With thobes, abayas, everyday clothes and family laundry all going into the same basket, it can be tempting to put everything in the washing machine together. However, sorting clothes before washing can help prevent colour transfer, reduce unnecessary wear and ensure each garment gets the right care.
When you have a full family basket waiting to be washed, sorting may feel like an extra chore. But with a simple system for separating colours, fabrics and garments, it becomes much easier.
Key Highlights
Prepare clothes before sorting by checking pockets, zips and care labels.
Sort clothes under the 4 colour categories: whites, lights, darks, brights.
Wash new and brightly dyed items separately for the first few washes.
Sort the colour pile again by how dirty the clothes are and then choose the detergent dose.
Keep embellished, sheer, and heavy items out of regular loads.
Simple Guide to Sorting Laundry
Check 1: Before Anything Goes in a Pile
The first step in how to sort clothes for washing is by preparing each garment. Begin by shaking or brushing them outdoors first, as everyday wear collects dust throughout the day, which will spread through the entire load. Empty out the pockets, close zips and hooks so other fabrics don’t snag, and turn dark garments inside out. Before washing anything new, ensure you go through the care label.
Check 2: Sort by Colour
Sorting by colour will do away with the most common laundry mishap: colour or dye from one garment bleeding into another. Here’s a quick how-to guide on colour sorting:
Step 1: Know the Four Colour Categories
Whites: Anything that is completely white, such as white thobes, kanduras, ghutras, school shirts, work shirts. If any garment has coloured prints or trims, it will go in the lights pile instead.
Lights: Cream and beige cotton, pale blues, soft greys, and pastels.
Darks: Black abayas, navy uniforms, dark trousers. To reduce lint, turn these clothes inside out before tossing them in the machine.
Brights: reds, oranges, and strong blues. All other coloured garments that will hold loose dye for several washes.
Step 2: Test Anything New
Dampen a white cloth and press it firmly against the inside seam of the new piece of clothing. If any colour gets transferred onto the white test cloth, wash that garment on its own for the first two to three washes.
Step 3: When You Cannot Sort
If you only have one load at a time, just separate the whites and wash the rest with cold water and for a shorter cycle.
*Note: Dye moves from dark to light. Lint moves from light to dark.
Check 3: Sort by How Dirty the Clothes Are
Two white thobes may need very different washes depending on the circumstance: one has been worn indoors for only an hour, the other has been worn all day. If these two garments are washed together, the dirt from the second may settle onto the first and leave them both looking dull. To prevent this, sort clothes once more by how dirty they are.
During warmer months, garments are worn for a shorter duration and washed more often. So, most loads sit in the light and medium rows. Ariel Platinum Clean Powder works across all three levels. Simply adjust your dose to the soil level for clean and thorough washing.
Check 4: Keep Certain Garments Separate
Embellished or beaded abayas: These have to be separated, placed in a mesh laundry bag and washed on a gentle cycle to ensure that the beadwork and fabric threads remain intact.
Sheer and delicate fabrics: Chiffon, lace, and fine cotton tend to rip under fast spinning and stretch when heavier items are pressing against them. So, they have to be washed on a gentle cycle at a low spin speed, with other similar lightweight items.
Anything labelled wash separately: This generally means that the dye is not completely fixed. So, for the first few washes, wash separately and check if the colour is still transferring before adding it to the pile.
Towels and bedsheets: These shed fibres that stick to clothing, especially darker ones. They also absorb a lot of water and fill up the drum so clothes that are washed with them aren’t properly cleaned.
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