How to Sort Laundry and Some of the Best Tools to Deploy for Cleaner Clothes

Pay a visit to any public Laundromat in America and you’ll witness how people are clueless as to how to sort laundry the right way, and most are not even aware of the right tools to use to get cleaner clothes. As a country, most of our citizens are neglecting the basic tenets of been an adult.

Cleanliness is the key determining factor when it comes to sicknesses and good health. From my experience, poorly sorted clothes usually lead to less clean clothes. My mom used to say, the way to know if someone has clean habits is to check their dirty laundry. I do agree with her on this point, for your dirty clothes says a lot about how clean you’re in your other activities.

In this article, I will explain the key steps needed for sorting your laundry the right way, some of the hidden facts about good detergents, the way to load your washer, and the right temperature to use when drying your clothes.

The Best Way to Sort Your Laundry

The most common colors are white, light, and dark. It will be best if you have a hamper sorter with four bins at least. One of the bins is for the clothes you intend to drop-off at the dry cleaner, or wash but not dry. The worst thing you can do is to mix all your regular washable clothes with items that require dry cleaning.

It is also better to put all your wet dirty clothes in a separate hamper to prevent color transfer. Try not to put your wet towels with your other dirty clothes for it will create mildew and cause an unpleasant odor to develop once you close the laundry sorter.

It is also better to put all the clothing items that require hanging dry after washing in a separate bag. Your dirty laundry should be separated based on how you’re going to wash them once they get dirty, not on laundry day.

How Often Should You Do Laundry?

It is not wise to leave dirty clothes in the hamper for too long. At a minimum, you should try to wash your dirty clothes every week. Unfortunately, at your public laundry facility, you’ll come across people that usually do laundry once a month.

Dirty clothes contain germs and it would be unwise to let them multiply in greater numbers, which is what would happen if you do not develop the habit of weekly washing of your dirty clothes.

Also, most dirty clothes will contain some moisture from your sweating and that will turn into mildew when put together with other pieces of clothing in a closed hamper or laundry bag.

Another good reason to do laundry on a weekly basis is the stench that can develop from used panties or men underwear. The way and how often you take care of your laundry will help determine your health status.

It is also true that your investment in clothes will eat up your disposable income if you do not develop the habit of constantly washing your dirty clothes on a weekly basis. If you have little kids, it is paramount you wash or do laundry on a weekly basis.

Most adults that cannot sort laundry the right way can be traced to bad washing skills passed on from parents. Whether you like to agree or not, some of your good and bad habits were learned from your parents.

Unfortunately, unless you correct the wrong ways you’re sorting and doing laundry, this will be passed on to your kids.

Laundry Sorting and Washing Tools

To help you develop the right habit of keeping your clothes clean on a regular basis, the following are the key tools you need for cleaner clothes. After each tool, I will review one or two products you can choose from to get started right away in sorting and washing your laundry the right way.

1 – Best Laundry Hamper Sorter

You need a way to sort your dirty clothes once they get dirty to prevent the transfer of color from happening. If you have several laundry bags you could deploy them for use in keeping your dirty clothes sorted the right way before laundry day arrives.

In this modern age, it is far easier to invest in a well-designed and durable laundry sorter/hamper with several bins for your dirty clothes. Regardless of the type of materials used in the construction of your laundry sorter, you should cover each bin with a laundry bag to negate the chances of germs accumulating.

The bag cover over the bins will act as the collection point for all the germs that resides in your dirty clothes and it will prevent a horrible stench from developing inside the hamper, which will occur if you do not use a good cover.

Whitmor Black 4-Section Laundry Sorter

If you’re looking for a good laundry room organizer this product would not disappoint. It is a good 4 section laundry sorter on wheels that should last many years if properly cared for. The dimensions are 33.4 x 20.2 x 2.9 inches and weigh just 5.4 pounds.

Whitmor laundry sorter has a chrome finished frame and offers mobility, which means you can move it around your house with ease. The sorter bags used are made from 100% polyester materials.

Best of all, this 4 compartment laundry sorter bags can be removed for washing and most of the feedbacks stated the product can be assembled in just a few minutes. Is it the best laundry hamper sorter? Probably not, but would make any top 10 list of the highest-rated laundry sorters.

DecoBros Heavy-Duty 3-Bag Laundry Sorter Cart

This 3 bin laundry sorter is made by a company called DecoBros with the following dimensions 30.75″ W x 18″ D x 33″ H. Just like the one reviewed above it also comes with a shiny chrome frame finish.

The manufacturer claims it has filed patents for the design style, which is still pending as of this writing. It is certainly a good laundry sorter on wheels but wished it had more bins for dirty clothes.

2 – You need a Good Laundry Detergent

It is up to you to decide if top name brands will deliver cleaner clothes, but keep the following in mind before making your decision. Most of the detergents that can remove dirt from your clothes will contain some form of harsh chemicals, so keep that in mind while looking over brands that claim they’re organic.

If you have sensitive skin, the key criteria are to make sure your washed clothes are completely free of detergents before putting them in the dryer. If you have you own washer, I would suggest you use double rinse cycle to ensure all the detergent ingredients are removed from your clothing.

If you rinse off all the chemicals from the soap used, there will be no harsh chemicals to cause any allergic skin reaction. It is up to you if you want to spend extra money on an eco-friendly laundry detergent brand regardless of your skin type. Just make sure your clothes are thoroughly rinsed of all the detergent residue and you should be fine.

3 – Should You Use A Fabric Softener?

From years of washing clothes for clients and doing my own laundry, fabric softeners mostly provide a fresh scent for your laundry. I know some brands might tell you it will make your clothes feel softer, but I beg to differ.

If you use a detergent that has a strong scent, then the need for a fabric softener is muted. From my experience, most of the fabric softener and fabric sheets leave your clothes with a refreshing smell and that’s all.

If you have sensitive skin, you should try your best not to use any type of fabric softener, including the so-called green friendly brands. I am aware that some of the readers will strongly disagree with me on this point, but it is your money and you can spend it as you see fit.

4 – How to Use the Dryer

The laundry dryer is a clothing degrading equipment and will contribute immensely to the deterioration of your clothes. Your clothes are made from fibers and every time you dry them in hot temperature you affect the way they’re put together in more ways than one.

Your clothes would last longer if you get in the habit of hanging them to dry the natural way. Now, it is okay to dry your towels, wash clothes, and underwear. If you do not have the room to hang your clothes to dry, try using a low temperature setting on the dryer to minimize the damage.

Final tips

Despite all the above tips and your desire to have clean clothes, the use of public Laundromats might embed more germs into your clothing even after washing and drying. You should read this article that explains how to spot if your public washing spot is dirty and not sanitary enough for your clothes.

To sort your laundry the right way, get yourself a well-made hamper sorter. Never mix wet clothes with others that are not, for it might cause mildew to develop, plus a horrible stench will be created once you close the lid of the hamper.

It is far better to do laundry on at least on a weekly basis than to let them pile up with the accumulation of germs. The type of detergent you use is important, but far more important is the need to make sure your washed clothes are thoroughly rinsed before putting them in the dryer.

The use of a fabric softener is up to you, but some of the claims of what it can do for your clothes are just hyperbole. In my opinion, it will only provide a fresher scent to your clean laundry, and that is all.