It comes out in the wash

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.

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 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 powder.

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.

Avoid putting black garments in the dryer because heat and steam will fade the colours and weaken the fabric.

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.

WHITE — BRIGHTENING BASICS

As with your blacks, read the care labels and wash your whites separately.

If your whites have noticeable stains, pre-treat them. 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 otherwise, wash your whites in hot water.

Use gentle liquid detergents, then consider adding bleach, Borax, baking soda or hydrogen peroxide to boost the brightness.

Be extra cautious washing garments that combine whites and colours — hot water and bleach can fade the colours.