Laundry Tip - Sorting?

I think everyone knows about sorting laundry, especially separating whites and colors. You used to have to separate delicates from heavier items like towels, too!

But sometimes you don't have enough clothing to fill the washing machine, and you always want a full load. For the environment's sake, don't waste water and wash partial loads!

Now, I am actually going to recommend a commercial product! I know I try to use natural products, but this time... I use Color Catcher by Shout. You throw a small sheet in the washing machine with a mixture of whites and colors, and if any colors are going to run, this sheet magically collects them. You can re-use the sheet for multiple loads, until it turns a dark purplish gray and you feel like it has soaked up enough color!

We have a front-loading washing machine, which recommends that you combine a variety of weights of clothing. So the towels don't get washed separately. If you have something so delicate that you wouldn't put it in with a towel, perhaps it needs to be handwashed.

So instead of sorting, I hope as you add clothes to the washing machine, you are:
1) Checking all pockets (Sometimes the only allowance I receive is change from pockets, with an occasional bonus of a dollar bill! Although money goes through the wash without a problem, it's the tissue and crayons that you want to keep out of the washing machine!)
2) Pre-treating all stains (If you don't have time to scrub them by hand, then by all means, use the Shout Stain Remover. I prefer the gel over the spray, since the gel goes right on the stain, while the spray goes everywhere!)
3) Treating all stinky spots with vinegar (See Laundry Tip - Vinegar)
4) Making sure all velcro closures are closed, so that the "hooks" aren't exposed to grab at other clothing
5) Closing all zippers
6) Hooking bras, again so that hooks aren't free to grab
7) Unbunching socks (a scrunched-up sock will stay that way and not seem to get clean inside the crunched parts!)
8) Tying strings together, like the strings on a hooded sweatshirt or on a men's bathing suit. If you don't tie them together, one end could get caught on a velcro hook and get pulled out entirely. And what a pain it is to string it back through!