Prevent Fabric Fading
Liz Bruckner | Date posted: August 1st, 2010
The process seems simple enough: clothes get dirty, so clothes take a quick trip through the washer and dryer. But cleaning machines do more than just nix dirt and grime—they often affect the integrity of a fabric while doing a number on colours if you’re not careful. The good news: it’s easy to keep your whites white, your darks dark, and your brights bright. Here’s how.
Keeping whites white
When whites go grey, it usually means they’ve been subjected to too many washes with dark or overly soiled clothes—both of which cause whites to lose their lustre—or that your water quality isn’t up to par. (Hard water can cause laundry detergent to lose its effectiveness and can ultimately lead to stains.)
To maintain shades:
- Wash white clothes with white clothes. Use hot water, which works to remove dirt and grime, and look for soaps with bleach built in.
- Pre-treat stains left by the body with liquid detergent or shampoo, gently rubbing liquid on the spot with a clean toothbrush.
- For stains caused by food or drinks, treat the spot with oxygen bleach right before you wash it.
- Soften hard water by adding a half cup of distilled white vinegar to your washing machine during the final rinse cycle.
Keeping darks dark
Along with the fading washers cause in darker clothing (fibres break down during the cleaning process, causing the surface of the fabric to appear less vibrant; warm and hot water speed the dye loss process), the heat dryers emit can also be blamed for lacklustre garment shades.
To maintain shades:
- Wash dark clothes with dark clothes, and always wash them in cold water.
- Heat affects dyes, so cut down the drying time when possible, or hang dark clothes to dry, being sure to keep them out of direct sunlight.
- Add a tablespoon of table salt to the cold water the first time you wash a dark or bright piece of clothing—it helps the fabric hold on to its colour.
Keeping brights bright
Similar to darks, regular trips through the washer and dryer, and warm and hot water temperatures, affect shade integrity in coloured garments.
To maintain shades:
- Separate coloured clothes so brighter shades and lighter tones are grouped together, and use cold water to minimize fading as much as possible.
- Hand wash newly bought brights (which are likely to lose a good amount of dye) three or four times before adding them to a larger pile of coloured clothes.
- Turn garments inside out before you wash, and choose the shortest laundering cycle possible.
TAGS: Fabric
