How to To Keep Colors From Bleeding & Fading In The Wash

With this eco-friendly tip you can keep your clothes looking newer longer. Keep your brights looking brighter, your darks looking darker AND keep the color in your fabric and not in the water!

The best part is you’ve probably got just item in your kitchen to make it happen!

Read on to find out how you can go green with your wash and get more wears out of your clothes without spending an extra dime to do it!

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• White Vinegar

1. **SEPARATE YOUR COLORS**
   It’s always a good idea to separate your colors before doing the wash just so you don’t run the risk of ruining an entire load of laundry. Better safe than sorry, right?
   
   Separate new clothes and wash them with other new clothes of like colors. Otherwise separate darks with darks, brights with brights and whites with whites.
   
   *this tip can also help brighten your whites and get out dingy pit stains*

2. **COLD WATER**
   Cold water is much easier on your colors than warm or hot water, plus its more energy efficient.
   
   You’ll want to wash new clothes, for the first time, with cold water to help bind the dye to the fabric.
   
   I always wash my denim inside out and in cold water to help retain the color and cut down on fabric wear.

3. **ADD VINEGAR**
   Yup, vinegar. You can add detergent too however for first time washes of new colors just use a cup of vinegar and don’t use detergent.
   
   *Add a cup of vinegar to the cold water in your wash BEFORE adding your clothes. *Allow the wash to gyrate and mix in the vinegar.
   *Add clothes and allow to gyrate until all items of clothing are soaked.
   *Stop the washer and allow your clothes to soak for 10-20 minutes.
   *Then start the washer and allow the cycle to finish.
   
   The vinegar will help adhere the dye to the fabric. You’ll notice, especially with brand new colors, that there is very little, if any, dye in the water.

4. **WASH LIKE NORMAL**
   After washing your colors with vinegar, for their first wash, the dyes will be adhered to the fabric and will not bleed. However, they will smell like vinegar so you’ll want to dry them and then wash them again with detergent or like normal to remove the smell.

5. **REPEAT**
   Add a little bit of Vinegar to your normal wash, with your detergent, to keep your colors form fading over time. (or keep your whites white)