How to launder and protect your black and white garments
Black may be basic, however caring for it is anything but. Do it wrong, and you’ll be amazed by how fast your favourite black pants and T-shirts fade and discolour.
On the other end of the light-dark spectrum, white clothes have their own challenges. They get dirty easily, look grimy quickly and can yellow if they’re not properly cleaned. Here’s a quick guide on how to care for your black and white fabrics: Black — no-fade
fixes Be gentle when you wash your black clothes, and consider hand washing or dry cleaning them. If the care tag says dry clean only, then don’t take any chances.
Some experts recommend putting your blacks through an initial wash using only vinegar (1/2 cup or 125 mL for a large load) and no soap — this is thought to lock in the dye and prevent colours from bleeding.
Always wash all garments of a similar hue together.
Use cold water unless the tag specifies warm.
Use a colourfast detergent such as Woolite Dark Laundry, Cheer Dark or The Laundress Darks Detergent. And use liquid detergents rather than powders, which can leave a residue. To protect the fibres from the inevitable damage and fading caused by agitation in the machine, turn garments inside out before loading them. And always wash on a short, gentle cycle. If you can, hang your blacks to dry, but don’t expose them to direct sunlight, which can fade and weaken the fabric. You can also lay them flat to dry.
Avoid putting black garments in the dryer because heat and steam will fade the colours and weaken the fabric. If you must use a dryer, set it to very low heat. And also avoid ironing your darks.
If your clothing does fade over time, you can always dye it black again, although this is not an easy task, nor is it foolproof. You can ask your dry cleaner to do the job for you, but be warned, this can be expensive and there are no guarantees it will work.
White — brightening
basics As with your blacks, read the care labels and wash your whites separately from other items. Separate out any especially dirty garments — you don’t want the grime spreading to pristine pieces.
If your whites have noticeable stains, pre-treat them before they go in the wash. You can use a commercial stick or spray, liquid detergent, a paste of powdered detergent and water or in tough cases, bleach.
Unless the care tag says oth- erwise, wash your whites in hot water, the hotter, the better.
Use gentle liquid detergents, then consider adding bleach, Borax, baking soda or hydrogen peroxide to boost the brightness. Take care, though: If you use too much bleach, it can make your whites look dingy and weaken the fabric.
Be extra cautious washing garments that combine whites and colours — hot water and bleach can fade the colours or cause them to run. Follow the care instructions, and if in doubt, opt for cool water, hand-washing and gentle detergents.
Finally, line-drying your whites in direct sunlight will make them even whiter.