Laundry That Doesn't Shrink or Stink

Before anything touches water, sort the pile into four groups: darks (black, navy, dark gray), lights (pastels, khaki, light gray), whites (true white only), and delicates (anything with lace, silk, or a 'hand wash' label). If you only have two baskets, at minimum separate darks from everything else.

Dye bleeds most in warm and hot water, but it can happen in cold too — especially with new garments. Wash brand-new red, indigo, or dark green items alone for the first two washes. After that, they're safe to join their color bin.

Pro tip. Turn jeans and dark t-shirts inside out before washing. It reduces visible fading on the face of the fabric.

Within each color group, don't mix heavy and light fabrics. Towels and jeans tumbling with a cotton dress shirt will pill the shirt and crease it badly. Heavy items get their own load or go with other heavy items.

Zip all zippers shut — open zipper teeth snag knit fabrics. Tie drawstrings so they don't wrap around other items. Empty every pocket. A single tissue through a wash cycle contaminates the whole load with white lint that takes two more washes to remove.