"Wash with Like Colors" problem

wash in cold water with your other clothes. Don't put red garments in with your light colors.

I would avoid washing red stuff with light clothes, but apart from that I just shove everything in the same wash, I've yet to see anything bad happen...

For years I've just shoved everything in the same load and have yet to see negative consequences.

Must all be colorfast. Don't start shopping in India.

"Like colours" means: Separate darker and lighter stuff of the same fibre, sort red to the dark pile. It's as easy as that.

When I was 9 or 10, my mom mixed all the clothes together in the laundry and everything was good except once. All my white briefs and socks turned pink, because of a new red t-shirt that bled. I had to pink Hanes underwear until the next school year, because we were too poor to get more clothes. Lesson 1: Wash new colored items separately. Lesson 2: Wash all red items together.

+1 on the advice in the above posts. - Wash in cold water, as colours are less likely to run; - If you can, wash dark colours and clothes with red together, and wash lighter clothes together; - If you can't do that, then consider getting some laundry/washing bags. These are light mesh bags that allow water to circulate but stop clothes from coming into contact with one another in the wash. I put all my socks in one, and then each of my dress shirts into separate bags. This stops them from getting tangled up and, I would hope, would also reduce the risk of colour bleeding from one item onto my nice shirts.

Don't ever buy madras, you might go insane.

+1 To most of the advice above - it's generally what I do. I also run all new clothes through a wash by themselves to let them bleed once without damaging other clothes. I've never had a problem with clothes getting ruined in the wash.

This has never happened either. I think it's because I own a front-load washer.