We all have that favourite black outfit, right? The one which automatically makes us feel like we’re the bomb? Low effort yet elegant and suave, whether it’s a Little Black Dress or a Graphic Tee featuring your favourite band, there’s a reason black and its family of smokey grey, navy blue and maroon, are considered classic sartorial choices.
There’s very little which can go wrong with wearing them.. Unless, they lose their colour! The flip side of this effortless fashion choice is the FADE. With every wash you risk losing the colour of your dark garment. But, don’t worry! We have a few suggestions to help prevent that.
How to #FightTheFade?
1) Minimize washing
We know it sounds icky! But, you don’t need to wash your clothes after every wear. Sometimes, you can just air them out. If you’re a little clumsy, and drop the occasional spurt of ketchup on your tee, then you can also opt to treat the stains with a little mix of water and plant-based laundry detergent instead of throwing it in the washing machine.
This is not only more effective in cleaning out the stain, but also keeps the shirt darker for longer. Excessive exposure to water, traditional chemical laced liquid detergent and the friction of your machine fades the colours of your shirt.
Pro tip: Avoid doing your makeup with dark clothes on. Finish the eyeshadow drill before you don your dark colours so that you don’t stain them with unnecessary fall-out from your makeup.
2) Turn garments inside out
This is a “pro-move”, when it comes to laundry. Turning your garments inside out, makes sure that they get a thorough cleaning without spoiling the appearance of the outward prints and dyes.
Since, the insides take the brunt of the agitation and friction from the machine, any fading which occurs as a result will appear on the inside rather than the outside of your garment.
Pro tip: Opt to run the delicate cycle. They’re shorter and minimize the exposure of your garments to the water, detergent and machine friction.
3) Pick the right detergent
The right detergent makes all the difference when it comes to preserving your garments’ shade. Ditch the traditional chemical laced detergent powder, and switch to our plant-based shade revive detergent.
This not only saves your clothes, and by extension the skin they rest against, from unnecessary exposure to chemicals, but also doesn’t leave behind whitish deposits, since gentle washing liquid detergents dissolve more easily in the water.
P.S our shade revive laundry detergent’s formula effectively enhances the depth of the dyes which colour your dark-hued garments, leaving them at their deepest, darkest best.
4) Use Cold Water
Slash your electricity bill and save your coloured clothes in one swoop with this tip. Switch to using cold water. Don’t blister your clothes in warm or hot water. Trust us, our liquid detergent fights the germs even without the added heat. Washing your garments in cold water prevents fading and bleeding of colours.
5) Harness the power of hacks
Since we’re vested in keeping you and your clothes looking bright and dapper, we found some hacks to help you go from amateur to pro laundry men/ women.
- To prevent detergent build up and subsequent fading of your clothes, you can add a cup of white-vinegar to your load at the start of the rinse cycle along with a gentle washing liquid.
- Treat your stains and retain your dark blue, wine and green shades by adding a cup of table salt to the rinse cycle.
Done? Not yet. Washing correctly is only half the battle. To effectively #FightTheFade, you must also dry your garments correctly.
Choose a low heat/ tumble dry setting on your dryer or opt to air dry your clothes away from direct sunlight. Or place your drying racks indoors. Also, don’t forget to dry them inside out!
Now that you’ve mastered the “theory” of laundering your LBDs, make sure you equip yourself with the right tools too. Cart our fabric softener and shade revive detergent for best results.
