Ten Things You Should Always Do Before Laundry

Sort the Laundry

For the best cleaning results, sort your laundry. It prevents fading and makes it easier to use the appropriate products for cleaning, whitening and stain removal.

Clorox scientist Mary Gagliardi, aka “Dr. Laundry,” recommends grouping items according to the following groups:

• Dark colors;
• Light/bright colors;
• Bleach-safe items (cotton, polyester, acrylic, nylon, screen-printed white t-shirts, bleach-fast colors) that aren’t really a “white” load;
• White items with spandex, including white stripes and other mostly white patterns.

“There are always exceptions,” says Gagliardi. “Lint producers [like towels] should not be washed with lint collectors [like corduroy]. Also, wool items often need to be washed separately, or, at most, with other wool items.”