One of the most basic rules of laundry is to separate. Separating keeps like colors and like fabrics together. The main purpose of this is to ensure that each fabric type receives the care that it needs. It also helps to keep colors from fading or bleeding, and to prevent shrinkage or damage.
Keeping whites separate from colors is a good rule of thumb. If you only have white clothes in a load, then you can generally use bleach. Just be sure to check tags for a €do not bleach€ warning that may be on certain fabrics or embellishments. Whites can also be washed in hot water unless the tag says otherwise. Since stains show up the worst on whites, bleaching and washing in hot water is usually preferred.
Colors need to be washed alone and with cold water the first time you wash them. Dyes may not be colorfast until they've been laundered once. Once something has been washed, you can put it with your other colors. Colors should be washed in cold water, just to make sure that nothing bleeds. This also helps to keep dark colors dark and bright colors bright.
If you have enough laundry to consider it, try doing just a red load with cold water. My family makes enough red clothes to always keep them separate. Red dye is notorious for bleeding and staining your whole load red. One time I just threw a wet red sock into the dryer with some lighter clothes and it made pink prints on everything. Washing reds separately will ensure that your whites don't come out pink.
Another reason, besides color, to separate is weight. You need to have approximately the same weight of clothing on each side of the washer to keep it balanced. If you don't, you may notice your washing machine walking across the laundry room. Delicates need to be washed on the gentle cycle, whereas jeans and towels may take extra agitation to get clean.
Separating by weight also helps out in the dryer. If you have something heavy in with everything else light, the dryer will keep drying until the moisture sensor doesn't find any more moisture in the load. That means that all of your thin t-shirts and underwear are shrinking more and more while that heavy pair of jeans dries.
If you really don't want to separate, at least wash your loads in cool water on a normal or gentle cycle. Dry on medium heat and check for dry items often. If some heavier clothing is still wet in the end, hang them on clothes hangers and pants hangers to dry until you're ready to put them away.
Keeping whites separate from colors is a good rule of thumb. If you only have white clothes in a load, then you can generally use bleach. Just be sure to check tags for a €do not bleach€ warning that may be on certain fabrics or embellishments. Whites can also be washed in hot water unless the tag says otherwise. Since stains show up the worst on whites, bleaching and washing in hot water is usually preferred.
Colors need to be washed alone and with cold water the first time you wash them. Dyes may not be colorfast until they've been laundered once. Once something has been washed, you can put it with your other colors. Colors should be washed in cold water, just to make sure that nothing bleeds. This also helps to keep dark colors dark and bright colors bright.
If you have enough laundry to consider it, try doing just a red load with cold water. My family makes enough red clothes to always keep them separate. Red dye is notorious for bleeding and staining your whole load red. One time I just threw a wet red sock into the dryer with some lighter clothes and it made pink prints on everything. Washing reds separately will ensure that your whites don't come out pink.
Another reason, besides color, to separate is weight. You need to have approximately the same weight of clothing on each side of the washer to keep it balanced. If you don't, you may notice your washing machine walking across the laundry room. Delicates need to be washed on the gentle cycle, whereas jeans and towels may take extra agitation to get clean.
Separating by weight also helps out in the dryer. If you have something heavy in with everything else light, the dryer will keep drying until the moisture sensor doesn't find any more moisture in the load. That means that all of your thin t-shirts and underwear are shrinking more and more while that heavy pair of jeans dries.
If you really don't want to separate, at least wash your loads in cool water on a normal or gentle cycle. Dry on medium heat and check for dry items often. If some heavier clothing is still wet in the end, hang them on clothes hangers and pants hangers to dry until you're ready to put them away.