When washing whites should it be strictly whites or is it ok with a little color?

Question

I have some items that have some colors, for instance a striped shirt with greens stripes. Should I still wash together? I know in warm water colors run and I want to use to whites option. What should I do?

Answer 1

I don't put whites with dark colors, but it's ok for me to put them with other lighter colors.  Also, I put lighter colors and darks together.

Answer 2

Separate.

Answer 3

how old is the shirt? if its already been washed before you should be okay. Sometimes the first time you wash something it can bleed.

Answer 4

it doesnt matter if it say is a red and white striped top, they can be mixed loads with like pastel colours. but whites are best washed as just plain whites. as hot as you can get them, to keep them from fading.

Answer 5

when I do laundry I mix some colors with white occasionaly as long as the colors dont bleed

Answer 6

I do strictly whites because I bleach my clothes whenever I do whites. I wash whites on hot, colors on warm, and darks on cold.

Answer 7

no you should keep them separate. you don't want to chance a load of whites going pink (or any other color) or your nice shirts being bleached! whites should always be washed in warm/hot water with bleach!

i separate my clothes by whites, light colors (which would be where i put the striped shirt in) and darks.

Answer 8

It's fine as long as you don't add chlorine bleach.You must also be sure that the colored items will not bleed onto the whites. So it's recommended not to mix colors and whites. But I have done it and everything turned out okay.

Answer 9

Keep them separate!

If you wash it with any kind of color, it could bleed and make a white shirt ending up light pink or blue or something like that.

Wash them separately.

Answer 10

Okay to mix if you wash your clothes on cold cycle to prevent bleeding.

If you want to bleach, just be sure to wash whites only. There are color safe bleaches to (as marked), depending on your needs.

Linked a similar yahoo answer:

Answer 11

Really i believe in all my years of doing laundry the only color you really have to separate all the time are the REDS,,, for some reason the reds are color fast. And actually anything new that you are afraid the will be color fast as well. But once you do this you will know. It seems that the only color that bled -out for all my years of doing laundry was RED. So now i just separtate red clothes from all the rest.

Answer 12

warm water.

and yes you can have a little bit of different

colors on the white item.

but you dont want the shirt mainly colorful and tiny bit of white.

or youll get diff. color clothes

Answer 13

um just to be safe do strickley whites but you can have a little bit of color like a white t shirt with little stripes on it

Answer 14

if its only a little green, and pale, it should be ok.

has it been washed before? did it run?

is a poly cotton shirt? poly cotton does not usually run much.

Answer 15

I wash my "sand" colored towels with my whites. I don't bleach them and the colors don't blend or fade. I also wash whites with very light grey and light pink. I say as long as you have washed the "non-whites" but Lights before and they don't bleed, you're good to mix them. Just don't use chlorine bleach or you're setting yourself up for a color meltdown! Good luck!

Answer 16

When washing whites you can only add a little color if the outfit has been washed more than 4 times.

                                                No prob!

Answer 17

i think its ok to wash whites with alittle bit of color. nothing to bright though, like reds, or nothing to dark either, green might be to dark. i ussually throw in light yellows and light pinks, and they seem to turn out ok.

Answer 18

Okay - it's nice to separate clothes, but sometimes it just isn't practical.  Wash these not super dark items with your whites in warm water.  I recommend throwing in a "color catcher" that they sell in the detergent isle.  Use warm water and a color safe bleach.  For those whites that you're longing to bleach, why don't you try pre-soaking them in your sink with hot or boiling water and full strength bleach?  (One half hour to 45 minutes will be long enough).  Wring them out by hand and then immediately take them to wash.  They will be slightly heavier wet - so don't over fill your wash basket.