Are your black jeans, t-shirt or your little black dress not as black as they used to be? For the most part, it’s pretty inevitable that dark clothes will fade after repeated washings. "I have used these tips to keep my dark clothes from fading and they work so I hope that you will give them a try!" says, Nancy Bock, American Cleaning Institute’s Senior Vice President, Meetings & Education.

 

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1. There are laundry products that are formulated to lessen the fading. Be sure to read the product label and look for features like color guard or "for black" or "dark clothes". And always follow the product and garment label instructions before using.
2. If machine washing is recommended, you can turn the garment inside out, so it won’t come into contact with other clothes, and use a shorter wash cycle.
3. Consider washing dark clothes in cold water, then air-dry. Hot water and drying clothes in a dryer can cause fading to happen faster.
4. Use a dryer sheet to help remove pet hair and repel lint. And remember to clean the lint trap in your dryer after each and every use.
5. Oily stains can be trouble for black fabric. Make melted chocolate disappear by pretreating with a product containing enzymes. Don’t put in the dryer until the stain is gone. You may need to rewash with a color safe bleach.

Be sure to check the ACI Stain Removal Chart for more stain removal help.
 

 

About ACI

The American Cleaning Institute℠ (ACI - formerly The Soap and Detergent Association) is the Home of the U.S. Cleaning Products Industry® and represents the $30 billion U.S. cleaning products market.  ACI  members include the formulators of soaps, detergents, and general cleaning products used in household, commercial, industrial and institutional settings; companies that supply ingredients and finished packaging for these products; and oleochemical producers.  ACI and its members are dedicated to improving health and the quality of life through sustainable cleaning products and practices.