Can you tell me how to wash black jeans without fading them? I just started a restaurant job where we have to wear black jeans but they get greasy and stained sometimes. I also don’t want to shrink them.
Marta Johnson, Fredericksburg
I’m glad you asked how to wash black jeans. Let’s go over easy tips that will help you keep your jeans looking new for as long as possible.
Before you start any black or dark clothes, make sure you are separating the laundry properly. Don’t mix light and dark clothing or add towels to your load of black jeans.
In the first place, it never hurts to consult the care label on your clothes. The manufacturer will tell you how high a temperature you can use. Moreover, the tag should say whether bleach, ironing, and machine drying are possible.
Now it’s time to get started. Begin by sorting your clothes so that you wash the black jeans with similar colors. Also, check them for stains before you turn them inside out. Pre-treat the spots first. Follow the directions for the stain remover so that you don’t inadvertently fade the color by leaving it on for too long before washing.
Then, as I mentioned, turn those jeans inside out to protect them from signs of wear and to reduce the chances of fading. Be sure to select cold or warm temperature water, never hot. Hot water can shrink the fabric and set stains, leaving you with clothes you can no longer wear.
However, if you accidentally shrink your black jeans or other pants accidentally, know that there are several ways for how to unshrink jeans so that you can wear them again. How to stretch a jeans works best if you wear them while they are wet. Although this is not terribly comfortable, it does work to unshrink denim fabrics.
While cold is a better choice to avoid fading black jeans, some greasy spots might need a warmer setting. But, if you pretreat with an effective spot cleaner, you’re likely to get good results from cold water anyway.
Also, you might have more success using liquid detergent instead of powdered. There are even special liquids that prevent fading and dye transfer. Furthermore, using a water softener can help the detergent work better.
Finally, line-dry those black jeans. Skip the dryer as it can fade the dye and shrink the jeans. Hang the jeans in the shade so that the sun doesn’t hurt them either.
For more details on how to wash dark-colored clothes, see this page: https://www.tipsbulletin.com/how-to-wash-dark-clothes/ I hope this helps you keep your jeans in tip-top shape.