Why Can Lights and Darks be Washed Together?
Many fabric care instructions specify that lights and darks cannot be washed together. This instruction to separate laundry may seem onerous, but it is important if you want to take care of your fabrics. There are a number of reasons to separate lights and darks. The most important is ensuring that darker colors do not bleed onto lighter ones, causing the lights to stain and discolor in an unsightly way. Bleeding is a major issue in fabric care. Lights and darks should always be separated when they are new, as fabric dyes will inevitably bleed at least a little bit the first time that they are washed. Jeans are particularly notorious for bleeding, but dark reds and other blues can also bleed. When darks such as blues are washed together, a small amount of bleeding isn’t a major issue, since it doesn’t show on the fabric. If, however, blues are washed with whites, the bleeding will stain the whites. Blues can also stain reds and other lighter colored fabrics, so some people separate the
