The hierarchy of washing (cleanest to dirtiest) and cleaning the washer in between

[thefirstmrsdewinter]

I had a stab at naming the post but not sure if anyone else will know what I mean or if it's just me overthinking things. Do you do your loads of washing in order from clean to dirty and if so do you run an empty wash (in my head it's called the buffer wash) between the dirtiest things (eg dog coats) and the cleanest (eg tea towels)?

I tend to wash clothes/linens/towels, then the dog blankets/cleaning cloth stuff, then the really dirty stuff (muddy trainers, dog coats) in that order. ('Muddy' stuff may contain equal parts actual soil and dog poo as the park can be revolting at this time of year and we have a JRT who likes to roll. Dog items also contain a significant amount of dog hair, which can linger in the washer even if it's wiped clean after a wash.) I use Napisan for whites and anything gross.

Boil wash after the dirtiest stuff, or an rinse cycle with a bit of bleach? A boil wash takes something like 3hrs on my machine, which seems like a waste. But here I am with a basket of whites, overthinking my next load of laundry so I need a system.

I do not clean very mucky things in my washing machine - dog coats would have a soak in a bucket first, as would muddy trainers.

But yes in your scenario I would definitely have a "buffer" wash to clear out muck.

@BeyondThePage yes, fair enough, I would soak off any solid material first too, but it's more the fact of the item being a trainer or dog coat, even if it has been de-mucked before going in the washer, that makes me feel there should be a buffer wash. And the dog hair. I shake everything out first but that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Tbh I have never thought about it as we don't wash anything really dirty. Having said that, we sold our old washer on eBay and the woman who bought it was going to use it for horse blankets, etc as she wanted to keep that stuff separate from her household laundry.

I guess I would pre-soak, pre-wash and press the intensive button on anything really mucky and maybe put disinfectant in the conditioner drawer for the final rinse.

I wash clothes and bedding then dog blankets and then guinea piggle fleece bedding (shaken off any large bots of sawdust and hay first). Then I clean all around washer with detail spray and cloth and empty filter most weeks.

Alternate washes in our house are nappy washes, no buffer between! The dog hair seems like more on an issue though

Google 'pet wear wash bags' - its a big bag that you put the really mucky stuff in then, when the wash is finished you just shake out any sand or bits of twig. It stops the machine getting filled with pet hair.

I have a dog hair problem and I bought a bag to wash the dog stuff in. It’s extremely useful, you put the items inside it, wash, then remove items and turn the bag inside out shake it-outside then use again.
Try googling “pet wash bags”
I also have a separate washing machine for my dog’s bedding.

Cross post with petitdonkey

Thanks all! Wish I could have a second washer (genius idea if you have the space) but instead I'm off to find a washing bag for dog stuff.

Can I ask you @Prestonsflowers and @petitdonkey do your dogs have long hair or short? The JRT has short, smooth, stiff hairs like nylon bristles that get into everything and stick to everything. I can't see it being contained in a bag but I'll give anything a go.

I did a maintenance wash last night before doing whites, which is probably good for the machine. Once the park and garden dry out a bit everything will be so much easier.

Hi thefirstmrsdewinter
I have boxers, so short haired but not wiry.
I was a bit sceptical but it works for me