Can Bed Sheets Be Washed With Clothes? 3 Washing Tips

Washing your clothes and bed sheets can be a hassle because it’s so time-consuming. You might be wondering if you can wash them together, letting you save time and use a lot less water when doing your laundry. Before throwing all of your sheets and towels in the washing machine, there are a few things you should know.

Bed sheets can be washed with clothes if you keep them with similar colors, gentle detergents, and slow cycles. You can dry your clothes and bed sheets together in the dryer or on a hang drying line outside. Remember to remove the lint before putting a new load of laundry into the dryer.

Laundry day doesn’t need to be difficult since you can wash bed sheets, clothes, towels, and many other items at the same time. Keeping the settings and washing conditions similar will let you keep all of your clothes and sheets feeling soft and clean.

Is It OK to Wash Clothes With Bed Sheets?

Washing your clothes with your bed sheets is quite simple. Some people prefer washing their sheets separately because they can get tangled and balled up. If you have big sheets and a small dryer, it might be better to wash everything in categories.

I’ve spent far too much time unwrapping my soaked bed sheets filled with clothes after putting them in the washing machine. However, I’ve learned three must-know tips and tricks for washing my clothes, bed sheets, and pillowcases together.

Wash With Similar Colors

Try to avoid washing white bed sheets with red, purple, brown, and other vibrant or dark colors. The same goes for washing white clothes with dark bed sheets. You can easily stain your textiles by washing them with the wrong colors. The trick is to wash darks with darks and lights with lights.

Gentle Washing Is Important

Your bed sheets will feel loose if you wash them on a fast-paced cycle with your clothes. They should wash slowly and gently, preventing them from balling up. This washing cycle also ensures your washing machine removes all of the body oils, sweat, and other debris from the sheets and clothes.

Use High-Quality Laundry Detergent

I recommend the All Concentrated Laundry Detergent for Sensitive Skin. I’ve used this gentle detergent for a long time to wash my bed sheets, clothes, towels, and other fabrics. It’s free of artificial dyes and scents, providing a clean, soft feeling throughout your laundry.

Tip: If you use powdered laundry detergent, sprinkle it on the bottom of the washing machine before putting your sheets and clothes inside. It quickly dissolves the powder rather than clumping and clinging to the laundry.

How to Wash Clothes With Bed Sheets

To wash clothes with bed sheets, follow these instructions:

1. CNN claims you should pre-treat all stains in your bed sheets since they take longer to remove. I often pre-treat stains with warm water, a drop of detergent, and gentle scrubbing. You can also use a pre-treating formula, but these are rarely necessary, so they could be a waste.
2. Flip fitted bed sheets inside out to prevent them from tangling with the clothes. I learned this laundry lesson the hard way. Always flip your fitted sheets and put them under everything. I prefer balling them before throwing them in the washer to prevent anything from getting inside the sheets.
3. Place the sheets near the bottom of the washing machine. Bigger items should typically go near the bottom of the laundry to prevent the smaller clothes from not getting thoroughly cleaned. If you have a front-load washer, you don’t have to worry about proper clothes and bed sheet positions in the machine.
4. Wash your clothes on the large cycle or choose auto-sense if possible. When I wash my clothes with my bed sheets, I always put them on the biggest setting. Bed sheets take up a lot of space, which means you’ll need more water, rinsing, and washing. Auto-sense settings can determine all of these cycles without manual input.
5. Don’t wash your bed sheets if they’re torn. Instead, consider recycling your bed sheets or throwing them away. Washing torn bed sheets with your clothes will further damage the bed sheets. It’ll also put small bits of fabric all over your clothes.

If you still have lint on your clothes after washing and drying them, it’s best to check the lint trap. Too much lint buildup will end up putting debris all over your bed sheets and other laundry.

Remember to dry your clothes and bed sheets on a gentle cycle, too. You can decrease the heat and increase the drying time to ensure the fabrics don’t pill or deteriorate.

Can You Wash Bed Sheets With Towels?

You can wash bed sheets with towels, as long as the towels don’t have paint, oil, or anything that could damage the bed sheets. Bathroom hand towels can also be washed with bed sheets, pillowcases, and blankets. Make sure the towels and sheets require the same washing cycle settings.

While you should wash your bed sheets every week, the Sleep Foundation recommends washing them every three to four days if you have pets that sleep on the bed sheets. Their dander, hair, and slobber will quickly soil your bed sheets and towels, which means they need to be washed more often.

Keep these suggestions in mind if you want to wash your bed sheets and towels together:

• Try not to leave your wet bed sheets and soaked towels in the washing machine for too long. They should be transferred to the dryer as quickly as possible to prevent bacterial growth and foul odors.
• Use a lint roller to remove excess hair from your towels before washing them with your bed sheets and clothes. Whether you have pet hair, hair from shaving, or any other hair on the towels, they can get trapped in your other laundry.
• Avoid washing abrasive towels with soft sheets that can cause pilling. Some towels are scratchy and itchy, which means they can damage your sheets.