How to Wash Dark Clothes Without Fading

It's important to handle clothing carefully when washing and drying -- taking a few extra precautions before you begin the chore can help keep your wardrobe looking as good as new. First, check the temperature of the water before you toss the entirety of your hamper into the wash. Warm water breaks fibers down quickly, causing colors to fade, so select the coldest temperature available on your dial. You should also choose liquid detergent over powder. Liquid detergents dissolve better in cold water, while powdered detergents aren't guaranteed to saturate the water completely and thoroughly clean your clothes.

Be aware that in some areas, tap water contains high levels of chemicals that could also cause dark garments to fade. Hard water -- water rich in magnesium and calcium -- can actually lessen the effects of detergents and leave clothes dingy and dirty. While hard water can certainly damage clothing over time, there are ways you can take action to counteract these chemicals. Add a water softener when washing clothes with powder detergent, or use a safe liquid laundry detergent to help remedy the problem. For example, Tide Coldwater is specifically designed to clean clothes effectively on a cold water cycle, helping to neutralize chlorine found in tap water.

When dark clothing needs to be dried, avoid steam and high temperatures -- starching or tumbling clothes in a hot dryer will cause them to lose their hue and fade over time. Dry cleaners use high heat when handling your clothes as well, so while they may be convenient, skip a trip to these outfits unless it's absolutely necessary. If you can, hang or lay garments flat to dry, and if you use an outdoor clothes line, be mindful to keep clothing out of direct sunlight.

Soaking bright fabrics in salt or vinegar before washing them is thought to prevent dyes from bleeding, but experts say this so-called trick doesn't work. If the worst happens and your clothes bleed onto one another in the wash, separate each article of clothing and wash them again. After washing a second time, dyes should remove themselves on their own. Never put clothing with bleeding dyes into a dryer, because the heat will cause the colors to set and become permanent.

Often, the only way to fix faded garments is to redye them. However, dyes are only helpful to washable natural fibers. Nylon, for example, will not allow the new color to adhere. Dying your own clothing is extremely difficult to do; it rarely covers a garment evenly. When dying clothes in the wash, be sure to run a short, empty cycle when you're through to ensure that no coloring is left behind to ruin future loads of laundry.

For help with dying a piece of clothing back to its original color, look no further than your neighborhood dry cleaner -- but prepare to empty your wallet for this specialized service. Dry cleaners charge a pretty penny for their expertise -- you can expect to pay anywhere from $100 to $500 depending on the garment you wish to dye. No matter how dire the circumstance may be, even the professionals fail sometimes. In fact, according to Joseph Hallak Jr., the president of the National Cleaners Association, despite their high cost, dry cleaners' success rate with dying clothing is usually less than 75 percent.

So if you have a favorite pair of figure-hugging dark jeans that you would hate to see fade over time, simply don't wash them as much. When you wear a garment for a brief time, hang it back in your closet to wear again at a later date -- but only if it passes the sniff test. No risk of fading is ever worth the offensive -- and embarrassing -- stench of body odor.