How to Wash Darks and Lights Together

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: June 4, 2021 References

Though many people swear by sorting laundry before washing it, you can wash your darks and lights together with little risk of your lights changing colors. Keep in mind, however, that over time, colors will begin to fade if you always wash darks and lights together. To wash without sorting, just be sure to wash your laundry with cold water, keep brand new colored clothing away from light clothing, and consider investing in some new laundry products to help you wash these items together.

Part 1

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Using the Washing Machine

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Wash your clothing with cold water. Always choose the cold setting when washing darks and lights together. Lower temperatures will keep the dye in clothing and prevent bleeding, while also stopping the clothing from shrinking.^{[1]
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- In addition, 75 percent of the energy used to do a load of laundry comes from heating the water. By washing your clothing in cold water, you’ll save money on your energy bill.
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Select the shortest wash cycle. Use the shortest wash cycle you have when combining darks and lights, being sure to only fill the washing machine one-third of the way full. The shorter the wash cycle is, the less chance there is that the dye from darker clothing will bleed onto lighter clothing.^{[2]
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- Never stuff your washing machine completely full. The washing machine needs room for water, and cramming it full of clothing could lead to leakage.^{[3]
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Keep new colored clothing separate from old clothing. If clothing is new, the dye on the fabric is still fresh, making it easy for water to cause the color to bleed. Whenever you buy new colored clothing, wash it separately from light clothing at least once before adding it to your laundry.
- If you buy new white or light clothing, however, it won’t matter if you mix them together, as light and white clothing won’t bleed onto dark clothing.
- You can also place the new colored clothing in a bucket of soapy water for half an hour to see if the color runs. If it doesn’t, it’s alright to place it in a load with your lights.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Utilizing Helpful Laundry Products

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Use liquid detergent instead of powder. Change out your old powder-based detergents, which need warm or hot water to dissolve, for liquid detergents, which easily blend into a wash cycle.^{[4]
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- Be sure to read the directions on the detergent bottle to learn the right amount to use. If you use too little, the laundry won’t get clean, while if you use too much, it’ll leave soap on your clothes.
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Buy cold-water detergent. Since washing your laundry in cold water is the best way to wash darks and lights together, invest in some “cold-water” detergent. These products should say "cold-water" in the name.^{[5]
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- Using a normal detergent in cold water can cause the chemical reaction which cleans clothing to fail. Normal detergents become slow-moving when they’re not warm, so they won’t be as able to reach the stains in your clothing.
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Try color-catching sheets if you must do laundry with warm water. If you need to do laundry with hot water (because of an infection, or if you’re washing material that’s been contaminated with feces), try using a color-catching sheet. These products absorb the dye that leeches out when clothing is washed in warm water, and they “trap” it inside the sheets.^{[6]
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- These products are sometimes called “color grabbers.”

Warnings

Never use chlorine bleach with items that are not white. This will ruin the color of the items.

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Always wash your clothing with hot water if you think it's infected with any sort of virus, or if it's come into contact with fecal matter. In these cases, clothing needs hot water to sanitize it.

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