoys]

I want to buy new laundry baskets and can't decide how many categories to sort my washing into. What do you all do? I have recently been using three stacking plastic drawers that separated my washing into delicates, 40 degrees with one line (as in the little picture on the washing label) and '40 no lines'. However am now wondering about adding in a category of whites and maybe combining some of the other categories, even though they do reflect how I do my washes. (hope that all makes sense!)

Also, does anyone know any good places to buy laundry baskets divided into two or three sections?

blacks/navys/browns/greys

reds/pinks

yellows/pale blue/beige/greens/anyothers

whites

Darks (blacks, navy, grey)
Colours (all other colours)
Whites
Hand wash only/ special instructions

I have 3 baskets: 1 smallish which takes the whites and DH's shirts, a big one upstairs for all the rest and a lidded plastic swing bin in the Futility Room for damp stuff and stuff which is just left lying around downstairs.

I sort it all on a Sunday night into:

• shirts
• whites
• darks
• blues
• general other colours and
• delicates

I then do the shirts and one other load on Sunday evening and the rest on Monday morning while I'm working. All clothes got done then, towels and bed linen later in the week.

• black/blue/brown
• red/yellow/orange/pink
• white/beige/grey
• woollens

Washing gets stored as clothes/nappies and flannels/towels and cloths/bedclothes.

Clothes get sorted on laundry day into darks/brights/lights.

I used to have a three-hole laundry bin for darks/brights/lights but the small people couldn't cope. It's far quicker to sort it all than rescue the odd red sock from a white load.

whites, darks, colours, delicates/handwash

I tend to do a towels wash and bedding wash separately too.

I've got this laundry bin:www.johnlewis.com/260286/Product.aspx It works well for me, although a separate little basket for the delicates would be helpful.

I have one basket and all gets chucked in together :) so far no problems

I do lights, brights and darks.

All gets chucked in together. When washing, I sort it into whites and coloureds.

I have 1 basket and when it's full I do a wash, whichever needs doing first: lights or darks. I just put delicates aside when I'm at the stage of sorting it all into 2 piles.

I hate the phrase "it's not rocket science" but this is one case where is justified!!

Just re-read my post. Sorry if it sounds non- pc. I was only describing washing, and it's ended up sounding racist!

One basket, all chucked in, then I have 3 routine washes of dark, white and mixed colour (rugby shirts, stripy tops). Woolens pile up till I do a special wash.

Thanks all, that's interesting that I seem to be in the minority for sorting by care level rather than colours.
DewDrop, I couldn't see that one on the site, but will have a browse through the range.
CurlyHairedAssassin, yes there's definitely a chance I'm overthinking this! Am having a rather chaotic time at the moment so I want any order in my life that I can get!

I have a big basket that I used to store wood in!

Each week I sort it out into towels, darks and whites.

Whites hang up in airing cupboard.
Darks go in drier at launderette.
As do towels.
x

I've just bought 2 collapsible bins from Tiger for whites and coloureds and its made life so much easier. No more rummaging though Smalls to get the right wash

One basket upstairs, clothes taken down to utility room/ store.
Separated into lights and coloured/darks.
I use blue Ikea bags hung on hooks to store the two piles.

I don't split mine for care labels because I don't buy clothes with complicated washing instructions (eg handwash, no spin, cold wash, etc). I wash all clothes at 30 or 40.

I do split them for tumble temperatures and iron temperatures, but I spare myself hassle by buying "normal" clothes.

I have a double laundry bin with whites separated from the rest. I do dark colours, colours and whites separately.

I do delicates and handwash stuff on their own cycle but don't worry about colours with them. It is never ending though.

Nappies separate because of velcro
Everything else

I have one dirty laundry basket, but about 6 plastic washing baskets which then get stacked up in the bathroom (where washer is) waiting to go.

I divide into

heavy darks (eg jeans & hoodies) (40 degrees, 1400 spin)
light darks eg socks, pants, T-shirts (40 degrees, 1400)
lights (40 degrees, 1200)
whites (60 degrees, 1400)
towels (60 degrees, 1400)
bedding (60 degrees, 1400)

& occasionally delicates - I save them up until there are 3 or 4 & wash each one inside a nylon bag - usually 30 degrees, 600/800

(laundry is one of the very few domestic chores I am good at)

Everything goes in one basket.
Bedding and towels 60 deg
Whites 60 deg
Whites and pales 40 delicate
Blacks/darks 40 delicate
Pinks/reds/browns 40 delicate
Blues/greys 40 delicate
Denim 60 deg

Clothes - dark, lights, whites and brights

Bedding, towels 60 degrees or more

If it's not dirty wash at 30

Just keep it simple! We chuck everything into one wooden laundry basket and then I just alternate lights and darks washes, all at 40'. Much quicker to sort and I've never had any colour run mishaps.

I round up the towels once a week and wash on 60'

DCs bedding goes in together once a week at 60.

Ditto our bedding but on a different day to DCs.

We only have a couple of delicate wool items. They just linger at the bottom of the pile until there are enough to do a delicate wash.

I have a 3 bin thing, whites, coloured, darks. I put delicates/hand wash items in a drawstring bag on bathroom door. When I strip beds I time it for when the machine is empty & ready to go (so no bed linen in baskets).

Separate basket for DDs stuff in her room
Me and DH - have 2 double laundry baskets in our room and sort by:
Underwear/sportswear/nightwear
Other clothes (except DH shirts)
Towels
Bedding

I don't separate colours (although all towels and bedding are white).