Housekeeping · 세탁 기본

Sort Laundry in 6 Steps: Whites, Darks, Delicates and Soil

Separate whites and darks, then sort by care label, soil level and lint. Labels—not a universal temperature rule—decide washing and drying.

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Wikimedia Commons · Photo: Corn cheese / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0; unchanged. · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗

Color sorting helps avoid dye transfer, but grouping delicate lace with heavy towels can still cause wear. Based on the American Cleaning Institute's guidance updated March 2026, these steps organise loads before the wash. The photo is a general laundry basket, not a demonstration of correctly sorted piles.

Your try-it-at-home checklist

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1. Read each garment's care label first. Separate pieces marked no machine washing, hand wash only, or no tumble drying even if their colours match.
2. Group washable garments into whites, lighter or pastel colours, and darks. Keep dark dyes away from whites from the very first wash.
3. Wash new black, red or fluorescent garments separately for the first few washes when dye transfer is possible; inspect contrasting trims as well.
4. Within each colour group, separate heavy or lint-shedding towels and denim from fine knits, lace and lightweight fabrics. Keep very dirty loads apart from lightly worn items.
5. Empty pockets and secure closures or details that might catch other clothes. A mesh bag can help protect eligible delicates but does not override their care label.
6. Select the temperature and cycle allowed by the labels in each load; do not overfill the drum. Tumble-dry only approved items, and put away laundry once fully dry.

American Cleaning InstituteLaundry Basics (updated March 10, 2026) ↗Read 2026 update: sorting by whites, lights, brights/darks, fabric, soil, lint; garment label always governs temperature and cycle.American Cleaning InstituteKeep Dark Clothes from Fading ↗Checked guidance on turning dark clothes inside-out, cool water when permitted, drying and care labels.Wikimedia CommonsClothes in white laundry basket.jpg ↗Verified creator Corn cheese and CC BY-SA 4.0 file-level licence; illustrative image only.Wikimedia CommonsCommons: Reusing content outside Wikimedia — technical ↗Verified direct hotlink permitted with individual file-level license and attribution conditions.

Your try-it-at-home checklist

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