Horrified at results of one wash! (pic attached)

[IsabelleSE19]

Bought DD some new socks at Next on Saturday - on Sunday she decided to wear odd socks, so one of the new ones but not the other of the pair. Having washed one today and gone to put it back with its brand new unwashed pair, I was shocked to see the difference in colour and size. It was washed in Sainsburys non-bio powder and Sainsburys fabric softener, then tumble-dried.

Is this just one of these things, or should I take them back, or should I be using a different detergent or not tumble-drying?! Advice welcome!

Bad not mad

My washing is fading using a non-bio powder so should I be using one specifically for colours instead and save the non-bio for sheets etc?

Because some stuff is coming out looking like OP's poor sock.

I always tumble dry socks too.

The colour has definitely faded - but it also looks a bit 'grey'. I always put a colour catcher sheet in every wash. It always amazes me the colour of it at the end of each wash! Always put the colour catcher in a net bag though - as they have a habit of occasionally working their way into the filter and blocking it!

Yes, use a powder suitable for colours.
Do colour catcher works. A colleague who always wears a 1000-wash grey shirt swears by them.

Twenty years of tumble drying socks and I've never had a shrinkage problem.

I'll try one, thanks Mike. Just started using colour catchers on mixed washes and they come out shockingly dark blue/black/red.

All clothes allow for at least 5 % shrinkage ,it's why I always buy my kids jammies a size up as after a few washes and drys they are the right size . I presume you out them in a dark wash from the colour difference 😬

The colour hasn't faded it's got black dye over the orange which has made it darker . You can tell you don't separate colours .

I buy a size up in socks now because I’m too lazy to air dry them. DD inherited all of my shrunken socks

Buy them bigger then tumble them. Buy them dark in navy, dark grey, black etc and then they won’t darken in the wash.

I couldn't be arsed hanging out socks. I just buy a size bigger.

Never, ever had socks shrink when tumble drying in over 30 years but only use the low heat option. 🤔

Have tumble dried thousands of socks over the years and never had an issue ( except the ones that disappear in the process..maybe they have shrunk into nothing!,)

I don’t tumble dry socks and they still shrink.

Nothing is made to last any more

This is why you only ever wash and tumble things in pairs. Then at least they end up the same and you’re not left with one super bright and massive and the other tiny and faded.

The colour hadn't faded, it's absorbed dye from the dark things you've washed it with.

To the PP asking about colour-specific washing powder/liquid. I think ones for whites contain some more hard-core chemicals that can cause colours to fade, so you shouldn't use them for colours. Not that I follow this...

You’ve probably washed them with jeans and they’ve absorbed the colour.

I separate my washing

1. Whites
2. Lightly coloured whites
3. Light colours
4. Dark colours

Only tumble dry jeans, school trousers, skirts and shirts, towels and sheets.

I put the rest outside and bring it in to finish off drying overnight.

Never shrunk or discoloured anything

Oh and I don’t use fabric conditioner and it’s absolutely fine without it. Saved lots of money too!!

We have four washing baskets in our laundry that I fill with
Whites
Brights ( pinks oranges yellows)
Lights ( pale blue, jeans, taupe)
Darks
When each basket is full - that's a full load of washing to be done . This will prevent dark colours dulling your bright colours .

Pretty much everything I buy is tumble friendly to avoid shrinkage - but having a heat pump dryer (rather than a condenser or vented dryer) helps with shrinkage too .

I don't separate darks from colours - maybe that's what's done it.

Nooooooooo! That's a sure fire way of getting grubby looking clothes! Whites, coloureds, and dark need to be separated otherwise the colours go yucky.

We tumble dry everything except sports wear and nothing shrinks, we use a synthetics setting on the dryer, which is vented, some also have a special care button.

Along eight he other advice (albeit i tumble dry loads of things on the don't list) I always use a colour catcher sheet in my washing - always comes out a grubby grey colour

Any recommendations for a powder or liquid specifically to use for colours? I managed to spectacularly fade and shrink my son's royal blue self defence uniform, now I have a new one and am terrified of doing the same! None of the other children's tops faded