Basically this

I don’t.

And haven’t for 30+ years. I also wash everything on cold (my cold water is about 65°), and use the shortest cycle.

Minimal drying time at low temp.

The only time I separate is when there’s something new - that will get washed once by itself or with like colors to ensure the dye is set. And I avoid washing reds with whites.

I don’t

Everything together in cold water

Most damage comes from heat, and rough handling, so I sort by structure/weight, and wash almost everything on cold, and tumble dry on low, auto-sense.

The only color I wash separate is white so it can run hot and with bleach.

I also presort, by weight into 4 bins heavyweight, middleweight, lightweight/dress-shirts, and finally undergarments/delicates/socks

We might go a 2-3 weeks between a running a particular bin so we can separate things out just because there is enough to fill out it’s own load.

Undergarments and deli sites go together, might add leggings or lightweight tops to fill out a load

Socks are separate merely because we like fluffy wool socks and they will fill their own load, and it’s easier to pair them when they all come out together. Otherwise they’d be with undergarments. Might run on warm if the foot stank is real bad.

Sturdy fabrics like denim and duck all go together in a denim cycle it’s just cold/cold with a heavy spin

Sweats and other heavy bulkys go together so they don’t twist up lighter clothes. Might run these with denim or towels

Lightweight tops and button down shirts go together. Lightweight sweaters might be get mixed in too.

Then general laundry is middleweight fabrics: t-shirts, slacks leggings, etc.

If there’s enough for their own load, towels get a hot cycle to get cut down on microbial growth. Otherwise they go with denim and/or sweats. NEVER USE FABRIC SOFTENER/DRYER SHEETS ON TOWELS. It makes things softer by adding oils THAT prevent them from absorbing water, which is the whole point of towels.

Sheets and pillowcases might get a warm cycle and pre wash to help cut through accumulated body grease, etc.

You’re completely overthinking it. I keep white separate. Colors get their own basket. Denim goes in a separate piles after it really smells (it honestly shouldn’t be washed very much). Towels get their own load due to shedding. Sheets sometimes go in with the colors.

I do everything on cold. I use the plainest of plain detergent. If there’s a smell in polyester or nylon clothes I’ll put in some Clorox 2.

Dryer on low or medium until mostly dry. I’ve got a fancy one with a moisture sensor that actually works so I let that determine how long. Usually 25-30 minutes.

Citation: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/wirecutter-show-podcast-20240821-better-laundry-secret/

I don’t separate colours, only new clothes I put in with towels, sheets or clothes that I wouldn’t care if colour bled.

I never wash with hot water, only warm or cold. Low heat dry and cold water washing is really the best effort-for-performance to get your clothes to last, you can hang dry some of them but I personally can’t be arsed.

Easy. I only have black clothes. If there’s bleeding, I can’t see it.

I don’t think I do it correctly tbh, but since I have to drive to the laundromat to do my laundry, and pay out the ass for it ($12 per fucking load!!), all I want is to get in and out of there as fast as humanly possible. So I have two piles, one for all my clothes regardless of color or material, and the other for sheets and towels, regardless of color. I haven’t noticed any colors bleeding or extra degradation, and my clothes generally look pretty undamaged and crisp. I also typically use the hottest cycle for everything, which again, probably isn’t great, but it seems to work for me.

I have hot wash for towels and bed stuff. Cold for literally everything else. I’ve never had anything bleed, even new stuff.

I try to wash whites alone, but that’s it, and even then I’m not super strict about it. It helps though that probably 90% of my clothes were thrifted, bleeding is mostly a problem with brand-new fabrics

I put whites into one pile, which allows me to use bleach if I want. The rest I split into “rough” or “heavy” fabrics (think jeans) and more “gentle” fabrics (think slacks). I’m not worried about the colors so much as wear on the clothes that can’t take a beating by getting mixed.

I separate by the kind of detergent and cycle a thing is run on.

Gym/sleep t-shirts, denim, towels all get a hot wash with oxi-clean and fabric softener because I love the smell come at me bro.

Elastics - things that are mostly elastic/spandex/polyester - socks, underwear, leggings, sports bras. They get a hot/cold wash with a pre soak and extra rinse. The they get the free and clear detergent that washes cleanest and leaves no smell.

Daily wear/delicates - gentle cold wash with woolite with low tumble dry or hang dry. I only ever have like 4 of these with each wash. Generally the nice, more expensive stuff I wear in public that I want to last a long time.

I don’t care what color anything is.

We don’t, we separate into bulky clothes (sweats, jeans, heavy shirts), everything else, and delicates. We wash with only cold water (modern machines and detergents don’t need hot water and it won’t get things any more clean, it just wastes energy). Bulky goes in first, then normal, then delicates. I’ve done this for at least 10 years with zero issues across a variety of machines and water hardnesses.

Bleach pile, no-bleach pile, performance outdoor pile (wool, polypro, nylon/down, whatever)

E: oh, and extra-bleach pile: kitchen towels, dog towels