With its elegant and versatile side, black clothes are essential in our daily wardrobe. This shade is known to flatter all body types and enhance any look. Unfortunately, frequent washing and sun exposure will eventually discolor and tarnish them. Suffice it to say, a faded black dress is not the prettiest effect! As summer approaches, our favorite pieces are probably paying the price. But rest assured, there are several solutions to bring the shine back to your black clothes. Of course, you can always put an industrial paint in the washing machine, but instead we offer natural and ecological methods that have proven their worth. Above all, it is important to take some precautions when machine washing, but also to have the right drying techniques. You can also help yourself with a few natural and economical ingredients to prevent sun fading and intensify the depth of black. Some traces.
Coffee or black tea
It may sound strange to you, but coffee and black tea are actually two very popular drinks that you can apply to black linens to revive the dark color of fabrics. Some people even use them to dye their clothes or hair naturally!
Just add 2 cups of black tea or coffee during the rinse cycle. Coffee not only enhances the black color, but also fixes it. For this application it is necessary to soak the clothes in strong coffee or pour a cup of coffee into the drum of the washing machine. The same principle for black tea: this strong agent helps to maintain dark colors. You will quickly notice that the black of your clothes is much more intense!
Bay leaves
Here is an old grandmother remedy that has proven its worth: It consists of the combination of baking soda and bay leaves. Both give a beautiful shine to dark colors and restore faded clothes. Put 10 bay leaves and 4 tablespoons of baking soda in a pot of hot water and bring to a boil. Let the solution cool and pour the contents into a bowl. Soak your black clothes in it for a few hours or overnight and then wash them as usual.
Note: Be careful when handling hot or boiling water so as not to alter the dark colors.
White wine vinegar
To better fix and revive black color, nothing like white vinegar! As a bonus, it is also useful to neutralize unpleasant odors and soften clothes. The advantage is that the vinegar can be used in the washing machine: Just add a jar of the product to the last rinse cycle to get an intense black! Fill a bowl with cold water and pour in about 4 tablespoons of white vinegar before starting the first wash. This precaution is important to prevent fading and to better fix the dye in the fabrics.
Soak your black clothing in the solution until it is completely covered and let it soak for a few hours. Finally, rinse the garment with cold water and proceed with your usual hand washing with water and bar soap. Vinegar also prevents detergent buildup, another reason why fabrics fade. Your black pants or tops will also be in perfect condition!
Note: It is important to always use cold water, because hot water will damage the color. You can also add salt to the mixture with the white vinegar. In fact, the salt intensifies the black by fixing the color pigments perfectly.
Salt
Indispensable in your pantry, salt is ideal to intensify the black because it has the ability to fix the color pigments. Pour 2 tablespoons of rock salt in a bowl with about 2 quarts of cold water and soak your black clothes in it for about an hour. To wash in the machine, simply add half a cup of salt directly into the drum! For an even more effective effect, you can also combine the action of salt with white vinegar.
Beer
Although beer is commonly associated with lightening hair, it is also believed to be helpful in darkening fabrics when exposed to sunlight. So, take a basin and fill it with a quart of water and a quart of beer. Immerse the black clothes in the basin and let them soak for about 30 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of coarse table salt to your usual detergent. Surprisingly, beer is actually a very convincing way to keep clothes black. And to reduce the odor, just rinse thoroughly with plain water.
Pepper seeds
Finally, pepper would also have a say in this matter. It is particularly effective in preserving the intensity of colors and removing dullness from black parts. Pour a spoonful of black peppercorns into a bowl of cold water and soak your clothes in it for about half an hour. Then proceed with the usual washing. Your black laundry will regain all its intensity! You can also put a tablespoon of black pepper directly into the drum of the washing machine. Do not make the mistake of throwing some in the laundry compartment!
Other useful tips
Now that we have seen how to wash black clothes so that they do not fade in the sun, let’s see how to wash and dry them properly. First of all, we advise you to always turn black clothes inside out before starting the cycle in the machine. In other words, wash them inside out so as not to expose the visible part to too much detergent or friction of the fibers with other garments. The black color will be protected from swirling during washing! Also, it is best to avoid excessive washing, the excessive use of detergents and very high temperatures that could cause the fibers of the fabric to lose their color. When spinning, choose a short wash cycle between 60° and 80°F. In addition to a gentle program, it is important to wash black laundry in cold water, as hot water accelerates the fading of the color. When drying, it is better to hang the clothes upside down and protect them from direct sunlight, so that they do not lighten or tarnish. Also avoid the dryer: to protect dark clothes, natural drying is preferred.
NB: The products offered are natural and by no means harsh, but we still recommend that you use them only after consulting the washing labels of your clothes.
