Most of my fabrics are rinsed in the sink and dried, no washer. I do use the washer when I have a lot of fabric to wash. I clip the corners but am not sure it does a lot of good. I think I will try the serger ides. I am in the middle of organizing my sewing room and am washing the fabric that has not been washed, so I am using the machine on a rinse cycle only.
I run batiks thru a full wash cycle using Shout Color Catcher.