Machine wash cold with like colors, Tumble dry low

As crazy, intense, recreational, elite, beginner, or simply tag-a-long athletes, we've all have heard of the various moisture wicking (tech) materials from which they make just about every form of clothing.  Heck, most of us have more of a moisture wicking wardrobe than we do for work.  haha  And some lucky rascals can say they are one in the same (yes, you know who you are TMB!). 

Anyways, today is... 

Laundry Day!  

When doing laundry, the first rule is to read each article's tag because each one gives instructions on whether it should go in warm or cold water, normal tumble dry or low, bleach or no bleach, what colors to separate, etc.  How many people actually follow all of those instructions?  I think it'd drive me nuts!  I used to do cold and hot, colors and white washes separate back in high school, but when I got to college, everything got mixed, everything got washed on warm, and tumble dried.  Made life a LOT easier.

Moisture wicking clothing all (at least in my experience) have the same instructions:  Machine wash cold with like colors, tumble dry low.  Have you ever noticed that?  How many people follow THOSE instructions?  I mean, they are your favorite clothes, right?  Maybe you take special care of them for that reason alone.  Maybe not.

I bought my first tech shirt last summer and I washed it like all my other clothes - warm wash and tumble dried.  I washed them a few times and then started noticing something - it didn't seem to wick the moisture as well towards the end of the summer.  I thought "maybe I'm just sweating more" and just continued on as normal.  Finally, I got online and it turns out that those washing instructions, especially the tumble dry low part, are quite important.

Heat drying your tech materials ruins the ability to wick moisture.

So now I am back to separate loads.  However, I don't have enough tech clothes to justify a full cold wash, so I wash everything - my socks, shirts, and shorts - by hand in the bathroom sink.  So since it's laundry day, my bathroom is covered with drying tech clothes.  (I'd give you a picture, but my camera bit it at girl scout camp and hasn't turned on since - I'm in the market for a new one if you have any suggestions)

Unfortunately, I wasn't smart enough to think of washing them later this evening after my run.  So before I can run today, I have to wait for them to dry.  FAIL!! 

Questions

1.  Do you separate laundry loads?  If so, what by? - colors, cold/hot, etc.?
I generally have a light and dark load, but that is only because I have enough to do so.  Otherwise, everything gets mixed 

2.  Do you wash your tech clothes/materials separately or as according to instructions?
I do now.

3.  Do you have any suggestions for purchasing a new camera?  
My camera stopped turning on Saturday.  I have no idea what's wrong, but if it's not the battery, I'm not sure it's worth putting money in to fixing it.  


Stay fit.  Stay healthy.