Nothing can be worse than seeing your newly bought pair of jeans or black shirts getting faded after a few washes. Clothes fade because the warm water breaks down the fibers. One of the simplest solutions is to stop washing your clothes in warm water, but again, you must get your clothes cleaned. Giving your clothes for dry cleaning is not only time consuming, but also costly. If you want to save your clothes from fading and keep it clean and crisp, try the below-mentioned tips to protect clothes from fading.
Why do clothes fade?
When you think about the mechanics of the washing machine, it is no wonder clothes can fade over time. During a general wash cycle, clothes are agitated during washing, rinsing, and spinning for about 30 minutes. That abrasion can easily break down the fibers, and cause pilling, which over time can fade the clothes. In addition, chlorine in water can damage chlorine-sensitive colors and cause colored clothes to fade when washed several times.
How can you lock the colors?
You just purchased a pair of stylish black-denim jeans that give you the feeling of dressing up in both style and comfort. It is the right combination. Yet, you feel certain that the color that makes you feel and look good will not last for a long time. You consider your choices so that what has become your go-to favorite does not turn into a faded pair left at the bottom of your dresser drawer.
Tips to protect clothes from fading
When you wash your clothes in a washing machine or hand wash them, some wear and tear will happen to the fabric, irrespective of how cautiously you wash them. Before you wash, think twice whether you need to wash those clothes, or you can wear them for some more time. Use a hanger to hang the cloth, so that it will not be smelly the next time you wear it.
One of the important tips to protect clothes from fading is to sort out the clothes before you put them in the washing machine. Differentiate the clothes that need to be washed and ones that need to be just dry cleaned. Never wash dark shades with light-colored clothes. There are chances that the dark color gets stuck to the lighter shades.
Turn clothes inside out. While washing clothes in a washing machine, make sure you put them inside out. Keeping the dark side inside lessens the friction caused by rubbing against clothes, which in turn destroys the fibers. Make sure you close all the zippers and fasten the hooks.
Spot treat between the washes is one of the significant tips to protect clothes from fading. Until and unless your clothes are very dirty, you can wear it three to four times without washing them. If there are minor spills or stains, try to get rid of those using a stain remover and let it dry.
Use a special detergent. You must use a special washing detergent for cold water loads that will neutralize the amount of chlorine present in tap water, which is one of the main causes behind fading colors. Take a small amount of detergent, as too much powder, can leave a strong residue on dark clothes.
For drying, hang on the clothes under the sun. It is always better to hang the wet clothes under the sun rather than drying it using a dryer. This is so because the heat produced by the dryer can fade the dark-colored clothes, so hang dry or lay flat when you wash dark clothes. If at all you need to use a dryer, ensure that you use it for a short span of time and put it in the lowest temperature to avoid over-drying.
Use a fabric conditioner while washing your clothes. Fabric conditioner acts as a magical force. It helps in lubricating the fibers during the wash, so that they do not get destroyed easily.
Use a cup of vinegar each time you wash clothes to avoid fading. As a bonus, vinegar acts as a natural fabric softener. Do not worry! The smell will be washed away once it is rinsed.
Read the care label carefully. It takes just a few seconds but reading the care labels may save a lot of despairs after you wash your clothes. Check for instructions, which might suggest washing your clothes only in cold water, or with like colors. Before washing, make sure you read the drying instructions carefully. The label may show that the clothing needs to be dried on low or drip-dried.
Avoid overstuffing the washing machines. Stuffing the washing machine to capacity is tempting, but it comes with many drawbacks. It makes the machine work harder, and it is almost tougher on your garments. The rinse water and the detergent are not distributed correctly, and clothing does not come out as clean when it is washed in a cloth washer. In a similar way, clothing takes a lot of time to dry when you stuff a dryer. Allow the items to move freely by leaving some space.
Wash your clothes in cold water. One of the best suggestions regarding laundry is to wash the clothes in cold water. Detergents have come a long way in recent years, and most perform as well in cold water as they do in warm or hot water.
Make sure you do not over-dry the clothes. It is easy to allow clothing over dry. While it is bad for all clothes, it is specifically bad for dark and bright colored clothes. Make sure the clothes are a little damp when you take them out from the dryer. As drying adds heat and friction, it is better to line-dry clothes to protect colors. Just keep in mind to turn colored clothes inside out to avoid fading from the sunrays.
Always use a gentle detergent to wash clothes. If you want to ensure the colors of your clothes last for a longer time, then wash them using your machine’s hand wash or gentle cycle. There are various detergents available in the market that are specially made to prevent fading and loss of color.
While washing, make sure you separate light-colored clothes from the dark ones. Dark-colored clothes, no matter whatever you do, will leave their color when you wash them. For example, this bleed can turn an orange pair of leggings into a faded, rusty color one. So, you should always wash your dark colored clothes with darks, and lights with lights. Make sure you wash all the whites separately.
Make use of the right soil settings on your washing machine. If your clothes are not dirty, do not click on the heavy wash option just to ensure they become extra clean. All you are doing is putting additional wear and tear on your clothes, which will make it lose its color and fade faster.
Whenever it is possible, skip the dryer. The tumbling of the dryer makes the surface of cloth fibers rough, which in turn makes the color fade, even if they are not.
Skip washing all clothes together. The more you wash an item, the more fade it becomes. If you have only worn a cloth for a few hours, do not toss it in the washing machine. Hang it up and let the air go through. Or never wash them.
When you wash your clothes in a washing machine, add a half cup of salt, especially to new clothes as this will lock the color and prevent fading.