How to wash faded things at home
It is not always possible to restore the original appearance of faded linen. If the fabric is sunburned, stain remover and bleach will not solve the problem under all conditions. No matter how effective they are.
Folk remedies will not save the situation. If the material is damaged, it is pointless to restore it. It is a different matter when your favorite dress and other clothes have faded after washing. In this case, you can try to return the previous color.
Let's figure out how to remove faded things, by what means and methods it is better to do it.
Why things can shed during washing
Things fade due to a phenomenon called dye dispersion. This usually happens when washing colored and light-colored clothes at a sufficiently high water temperature. For example, a black T-shirt, when heated, loses some of the dye and lightens.
But this paint immediately settles on white products, making their shade darker. To prevent this from happening, listen to the advice of experienced housewives: do not try to wash everything at once! Throw clothes of different colors into the car separately.
How to know that a thing can shed
Dye pigmentation occurs in three cases:
- The conditions and washing mode are incorrectly selected.
- Unsuitable detergent.
- Poor quality dye.
Please note, any colored canvas is painted. Some fabrics are more susceptible to washout of pigments, others less.
Cotton, silk, linen materials and wool shed heavily, especially if they were dyed with synthetics. Crepe de Chine, viscose and coarse calico are less susceptible to pigmentation. However, in any case, it is better to wash colored items with colored items and in compliance with the recommended washing regimes.
It is quite simple to check at home how much the dye is washed out of clothes. There are several ways:
- Soak the item of clothing in warm water with powder for twenty minutes. Without other things! If the water is colored to match the color of the product, it means that the clothes are shedding quite a lot.
- Slightly wring out and spread the pre-soaked shirt or blouse on a piece of light-colored cloth. If colored spots remain on the white canvas, the product fades.
- Wet a clean, light-colored cloth and rub the surface of the wardrobe item under test with it. Are the rags stained? Clothes are shedding.
What to do if a garment fades during washing
Ordering a special dry cleaner is good advice. At first sight. True, later it may turn out that the service is more expensive than the most faded thing. Fortunately, there are many answers to the question of how to effectively wash a faded thing at home.
What to do first
The most important thing is not to postpone solving the problem indefinitely.Do not iron damaged clothing or hang it to dry. Do not throw in the dirty laundry basket. As soon as you notice dye stains, immediately repair it.
An overview of stain removers and bleaches
Among the most popular stain removers and bleaches, the following brands are worth noting:
- Vanish.
- The Eared Nanny line from Nevskaya Cosmetics.
- Oxygen-containing bleaches "White Sails" of the "Bara" company.
- Domestos.
- BOS Plus brand.
- Line "Parus".
Let's consider some of the most popular bleaches and stain removers that rank first in the Yandex Market ranking.
- Udalix Ultra. Phosphate- and chlorine-free universal stain remover stick. Suitable for light, colored and dark materials. Disadvantage: pencil. More suitable for small wardrobe items and removing individual stains.
- Vanish Oxi Action, Golden Oxi and others. A range of effective universal stain removers for a variety of fabrics. Product specifications can vary significantly.
- ChisTin Omega. General purpose, chlorine-free oxygenated bleach. Suitable for light and colored synthetics, cotton products. Available in liquid form. An effective and cheap product.
- Antipyatin. Concentrated oxygen-containing powder designed to effectively remove stains from colored and light synthetics and cotton fabrics. Does not contain chloride and phosphate compounds. Quite cheap and economical.
- Lion TOP. Not the cheapest, but effective and versatile product.
Note! Household chemicals for white items are usually labeled "White". For colored clothes - "Color".
Using folk ways
There are hundreds of folk methods to restore the original color. Let's consider some of the most popular ones.
- Peroxide. Soak the affected piece of clothing in powder and peroxide water. Soak for a couple of hours and wash your clothes.
- Ammonia. You only need a couple of milliliters of alcohol per liter of hot water. Soak for 50-60 minutes. If stains remain, repeat the procedure.
- You can try to save a small denim item with regular baking soda. Densely smear the damaged areas with a slightly diluted powder in water, wash after 10-15 minutes.
Experienced housewives practice another trick. How to quickly restore the color of a faded colored item? Or you can not restore it at all! Just take it and recolor it darker. Has the blue blouse faded?
Make it dark blue. White T-shirt turned pink? Paint it burgundy. You can always find a darker dye.
What to do with very delicate fabric
Delicate fabrics should be handled delicately. Not every remedy will work.
A couple of proven methods from experienced housewives:
- Soaking the damaged clothing in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. You literally need a pinch of potassium permanganate for 5-10 liters of hot water. The solution should be light pink in color. Withstand a couple of hours, maybe a little more. In the solution, washing powder suitable for the fabric will not be superfluous.
- A weak solution of ammonia. One bottle of alcohol for five to six liters of hot water. Leave for a couple of hours, then wash.
- You can whiten light-colored items with "Whiteness", following the recommendations of the manufacturer of household chemicals.
- A spoonful of soda and peroxide for a couple of liters of hot water. Soak for 10-15 minutes. But the water should be really hot, but not boiling water!
How to deal with clothes of two colors
It is more difficult with two-tone products. There are two proven ways.The first is that different stain removers are applied to areas of different colors. For light places - a product intended for light clothing. For colored ones - for colored ones.
The procedure is carried out in two stages. First, we use one stain remover, erase. Then we apply the second one. Both times we stand for a couple of hours so that the chemistry has time to take effect. When finished, wash and dry.
The second method is suitable for black and white wardrobe items. Also produced in two stages.
The black areas are watered with mildly brewed and strained green tea. We stand for a quarter of an hour, we stretch. Then the light areas are thickly sprinkled with salts. After 15 minutes, the product is completely washed. If it does not help, either repeat the procedure or try another option.
Restoration of white color
- Method 1. Wash your clothes several times in a row with a good powder.
- Method 2. For a day, soak faded things in warm water with powder and bleach or stain remover for light clothes. Then wash the garments, paying particular attention to rinsing.
- Method 3. Use a boric acid solution or a solution of soda and peroxide. In the first case, the clothes are soaked for several hours. In the second, it is “cooked” in water at about 70 ° C for several minutes. All this time, the "brew" is thoroughly mixed.
How to prevent recurrence of the problem
In order not to have to decide what to do if the thing fades, it is enough to follow a few simple recommendations:
- Try to wash items of different colors separately.
- Alternatively, use laundry traps (also called color catchers).
- If the problem cannot be avoided and the laundry has faded, in no case do not dry it, especially in the sun! This will only enhance the "molting" effect. Rescue things immediately using the appropriate special means or folk methods described above.
Note! There are special washing modes that allow you to wash clothes of different colors at the same time at a low water temperature (usually no more than 20-30 ° C). However, keep in mind that not every typewriter has such programs. Read the instruction manual carefully!
General rules for washing clothes
- Test the color fastness before washing. If the garment has a lot of fading, it is best to wash it separately from other clothes.
- Soak dirty laundry for several hours in a solution of ordinary table salt, and only then throw it into the machine. This will prevent molting.
- Use special washing modes for things of different colors (not available on all machines), wash at low temperatures (no more than 30-40 ° C).
The best rule of thumb is not to wash items of different colors together. Then you won't have to restore the original look.
Often faded things can still be saved, but it is better not to bring things up to this. It is easier to throw plain clothes into the wash than to suffer later with the restoration of the original shade.
Video: how to wash a faded thing at home