Probably, you’re one of the many people who are constantly wondering about ways to effectively prevent your clothes from fading. If you’ve ever held on to a shirt long enough, and you’ve constantly been putting it in the washing machine and the dryer, you’ve probably noticed that throughout the many washes, it has now started to fade. Then, at some point, you feel disappointed. Then, you suddenly think about how you’d be able to keep your clothes looking nice and vibrant? If so, here are some tips that would help you prolong that fresh look of your favorite shirts and prevent your clothes from fading.
Check the Care Label
As the name suggests, the care label will tell you how. Care labels are there to let you know which is the best way to wash each garment. They’re not just there to make you itchy. By following the instructions laid out in the care label, you’d be able to prevent your clothes from fading.
Wash in Cold Water
We know what we’ve said before about the whole “follow the care labels” argument, but if you really want to keep the colors of your clothes looking nice and fresh, cold water will be your best friend. Even if the care label states to wash the clothes in warm water, ignore it. Warm water will only make the fibers more prone to releasing dye into the wash water.
In addition, when you wash your clothes in cold it is gentle and ideal for sensitive fabrics. Coldwater also protects clothes from shrinking and transferring color to other garments while washing.
Turn Clothes Inside Out
If you want to preserve the colors you fell in love with, turn your clothes inside out. Let agitation take its toll on the inside of your clothes instead of the outside. Turning garments inside out reduce pilling, which dulls the look of the fabric. Additionally, it helps make sure that the dye does not transfer, which can help prevent clothes from fading.
Gentle Wash
Use the “Gentle” option when washing your clothes. The gentle cycle is often used for delicate items, but you can also use it for other garments. In using the gentle cycle, you significantly reduce abrasion to your attire. If your clothes aren’t filthy, you should avoid using the heavy wash option.
Fabric Conditioner
You can think of fabric conditioners as a magical force field that reduces abrasion, which reduces dye loss. Meaning, better chances of achieving your goal to prevent your clothes from fading. With that said, how will you go about choosing the best fabric conditioner? If you’re going to buy a fabric conditioner, look for something that makes your clothes feel softer, doesn’t irritate your skin, and is less likely to cause residue build-up. Don’t worry; the smell of the fabric conditioner would be to your liking.
Avoid the Dryer as much as Possible
Although the dryer would help speed up the drying process, the tumbling of the dryer makes the garment fibers rough, which makes the clothes appear faded even though they aren’t. The constant tumbling motion can also contribute to fabric breakdown and fading. Thus, air-drying your clothes is the better option in order to prevent your clothes from fading.
Separate the Lights from the Darks
Dark-colored items tend to bleed color a little whenever you wash them; it’s unavoidable. This calls for the need to separate those light-colored clothes you have in the washer from the dark ones.
Now that you know how to help prevent your clothes from fading, let’s look back at what we’ve learned. We’ve learned the importance of the care label and using fabric conditioners when washing our clothes. We’ve also learned which settings to use, what we should do before putting the different garments inside the washer, and how to avoid using the dryer as much as possible.
