CHECK YOUR TONE

Words: Nhlanhla Masemola | Styling: Chris Viljoen | Images: Ian Engelbrecht

So you just bought a pair of ink-black skinny jeans from your most-loved denim brand. The fit is incredible and the wear is comfortable, but you can’t shake the feeling that the colour won’t keep. Fading, shrinking or bleeding is always a risk come laundry time, that's why it's important to make sure you're taking proper care of your clothes to keep them in pristine condition and hold that brilliant colour for as long as possible. And it’s much easier than you think. Liquid detergents like new Ariel Colour contains no bleach and ensure your clothes retain colour even after multiple washes. Below are some tips on best practices when washing coloured clothes.

WHY DOES COLOUR LEAVE CLOTHES?

Clothes bleed and fade as dyes disappear from the fibres on your clothes. Whether clothing is overdyed to look good in store or the wrong dye was used on a fabric, dye loss is a quick way to keep clothes from looking brand new. Some dyes transfer colour when they rub against something else, while others bleed when fabric gets wet.

READ THE LABEL

Before you start anything, it’s important to check the labels to see whether the item can be machine-washed, washed by hand or needs to be taken to the dry cleaners. Product labels are your best friends in garment care. If you see the dreaded “colour may wash off”, “wash before wearing” or “use cold water”, it’s likely that that gorgeous hue may not stay.

SORT CLOTHING BY COLOUR

Don’t chance it, no matter how pressed for time you are. Sort through your laundry and separate items by colour. Wash dark tones together and – if you know for sure that the colour doesn’t run – mix pinks with reds, blues with greens and so on. Light-coloured clothing such as pastels should be washed separately from other colours, without exception.

WASH NEW CLOTHING SEPARATELY

If you just bought a new bright-red T-shirt, wash it separately first as a test run. Run it under the tap for a quick tell and if you don't want to do a separate load, make sure to only wash it with garments that are as close to its colour as possible. Another tip? Wash heavier fabrics with heavier fabrics and keep delicates together to reduce friction, which can also contribute to colour loss.

TEMPERATURE

A cool setting is the way to go to keep colour where it’s meant to be. When set to cool, clothes are less likely to face, because a cool environment helps to keep fibres closed, trapping the dye within the garment. Plus, washing clothes with cold water is energy efficient. Win, win.

BE CAREFUL WHEN DRYING

When it comes to drying colourful clothes, you can either tumble dry them at a temperature that’s as low as possible, since high heat can cause fading. Our preferred method? Hang them out to dry, but not in direct sunlight. Remember that tumble drying roughens a garment’s surface, which makes colours appear faded even when it’s not.