Life Hack: How to separate laundry properly and what colours can be washed together?

From what those symbols on clothes tags mean to the basics when it comes to separating your laundry, here's what you need to know

It is essential to familiarise yourself with the little symbol-covered tab inside the fabric.

When we are washing our clothes and other fabrics, it can be easy to become overwhelmed by different fabrics and colours and work out what can be washed together and what needs to be laundered separately.

Opening the washing machine to discover your once white sheets and shirts now a pale and patchy pink or finding a favourite wool jumper a fraction of its previous size is incredibly frustrating — and a waste of money when they need replacing.

To avoid this situation, it is essential to familiarise yourself with the little symbol-covered tab inside the fabric.

This tells you everything you need to know about washing the item correctly. For example, a tub symbol with a hand symbol indicates you should handwash this item.

This is usually found on fabrics like silk or cashmere which can become damaged during a regular wash in the machine.

If your item has a tub with a number inside it, this is the recommended water temperature in Celsius at which the item should be washed.

If there is a tub symbol with dots inside, here’s what that means for the temperature of your cycle: One dot for cold water, two dots for warm water and three dots for hot water. 

Wash light and dark laundry separately to avoid colour running. Dark colours including greys, blacks, navies, reds, dark purples and similar should be placed into one load, while pale colours like pinks, lavenders, light blues, light greens and yellows should go into another load. Picture: Alamy/PA. 

A tub symbol with nothing inside it means any wash is okay for that item. A triangle symbol with an X through it means you should never use bleach on that item.

A triangle with two lines inside it means you can use non-chlorine or oxygen-based bleach only. A triangle with nothing inside it means any bleach is okay to use.

Drying is another important aspect of laundry and how you dry an item can damage it. Again, we have symbols on those tags that indicate how something should be dried.

For example, a square with a circle inside it means it is okay to tumble dry, but the same symbol with an X through it means it should never be tumble dried.

A square with a curved line pointing down from the top line means it should be line-dried, and a square with a horizontal line in it means it should be dried on a flat surface.
The essentials to know about separating your washing are explained succinctly by the laundry brand Ariel.

“Sort your clothes and garments into groups: Whites, light colours, dark colours and delicates (wools, silks, etc.),” they say, adding you should avoid the temptation to group some together in an effort to fill your drum.

After sorting your laundry by colour, check your laundry and make sure similar fabric types are washed together too. Picture: Hubbub/PA.

“If you only have a small amount of one group, don’t be tempted to put it in with another — save it for a full load.”

Wash light and dark laundry separately to avoid colour running. Dark colours including greys, blacks, navies, reds, dark purples and similar should be placed into one load, while pale colours like pinks, lavenders, light blues, light greens and yellows should go into another load.

After sorting your laundry by colour, check your laundry and make sure similar fabric types are washed together too.

Delicate fabrics, like lingerie, tights and silk, should be washed together. Avoid bundling them into the drum with heavier fabrics like cotton and denim.

My own quick tip to sort laundry is an easy one: Several years ago I bought a washing basket with three compartments. In these, I place dark colours into one side, whites into another, and delicates in the third area.

This way when it comes to doing the washing I don’t have to spend too long sorting the items, just a quick scan to make sure nothing fell into the wrong section and a final check for delicate fabrics, etc.

These baskets are available at a range of budget options, with brands from Penneys to Joseph Joseph offering variations — my own basket was from Lidl and has remained sturdy over the last five years or so.