Five Tips To Keep Clothes from Fading
Your clothes may start to fade with each wash. Learn how to keep your fabrics vibrant with these 5 simple steps.
1. Follow directions
The care label will let you know the best way to wash each garment: water temperature, cycle speed (or hand-wash), and more. Learn more about reading a manufacturer’s care label
2. Turn clothes inside out
Let agitation take its toll on the insides of your garments, and help preserve the colors you fell in love with.
3. Wash clothes in cold water
Even if the care label calls for warm or hot water, cold water is your best choice for helping protect a garment’s color. Warm water makes fibers more prone to releasing dye to the wash water.
4. Use the gentle cycle
Usually used for delicate items, the gentle cycle agitates and spins, well, gently. Using the gentle cycle means you significantly reduce abrasion to your garments.
5. Use a fabric conditioner
Downy Fabric Conditioner lubricates the fibers in your clothes. This reduces abrasion and, as a result, reduces dye loss. Downy also helps prevent pilling, which helps your garments hold on to their original colors and keep their fresh appearance—for a brighter-looking you.
How do clothes Fade in the wash?
When you consider the mechanics of the clothes washer, it’s no wonder garments can fade over time. During a typical wash cycle, clothes are agitated during washing, rinsing, and spinning for roughly 30 minutes. That abrasion can break down fibers, and cause pilling, which over the lifetime of the garment causes it to look more faded. Additionally, chlorine in the wash water can damage chlorine-sensitive dyes and cause colored garments to fade with multiple washings.
Protect your clothes with Downy
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