광고 Do you even need to sort clothes before they get washed? Unfortunately, yes, you do.

Laundry is a pretty boring chore, we know that. It’s not top of the list of fun things to do. The only real “excitement” is when you’re staring at your brand new turquoise top and wondering ‘Do I wash this alone? Do I wash it with black? With bright colours? What if it runs…? Handwash? Maybe I should just risk itOptatum .”

If sorting laundry is a bit of a nightmare for you, either because it’s too time consuming or you’re just not sure how to do it, we can help! Even with our top tips, laundry still won’t be exciting, but at least it’ll be manageable.

Start with the baskets
Firstly, get more than one washing basket. We know it takes up more space, but even if you have to get creative with storage or use smaller baskets, this simple trick will make a world of difference. How many you get depends on a) how much time you want to spend when sorting laundry, b) how well-sorted you want your clothes to be, and c) how much space you have.

Obviously, the more specialised your laundry baskets are, the easier it is to just chuck in the machine. However, if you’re only doing laundry for one or two people, it might not be practical to sort things into six different piles. You don’t want to waste loads of water and electricity, never mind the washing powder and fabric softener too!

Organise them by colourIf you’re limited in space or only do small amounts of washing, we suggest having two baskets. One is for dark clothes and jeans, and the other for light and bright clothes.

If, however, you’re a family of six and have a dedicated laundry room then you can get a bit more specific with your baskets. In that case, we suggest between 4 and 6 baskets, with the following categories. Obviously, you can combine or take out categories to suit your needs. Dark colours and jeans can go together or separately, for instance. We suggest you label these baskets, or buy them in the corresponding colour (so a white basket for white clothes) to avoid any confusion, especially if you have kids!

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