We all like jet black T-shirts, but sometimes they become grey so fast we wonder if we actually carried the wrong one out of the shop and purchased the ‘charcoal’ option by mistake, right?  Well, there are things you can do to extend the life of a good black T-shirt, and here’s how:

• Over time, all black dyes will fade from sunlight, even in winter, even if you do nothing else to them. This can’t be prevented, it’s a phototropic reaction, but storing black clothing in cupboards or wardrobes with the doors and drawers closed will make it stay black for longer.
• Fuzzing is the effect of abrasion on your black T-shirt when it is worn and when it’s washed, and it results in the surface of the fabric rising up as the fibres rub against each other and this scatters the light, making your T-shirt appear dull and faded. Always wash black T-shirts inside out so the abrasion will be on the inside of the garment.
• To avoid leaching, which is where the dye in your black T-shirt or other clothing leaves it and goes elsewhere, always wash blacks with blacks put your black fabrics on the gentlest cycle available to avoid both abrasion and dye loss.
• And finally, plain black cotton garments, soaked in white vinegar for an hour before their first wash, will have their dye ‘fixed’ much better than those that don’t! Not a good idea for non-cottons or clothing with transfers though …
  

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites