Laundry- please explain how!

[Chinchillaspyjamas]

Hello Wise Ones!
This is quite embarrassing but apart from sorting white clothes from coloured clothes, delicates and jeans I’m not sure what else you’re supposed to do to stop clothes getting all dingy after washing, does anyone have any advice?
I use non-bio as we have a 7 month old DD, and a 6 year old DD with sensitive skin.
After searching for tips on MN I’ve read that there isn’t much difference for skin reactions using bio so will try that first.
I use fabric softener and dry things on airers.
I’ve started to further separate coloured clothes into lighter colours and darker colour loads but everything looks a bit grey-scale! Are the clothes salvageable after they’ve washed badly or might I have to start replacing things?
I wash whites on a higher temp but they start to look less bright after 2 or 3 washes.
I clean my washing machine on the drum clean setting once a month.
Is there anything else I’m missing?
Thank you for reading and thank you in anticipation of any tips :)

Wash everything on quick wash. The loads are Darks, Super Darks, Intermediate and Whites. Towels and bedding lie outside this equation. Don't use fabric conditioner. I'm still wearing black t shirts bought in the 1990s that are still black black.

Thank you :) I’ll start this from tomorrow- determined to get this cracked!

When you have newer dark or coloured clothing, do a wash with cold water to lock in the fabric dye. If your children have sensitive skin, some machines have the option of a second rinse.

I rarely use the quick wash setting as on most machines you can only put a small amount in and it is less efficient and economical than the eco or cottons setting. E.g. I have an 8 kg machine but the delicates or quick wash only takes 3kg. My quick wash uses more energy.

Apart from occasional 60 washes for bedding/towels, I mainly wash at 40 (sometimes 30)
I tend to do a big dark wash 1-2 times per week. Usually wash towels/bedding separate from clothes but would sometimes pop a towel or two in with clothes.
Whites I do wash separately - usually 1 wash per week. If there’s bras/shirts or stuff that might dress a lot I will use a shorter spin.
Jeans I wash separately on short cotton cycle (save up until I have a few pairs to wash)
anything really delicate such as more fragile tops and tights I’ll do a delicate wash and reduce the spin speed.

I use the quick wash with cold water as it’s the cheapest option! I do sort colours roughly but most colours won’t run at temps of 30 or less. Most are fine to 60 but there’s always one.
If I’ve got a decent item of clothing that’s lost its whiteness I’ll use a whitener on it, used to be glow white. For cheaper items of clothing I don’t buy white!

We do whites & lights, pinks, reds & purples and then the dark wash. Plus colour catchers.

Fabric conditioner is not good for clothes.

As a student we had dingy clothing, after months an engineer came out and found a bright blue sock in the pump that had been causing it.

Don't use the quick wash as it's usually only for small loads. Wash whites separately using powder as it contains bleaches that liquids/pods don't. Add some vanish powder (i use own brand equivalent).

We use eco laundry sheets.

This is how I do mine:

Sheets, duvets, tea towels and towels on 60, biological powder with fab conditioner. Sorted into roughly similar coloured items (eg. Orange duvet, yellow towels, red pillowcase).

Clothes washed with non bio and NO fab con (DS sensitive skin):

• Blacks and v dark items
• Lights - blue, green, grey (also dark items with white stripes)
• Lights - orange, yellow, pink, red, purple
• Whites (use whitener)

Our clothes are never 'murky'.

Cleaning cloths, bathmats washed at 90 with bio powder and disinfectant fluid.

use a colour catcher. Dont use bio/oxy/potical brighteners with sensitive skin. I find the longer washes get the whites whiter and i seperate whites and light colours and then darker by either reds or blues/greens. The colour catcher always has some dye on it even with things I've washed 20 times

Thank you all.
I’ll try out the tips and report back :)

Apart from sorting lights/whites/colours, if I'm drying indoors I separate into quick drying like fleeces and heavy stuff like jeans.
Fleeces dry very quickly, so I'll do them first, then heavy stuff once I've got the heating on in the afternoon.
I only use fabcon on my bedding.
I add a spoonful of soda crystals to the wash.
I do a monthly drum/filter clean, which if you're using the lower temperature washes is important.
My DP (we do our own washing) is obsessed with fabcon, and I'm constantly cleaning the build up left in the drawer, his clothes have that nice "top" smell, but some of his clothes, especially fleeces, have a dank undersmell.

Bio powder and sunlight for bright whites.

This is what I do.

Whites - wash separately, not with light coloured things. Dry outside as often as possible. Don’t use optical brighteners - they turn your clothes yellow over time. Non bio powder.

Bright colours - colour wash liquid

Black/dark clothes - black wash liquid. Low temperature

Pale colours - non bio powder

Towels - hot wash, non bio powder

Bedding - hot wash, non bio powder

Wool/silk - delicate wash, hand wash liquid

Never use fabric conditioner. It’s terrible for your clothes and your machine.