Guide to washing different coloured garments

Taking care of your clothing is important for many reasons. Not only does it help keep your clothes looking good but washing them with the proper technique ensures that the colours won’t fade over time. One aspect of proper washing technique we all tend to overlook is washing clothes of different colours.

When you’re dealing with coloured garments, there are certain steps you need to take to ensure that all your clothes come out looking clean and vibrant. Here is a guide on how to wash different coloured garments in a washing machine.

Understanding which colours can be washed together will help your clothes last longer by avoiding the spread of darker colours onto fabrics with lighter shades. Light-coloured garments are susceptible to darker dyes and can absorb them, making them appear faded. To avoid this, separate bright hues such as pinks, lavenders, yellows, light blues, and light greens from greys, blacks, reds, navy blues, and other dark colours.

If you must wash colours and whites together in a rush, use cold water and don’t add any new coloured garment that hasn’t been washed a few times before. These are more likely to spoil the white clothes.

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A good way to ensure no colour bleeding on laundry day is to divide your load into three parts – whites, light coloured items and darker items. If three is a tad too much, you can club the whites and lights, but always wash the darker colours separately.

If your clothes are extremely filthy, pre-treat them and wash them separately. Use cold water and the shortest wash cycle feasible based on the item’s care label and amount of soiling.

Each load should be washed at the correct temperature setting based on its colour group. Lighter items should be washed at a cool temperature setting while darker items can handle slightly warmer temperatures. It’s important to pay attention to instructions on the garment labels as they will often detail specific temperature settings that work best for each item. Some fabrics may require specific temperature settings so make sure to check before throwing them into the wash.

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If one of your brights leaks over another, do not dry the damaged item as heat will set the stain. Instead, wash it individually in cold water until the colour is removed.

The right detergent can also help keep coloured garments looking vibrant and beautiful after multiple washes. There are special detergents specifically designed for use on coloured fabrics which will help preserve their colour and prevent fading over time. These types of detergents are usually labelled “colour-safe” or “colour-preserving” and can be found easily at most grocery stores.