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What is a Laundry Sorter?

Michael Pollick
Michael Pollick
Michael Pollick
Michael Pollick

For a number of people, sorting laundry means forming two piles: one marked "dirty" and the other marked "clean." Others may stack all of their dirty laundry in a single clothes hamper, waiting until the last possible moment to separate whites from colors or permanent press from dry clean only. There is a solution to this laundry conundrum, however, and it is known as a laundry sorter. Single men may want to leave the room at this point.

A laundry sorter is essentially a three or four section clothes hamper which allows users to manually separate different types of clothing. Laundry items which can be washed as "whites" in higher temperature water are placed in one section of the laundry sorter. Colors fit in another section, while delicates or dry clean only clothes live in the third section. On laundry day, the launderer or laundress can remove each section from the laundry and wash the clothes according to temperature or type.

Clothes hampers serve as laundry sorters.
Clothes hampers serve as laundry sorters.

Many laundry sorters use separate canvas bags to hold the clothing until laundry day, but others may have more permanent partitions. The entire laundry sorter unit can be wheeled into the laundry room or the user can transfer individual batches with the help of a laundry basket. The main benefit of a laundry sorter is reducing the amount of time a user must spend dividing a congealed mass of clothes into manageable portions with similar washing requirements.

Using a laundry sorter can help keep a large volume of laundry from becoming overwhelming,.
Using a laundry sorter can help keep a large volume of laundry from becoming overwhelming,.

Some people may opt to change the natural order of laundry and sort dirty clothes into different categories. Socks and underwear may fill one section of a laundry sorter, while work uniforms or household linens could fill another section. The laundry sorter itself simply provides a neutral organizational platform; it's up to the individual user to decide which types of clothing are section-worthy.

Laundry sorters typically allow clothing to be separated according to whether it is colored, white, requires dry cleaning or requires a delicate setting.
Laundry sorters typically allow clothing to be separated according to whether it is colored, white, requires dry cleaning or requires a delicate setting.

A series of single compartment clothes hampers could serve as an impromptu laundry sorter as long as every player understands the rules of the game. Parents of young children may want to explain how a laundry sorter works and which types of clothing belong in each section. Despite the best of intentions, occasionally a black sock may end up in the "whites" section or a delicate item may be discovered in the permanent press neighborhood of dirty laundryville. A final check may prove useful before emptying a laundry sorter bag into the washing machine or placing the washed items into the dryer.

Michael Pollick
Michael Pollick

A regular HomeQuestionsAnswered contributor, Michael enjoys doing research in order to satisfy his wide-ranging curiosity about a variety of arcane topics. Before becoming a professional writer, Michael worked as an English tutor, poet, voice-over artist, and DJ.

Learn more...
Michael Pollick
Michael Pollick

A regular HomeQuestionsAnswered contributor, Michael enjoys doing research in order to satisfy his wide-ranging curiosity about a variety of arcane topics. Before becoming a professional writer, Michael worked as an English tutor, poet, voice-over artist, and DJ.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

ElizaBennett

If you have the space, a nice triple laundry sorter is great for FLYLady devotees like me. She has a saying, "A load a day keeps CHAOS away," so I try to keep up with that by starting a load every morning.

But the contents of the hamper don't always match up. So I change my sheets and towels on Monday, but that won't all fit and I don't want to wash clothes with my towels. So I wash a load of towels and socks and everything else that's dirty that day goes into the sorter.

Before, I would have to sort out what I wanted and them either put the rest back in the hamper or leave it in a pile on the floor - where I would have to sort it *again.* This way, I never have to sort more than once.

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    • Clothes hampers serve as laundry sorters.
      By: Blanscape
      Clothes hampers serve as laundry sorters.
    • Using a laundry sorter can help keep a large volume of laundry from becoming overwhelming,.
      By: Microstock Man
      Using a laundry sorter can help keep a large volume of laundry from becoming overwhelming,.
    • Laundry sorters typically allow clothing to be separated according to whether it is colored, white, requires dry cleaning or requires a delicate setting.
      By: Monkey Business
      Laundry sorters typically allow clothing to be separated according to whether it is colored, white, requires dry cleaning or requires a delicate setting.