How-To: Keeping Darks Dark

by Elizabeth

I'll be be honest, even though I love a peasant skirt or a brightly colored t-shirt dress as much as the next person, during the winter, I wear a lot of dark colors ... black dresses, navy leggings, dark wash jeans, all that good stuff. And now that I'm trying to make sure my wardrobe looks a little bit better than "this is what was on the floor from yesterday" I'm also trying to make sure I take better care of the clothes I do have. I can't help but notice that all these dark clothes of mine start to fade pretty much as soon as I wash them the first time. 

Here's a few strategies I'm trying out to keep my dark clothes dark, but if anyone else has any other magic ideas, I'd love to hear them:

1. Wash on cold. Supposedly, you really don't need to wash anything on hot these days, but I must admit I still wash my whites on the hot cycle. However, I try to separate my dark clothing out and only wash them on cold. 

2. I also wash all my dark clothing with this special Woolite for Darks, but I have no idea if it makes any difference. I feel like it helps, but it might just be one of those things that makes me feel better but actually does nothing. 

3. I also try not to dry my dark clothes in the dryer unless I absolutely have to. My t-shirts and knits seem like they never "spring back" correctly if they aren't dried in the dryer, so I usually do throw those in on a lower heat setting, but I hang dresses and tights and sweaters to dry around my house. 

4. If I remember, I put some white vinegar in the laundry load as well. I also have no idea if this does anything, but I figure it can't hurt. However, most of the time I don't have any of the right vinegar on hand anyway and I skip this step. 

5. I try to buy slightly better clothing -- I've noticed that even the kid's clothes from Old Navy fade immediately upon purchasing. I'd rather spend a bit more and not purchase what is essentially disposable clothing, so unless something is spectacular from a store like Old Navy, I try really hard not to shop there. 

Does anyone have any other magic suggestions for keeping darks dark? My navy t-shirts thank you in advance. 

(Photo credit: amazon.com)

 

Comments

[deanna]

I read somewhere that turning clothes inside out (especially jeans!) before putting them in the washer can help to reduce fading.

[Meaghan]

I need to spend more time on this effort as well. There just seems to be so much laundry, all of the time.

So, I recently bought blueing at the grocery store. I had a general idea that it was for making whites whiter, which it is. But also, most of my knowledge about the stuff came from a Ramona Quimby book back when I was in 2nd or 3rd grade.

So, I started Googling about how to use it in front loader washing machines. (You have to dilute it and then open the dispenser and pour it in while the machine is filling.)

But, while I was researching, I came across some sites that said it also works to make darks darker. Or keep them dark, really. I definitely think it has made a difference with my whites, so now I have to remember to try it with my darks too.

Also, I think the vinegar thing is in lieu of fabric softener, but I could be wrong.

[Temerity Jane]

My sister got me started using Woolite for Darks on our darks, because it's hard here in - in the summer - to wash anything on cold. Because... there's no cold water. She uses it for her work clothes, because she likes to keep her black pants looking crisply black. However, she recently discovered that her pants are falling APART. She's found Woolite for Darks to be the culprit, which seems insane, because I'd generally think of Woolite to be gentle, but it's absolutely eating her work clothes. Now, she does wash them quite frequently, and they do take a beating (she manages a pizza place), but she didn't have the problem with regular detergent at all. So she's had to trade the non-fading aspect for the not-eating-the-clothes aspect. I didn't have the same problem myself, but I also didn't notice the same non-fading benefits. I suspect it's because Arizona water is STUPID.

[J]

I have heard that people use entirely too much detergent and that is part of why it is so hard on clothes. You want the rinse to run clean, no suds. Too much sudsing is just from the lathering agent anyway.

Also, avoiding fragrances in detergents helps avoid having extra chemicals in the fabric which just makes them wear harder, similar to what happens when carpet is washed but not rinsed enough. Plus scent, ick!

I have also heard that turning clothes inside out helps, and I do that with my clothes and have found that it seems to work.

And Temerity Jane -- I read somewhere on the "internetz" that Woolite actually is not good for delicates. I have no idea if that is true or not, and it sounds weird to me because I remember my mother always washing delicates in Woolite, so ?? Maybe it is the Woolite?