What most naturally follows?

How to sort laundry
Check each item.
If your laundry is in a giant pile, it's a good idea to check each item as you sort it. This gives you a chance to make sure that a red sock doesn't end up coloring your beautiful whites and see if articles have special laundering instructions.
Make sure to read the care instructions on each article of clothing the first time you wash it. Look at it again during the sorting process in case you forgot the care instructions or to see if you can put the item with other articles.