5 Items You Should Always Wash Separately From the Rest of Your Laundry (2024)

While separating your laundry can feel time consuming, it's worth it in the long run. If you're not careful, certain materials can actually ruin the other items included in a wash cycle. Fortunately, there are some hard and fast laundry rules to follow in order to keep your garments safe in the washer. Here, we're sharing which fabrics and garments that should always be washed separately from the rest of your clothes.

Denim

It's best to wash your denim garments in their own cycle, says Jennifer Ahoni, a senior scientist of fabric care at Procter & Gamble. The zippers on jeans can rub up against other fabrics (especially knits) and damage them. What's more, other fabrics can absorb the color of jeans. "If you do wash jeans with other items, try to stick to similarly colored clothing," says Morgan LaLonde, laundry brand manager for Whirlpool.

Heavily Soiled Clothes

Clothes that are very dirty or have a lot of stains should be washed separately from the rest of your clothes. "We recommend separating heavily soiled clothes. You'll want to pre-treat any stains based on the type of stain before washing and then use a longer cycle than what the rest of the load may need," says LaLonde. "Not only does this help better clean the soiled clothes, but it also prevents dirt or stains from transferring onto other clothes."

Clothes That Shed Lint

Items that shed lint should be washed separately from microfiber, corduroy, and other fabrics that attract it, says Ahoni. You can group these garments with other items that require a cold, gentle cycle. "These settings tend to help prevent lint and pilling," says LaLonde. "We also recommend washing the items inside out."

New Clothes

Few things are more exciting than adding new clothes to your closet—but make sure they're washed separately on their first few washes. "It's best to wash any new items of clothing on their own for the first few cycles, following the instructions on the item's care tag," says LaLonde. "New items tend to bleed dye or shrink more easily, and separating them prevents this."

Dark Colored Clothes

This one may seem obvious, but always separate dark colored clothes from lightly colored and white garments. "Dark colored clothes should be washed together to prevent darkening lighter colors in the wash," says LaLonde. "Purple, blue, brown, and black fabrics can typically be grouped together."