Stuck in a laundry conundrum? I’ve been there before – here’s exactly how to wash white-striped clothes without ruining them.

I’ve got a confession to make. Before I had kids, I didn’t separate loads of washing by colour.

I hardly owned any white clothing, so I never felt that there was any point in doing separate loads. So the odd rogue white item that sneaked its way into my wardrobe got washed with the coloured stuff. What can I say? I liked to live dangerously.

Since having kids, it’s a completely different story. They have SO MANY white items of clothing.

With more white laundry to deal with than ever before, I realised my old dangerous ways wouldn’t cut it.

This meant vowing to always wash whites with whites, and darks with darks. This sounds simple enough. But, as with anything that sounds too simple, there are always sticking points. Like pesky black and white striped clothing.

The labels on white striped clothes always helpfully say “wash with similar colours“. To which I always found myself shouting at the label, “Which similar sodding colour“?! If it’s a black and white striped top, the top is equally 50% white and 50% black – so which should it be in with? The white clothes or the dark clothes?

Thankfully, I’ve got all the details for you, so you never ruin a load of washing again:

How To Wash Striped Clothes

At first, I thought colour catcher sheets would be the answer, but it turns out they are not the magic fix they are made out to be. When you look at the small print, colour catcher manufacturers stipulate that new coloured garments should be laundered separately for at least 6 first washes. What even is the point?!

So, after some research and trial and error, I’ve found exactly how to wash striped clothing. My key finding was that there are different laundry rules for different colours of stripes. I’ll break these down for you. Consider this the Enigma code-cracker of the laundry world!

The Short Answer

If you are in a rush, the really short version is that most black and white striped clothes can go in either a whites or coloured wash at 30°C, as long as there are no new dark or red items in the load. Red and white stripes should always go in a cold, coloured wash. Light coloured stripes should be washed in a white wash.

Want to know more – here’s the extended version:

Dark Or Black & White Striped Clothes

For white and dark striped clothes (such as black, navy or green), I’m rather free and easy when it comes to them. I will wash these stripes in either a white, a dark, or a coloured load on a 30°C wash or cooler with a couple of caveats:

1) Dark loads are ok for washing stripes if you are washing clothes that have been washed a few times before. However, I wouldn’t wash white striped clothing in a dark load that contains a new pair of indigo or black jeans, or a new item of dark clothing. This is because dye tends to run from these items in the first few washes. Trust me, it will ruin your striped clothes.

2) Coloured loads are also fine for washing these colours of stripes in. However, I wouldn’t wash stripes in a load that contains a new item of red clothing. This is because red is the worst of all dyes. It will run and ruin your white-striped clothes in the blink of an eye.

Red & White Striped Clothes

That handily leads me to washing red and white striped clothes, AKA, the worst of the stripes. Washing this colour of striped clothes is headache-inducing because the red dye is so temperamental.

As such, I would only ever wash white and red striped clothing with other coloured clothing. Never with white clothing. I would also run it on the coldest wash your washing machine will muster. Heat can make the red dye run like nothing else.

Trust me on this. About 3 or 4 days after my first daughter was born, a mountain of white laundry had piled up for the first time ever. Bleary-eyed, I washed a load of whites that contained a white babygro that had a tiny and completely innocuous-looking red trim on it.

I looked at the red trim as I bundled the washing into the machine, and dangerously thought, “What’s the worst that could happen“? I then ran a 30°C cycle. 

Well, my friend, that tiny and innocuous-looking red trim ran over everything in the machine. Even on a low-temperature wash.

At least if the red dye had run in a coloured wash, it wouldn’t have had much effect, save for the white babygro. But in a white wash? Everything came out of the washing machine sporting a very pink tinge. 

So I can say with some confidence that cold water is definitely the way to go. Trust me on this. There are no amounts of natural stain remover tips that can get red dye out!

White & Yellow Or Grey Striped Clothes

Yellow and grey stripes are thankfully much less headache-inducing. Wash white with yellow or grey stripes in with your whites, on a 30°C wash or lower. I’ve never had a problem with these colours before. They are definitely my favourite of the stripes – if you can have a favourite stripe colour that is!

What To Do If Your Colours Have Run

If the worst has happened and your whites have come out pink, then all is not lost, as long as you act quickly (i.e. don’t do a me, and start crying that everything is pink!).

Rewash the items straight away before they dry, as heat can set the dye. Using an oxygen-based bleach, such as sodium percarbonate, can also help lift the colour again. It’s also a gentler option than chlorine bleach.

Line drying instead of using a tumble dryer can also help prevent any remaining dye from setting further (and it also saves energy).

Need More Laundry Advice?

So there we have it. I hope I have solved the how-to-wash white striped clothes puzzle! And I hope this helps you to go forth and wash your white-striped clothes with confidence!

If you need more laundry advice, I also have a ton of other laundry tips that you might find useful:

• How to make your own fabric conditioner
• How often should you wash your clothes?
• How to wash wool
• How to dry clean at home
• How to wash a baseball cap – without ruining it!

Also, if you have a laundry question, do ask! I am here for all your laundry-based queries!

Wendy Graham