We spoke with Mary Johnson, chief scientist at Tide & Downy, to learn how laundry experts can prevent black clothes from fading. Her advice goes like this: “Wash them from the inside out with cold water, don’t dry them in the dryer — leave them flat to dry.”
Well, it’s simple! Here’s more information about Mary’s tips and some others:
Do not wash them excessively. Keep in mind that you don’t actually need to wash that much jeans, which is one of the big reasons why black clothes start to fade in the first place. Put the jeans in the refrigerator to kill the bacteria, then clean them with a damp cloth instead of letting them go through a full cycle. Black clothes worn on other layers, such as a black cardigan on a T-shirt or a black skirt on a tights, do not need to be washed after each wear (especially if it is mainly worn indoors!). ）。 The only exceptions are black underwear, tights, bras and socks – which should be washed after each outfit.
Separate your cooked food. Washing delicate black fabrics with ordinary or heavy loads, such as camisole vests, silk, cashmere, etc., will cause them to wear more, which will lead to fading. Washing cooked food with the normal washing method causes the fabric tissue to be subjected to greater pulling force, which can lead to discoloration and fading of the appearance over time. Always wash delicate dark skin with cold water to prevent bleeding.
Turn your clothes in and out. Turn the garment over and wash to reduce exposure to the outside/front of the garment. This will help maintain the color of the surface (the most important side!). ）。 Similarly, washing machines are the culprit for fading clothes.
Use the shortest wash cycle. Most washing machines have different laundry time settings – 8 minutes, 10 minutes, 12 minutes. Use the shortest wash cycle you know – this again minimizes the risk of your black person being exposed to harmful wash cycles, which can cause black clothes to fade faster.
Always wash with cold water. The ideal water temperature for washing black and other dark clothing is between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit (15.6 to 26.7 degrees Celsius).
Use fabric conditioners. Using fabric conditioners like Downy Fabric Conditioner makes clothes look longer by helping prevent fading.
Use a “dark” cleanser. Brands such as Woolite produce detergents specially formulated for dark and black clothing. Detergents are designed to prevent bleeding and fading. If you have a favorite black outfit, it’s worth buying detergent and using it every time you wash that item (this should be rare!). ）。
Skip the dryer. You should let it dry or lay flat to dry your dark color. The heat of the dryer will make the black clothes fade more. If you absolutely must use a dryer, put it at the lowest possible thermal setting and never use dryer papers, as they are also harmful to the fabric.
So, you have it – there are 7 things you can do to keep black clothes black. If you have more questions about laundry or laundry care, please contact us to let us know and we will do our best to answer.
