In this fast-paced world, we often put our whites and colors in the washing machine at the same time to save time and energy. But can you dry them together? In general, you should never wash your whites with your colored clothes. Your colored clothing will bleed and ruin your whites. That being said, there are some circumstances where it’s okay to wash and dry whites and colors together.
Can You Dry Whites and Colors Together?
If you are looking for the best methods to dry your clothes, you have to understand that drying whites and colored clothes together is not recommended. When you dry colored and white clothes together, the colored fabrics will transfer some of their dye to the white fabrics. This will stain your white fabrics and make them look dingy.
Why Is Drying Whites And Colors Together Risky?
Drying clothing can be a challenge, especially if you don’t have a dryer. If you’re drying whites and colored clothing together in the same load, here are tips on how to do so safely. If you have small children or pets and you’re worried about putting whites and colored clothing in the same load, there are some precautions that you need to take. However, if your family is grown and mature enough to handle it, it may not be as dangerous as you think. In fact, it’s common for people with smaller homes or limited laundry space to do this regularly. Here are seven ways that you can dry your whites and colored clothing together safely.
Check The Care Labels
Before you even think about drying whites and colored clothing together, you should always check the care labels on each piece of clothing. If a garment is dry clean only, you absolutely must not dry it. If you’re not sure about a piece of clothing, it’s best to be safe than sorry. While you’re at it, you should also check the size of the load that’s recommended on the label — including the number of whites and colored clothing you plan to dry together. You can also check things like if the fabric is prone to bleeding and if it’s a natural fabric like cotton or wool. These are things that you may not have thought about, but they can cause unnecessary issues when you’re drying whites and colored clothing together.
Use Shorter Drying Times
Most colored fabrics can go for about half of the drying time that white fabrics need. This is because whites need a little extra time to dry properly due to the fact that they are thicker fabrics. If you are concerned about the safety of drying whites and colored clothing together, you can shorten the drying time so that everything dries equally. You can also use a low or delicate cycle for the colored garments and a regular cycle for the whites. This way, you are able to dry them at the same time, but the colored fabrics are still being dried properly and not wrinkled or damaged.
Separate Whites And Colored Clothing Early In The Load
If you have a lot of whites and colored clothing in a single load, it’s best to separate the whites and colored garments as soon as you’re adding the clothing to the washer. You can do this by separating white and colored clothing into two different loads and running them on separate cycles. If you have a top-loading washer, it’s best to separate them at the beginning of the wash cycle. If you have a front-loading washer, it’s best to separate them toward the end of the wash cycle so that they get balanced out more. If you are in the habit of separating your clothes, you’ll be able to dry whites and colored fabric together safely. It’s best to place the whites and colored fabrics at different parts of the load so that they get balanced out properly.
Use A Lint Sponge Or Shower
If you have a top-loading washing machine, there’s a chance that you might see colored lint on the white clothes, even if you’re separating them. You can use a lint sponge to clean off the excess lint after every load. If you’re washing with a front-loading washer, you can use a shower instead. A shower can easily remove excess colored lint from white fabrics so that they don’t end up stained. Another way to do this is to buy washers that have a good lint screen. This is particularly important if you want to dry colored clothing safely with whites because the lint screen catches the colored fabrics that may get stuck to the white fabrics.
How To Dry Whites And Colored Clothing Together Safely?
Check the Care Labels
Before you even think about drying whites and colored clothing together, you should always check the care labels on each piece of clothing. If a garment is dry clean only, you absolutely must not dry it. If you’re not sure about a piece of clothing, it’s best to be safe than sorry. While you’re at it, you should also check the size of the load that’s recommended on the label — including the number of whites and colored clothing you plan to dry together. You can also check things like if the fabric is prone to bleeding and if it’s a natural fabric like cotton or wool. These are things that you may not have thought about, but they can cause unnecessary issues when you’re drying whites and colored clothing together.
Use Shorter Drying Times
Most colored fabrics can go for about half of the drying time that white fabrics need. This is because whites need a little extra time to dry properly due to the fact that they are thicker fabrics. If you are concerned about the safety of drying whites and colored clothing together, you can shorten the drying time so that everything dries equally. You can also use a low or delicate cycle for the colored garments and a regular cycle for the whites. This way, you are able to dry them at the same time, but the colored fabrics are still being dried properly and not wrinkled or damaged.
Separate Whites and Colored Clothing Early in the Load
If you have a lot of whites and colored clothing in a single load, it’s best to separate the whites and colored garments as soon as you’re adding the clothing to the washer. You can do this by separating white and colored clothing into two different loads and running them on separate cycles. If you have a top-loading washer, it’s best to separate them at the beginning of the wash cycle. If you have a front-loading washer, it’s best to separate them toward the end of the wash cycle so that they get balanced out more. If you are in the habit of separating your clothes, you’ll be able to dry whites and colored fabric together safely. It’s best to place the whites and colored fabrics at different parts of the load so that they get balanced out properly.
Use a Lint Sponge or Shower
If you have a top-loading washing machine, there’s a chance that you might see colored lint on the white clothes, even if you’re separating them. You can use a lint sponge to clean off the excess lint after every load. If you’re washing with a front-loading washer, you can use a shower instead. A shower can easily remove excess colored lint from white fabrics so that they don’t end up stained. Another way to do this is to buy washers that have a good lint screen. This is particularly important if you want to dry colored clothing safely with whites because the lint screen catches the colored fabrics that may get stuck to the white fabrics.
Add Bleach to the White Load Only
If you are really concerned about staining the whites, you can add bleach to the white load only. This will help whiten and sanitize the whites and keep them free of stains. However, you shouldn’t do this if you are drying colored fabrics with whites. You can add bleach to the white load and then put colored fabrics in the same load afterward. However, it’s best to use a lower amount of bleach in the white load than you would normally use. This is because the colored fabrics will soak up some of the bleach, making it more potent. This can be dangerous if you use too much bleach.
Why You Shouldn’t Dry Whites With Colors?
- If you want to avoid your white clothes from becoming dingy or stained from colored fabrics in the same load, you must use a gentler cycle, milder detergent, and a lower water level.
- You can also line dry your colored clothing to avoid over-drying. This will help to prevent your colored fabrics from transferring any dye to your white garments.
- If you are not sure about whether it’s safe or not safe to wash your whites as well as your colored garments at the same time, err on the side of caution and separate them into two different loads.
- You should avoid mixing your whites with your colored clothes in the washing machine. This way, you will be able to use a stronger wash cycle, more water, and a more potent detergent without damaging your white clothes.
Bottom Line
Washing and drying your whites and colored clothes together can cause staining, especially if you are using a stronger cycle, more water, and a more potent detergent. If you are not sure about whether it’s safe or not safe to wash your whites as well as your colors at the same time, err on the side of caution and separate them into two different loads.
