5 Natural Tips For Bright Colors And Less Laundry Fade

So your favorite bright red shirt has a stain on it. And now you’re panicking, because you know that once you pop that top in the wash, it’s not going to come back out quite so red when it’s done washing, right? Wrong!

You may think color-fade on your favorite clothing is inevitable, and while in the long-run that’s somewhat true, you absolutely can prevent the fading and dulling of your vibrant color wash. How, you may ask? Just try these easy, affordable, and all-natural methods. Check it out!

Vinegar: Add one cup of white distilled vinegar to a load during the rinse cycle. Vinegar helps to set colors and prevents build-up of detergent residue, which contributes to color fading. Plus, it’s a natural clothing softener. And don’t worry, the vinegar won’t leave your clothes smelling like salad dressing. It will evaporate during the rinse cycle. If any of that potent smell does linger, let the clothes air dry outside.

Black Pepper: Spice up the colors in your laundry by shaking a few teaspoons of black pepper into each load. Don’t worry about flakes of pepper dotting your clothes. The pepper will wash out during the rinse cycle.

Salt: Just pour ½ cup of salt in the wash cycle to prevent the dyes in colored fabrics from bleeding. This method works especially well on new clothes. Salt can also help restore the once-vivid colors in fading fabrics.

Baking Soda: This handy cleaner helps brighten whites AND colors. (There’s no end to this pantry staple’s amazing uses, really!) Add ½ cup of baking soda to the wash cycle and watch your vibrant colors stay that way.

Cold Water: To make matters really simple, just use cold water for your color washes to minimize fading and color-bleeding. It’s that easy!