White clothes with coloured patterns; how to wash?

[toohardtothinkofaname]

White baby clothes with coloured patterns or pictures on them; white wash, coloured wash or their own seperate wash?

Don't want to dye the whites but don't want the clothes to go off colour in a coloured wash.

Such items sit in the bottom of the laundry basket for weeks in my house while I struggle to decide what to do with them.

In the end I tend to wash them on their own on a cold/30degree wash to make sure the colour doesn't run, and then hope that no-one ever wants to wear said item again!

I try to collect enough for a load - can take a while esp with small baby clothes, but I wear a lot of white/coloured striped tops so they go in too. If they're new/particularly loved, they do start off getting special treatment, but as they get worn/less loved, they get bunged in with anything remotely similar in colour.

If they're more white with a coloured print and they get put in with a white/lights load, they are usually ok except on a higher temp wash which soon starts fading the prints. If they're put in a darker wash, the white does tend to go a bit grey eventually but usually ok for a couple of times if you desperately need something washed. I sometimes bung some Vanish powder in the machine too in a light/coloured wash, which might help to keep the white bits white... or maybe does nothing! Just don't ever put them in with anything like jeans unless you want them to go grey.

In my hazy, new baby state a few snuck into the darks accidentally & ended up a lovely grey colour. Thankfully he grew out of those very quickly!

I've always washed them in with all of his other clothes (except new denim) and never had an issue.

DH did wash some of my favourites with my red sling I know, I've added that to my 'unreasonable behaviour' list for later down the line and the white bits went pink but they've been washed quite a few times since and the pink tinge has gone now.

We use colour catcher sheets and chuck them in with a white wash. They come out fine.

My friend uses colour catcher sheets, must invest to save these multiple small loads!

If I deem them mainly white then white wash, otherwise in the light coloureds wash with DH's workshirts, the odd towel and the pink stuff when DD was little..

I do tend to avoid buying clothes with heavily contrasting colours (especially red & white) but there's always the odd one in a pack of babygrows.

I use those colour catch sheets now.
Before, I was hit & miss with washing them with light brights.
Those sheets work but my new machine likes to block it's filter up with them. It's a fucker, but my utility room floor is tiled and easy to mop so I take my chances.

That sounds like hard work Houseworkavoider. Could you put thevshert in one of those mesh bags or something?

*the sheet, even

They should be colour fast enough to wash with whites at up to 40 degrees. Any hotter than that and some might bleed.

I have a once-a-fortnight load of light, mixed coloureds for such things