Do Clothes Fade Regardless Of What Detergent You Use?

[hoover8pulse]

Hi I've noticed that Black clothes (particularly school trousers which I have to wash every week) tend to fade quite quickly. The pair I bought in September have faded quite drastically but I guess washing them every week does ave it's effect.

I don't like using liquids, I feel that they don't clean effectively so usually use Daz or Surf powder. But I think I might have to begin using the coloured detergents because I hate the way how trousers fade within a few weeks & tend to get worse with every wash.

Can anyone recommend a decent colour detergent? I've only ever used Ariel Colour properly buts its so expensive.

 

[hotpointfan]

Persil

I use Persil Colour powder for coloureds, I buy it from Costco for around £12 for 100 washes which is a great deal compared to what the supermarkets charge, as the biggest size you can get at the supermarket is 23 washes. If you don't have a Costco membership, try the Almat Colour Powder from Aldi, £2.99 for 25 washes, and it's very concentrated so you only need a bit.

I don't bother a lot with different detergents a lot. I have Persil Colour powder, Aldi Almat Biological Powder, and Fairy Non Bio Powder, and Ecover softener. I'm not a big fan of softeners that smell strong, hence why I only use a small amount.

 

[danemodsandy]

Cold Water!

If you're using warm or hot, there's at least part of your trouble.

Any gentle liquid detergent that does not contain a bleaching agent and cold water will keep darks and brights looking much better, much longer. The slow speed of a two-speed washing machine, plus low dryer heat for the minimum time necessary also help a lot.

I find that cleaning ability is greatly improved if I put in the water and detergent, then turn the machine off to let the load soak for an hour. After the soak time is up, I turn the machine back on and let the cycle finish.

 

[mich]

Typically

Fading comes from Chlorine found in water supply's, used for sanitizing and making water drinkable. Or loose fabric dyes, in high tempatures.

Switching to a 40* Cycle, and perhaps... a less alkaline detergent could help. Some detergents even contain a oxygen bleach (with very little bleach) to help neutralize chlorine found in tap water.

Adding a water softener, could also help. Fading, can typically be greying, and limescale deposits, in disguise.

Oh, and a fabric softener can help reduce fading as well. It'll help set-in fabric dyes, and kill off residual chlorine in rinse water, before your clothes go into the dryer, to fade (from the chlorine).

As for other brands. I'd check in Witch, and see what they recommend. Quite frankly with my soft water, I find that P&G's Tide Powder, goes a very long way, and is priced right. Some may find it expensive, but, 6 months of detergent for $10-12 is more than fine by me.

 

[mich]

Keep in Mind

I've been told I'm a brand "whore" in the past. But, I find that P&G's Tide Clean Breeze Powder, works best at a tablespoon and a half in my water conditions. In my case, it'd actually be more expensive to use pods, or liquids, or some other brand (not as concentrated).

If you have a whole house softener, I'd make a few experiments, and see what works well with what. You could very well end up with much softer, cleaner clothes with less detergent

 

[hoover8pulse]

I mostly use the A59' program on my Hoover at 40c which works well.

Jacob - I've used the Almat before & it's good, has a pleasant smell too. Mum & Dad have Costco memberships but I know if I buy a bug box I'll get halfway through it & not use it again. Persil Colour has quite a strong scent compared to other colour alternatives but I might buy a small box to try.

Danemodsandy - I don't think I could wash in cold water, I can't even do 30c anymore. When I first began using 40c when the new machine came I remember how everything came out looking so much fresher than at 30c. I also don't tumble dry any of my black trousers anyway so I don't worry about that.

Mich - My parents house isn't connected up to mains water, instead rainwater is used so I don't know if this makes a difference in the chlorine level. Also, I'm sure most laundry detergents contain water softening agents anyway so I don't see why I would need to add them, but that could be an option. Interesting point how you mention the greying. The trousers I've washed weekly have turned a slight ashy black colour, but in several lights it looks grey which does make me wonder, I do tend to follow the dosing instructions as I've noticed if I don't then wash results aren't really that good, except for Almat where 50-80ml is only ever need since it is highly concentrated. I also use a fabric conditioner, a good quality one, usually Lenor. Like I mentioned earlier I never tumble dry said faded items.

 

[alr2903]

Turning dark clothing inside out will help some, but not forever.

 

[frigilux]

Many detergents contain optical brighteners which cause blacks to look dusty, ashy, or faded. I wear a lot of black clothes for work and have found Perwoll Intensive Black is excellent. I wash blacks in a front-load washer in cool or cold water. Use the shortest cycle you can. I use the Delicate cycle. My black pants stay black much longer using this method.

 

[hoover8pulse]

There isn't really much of a specialist detergent available, apart from Woolite Darks. But like I said earlier I wash all ther items like underwear with the trousers too so I need something that cleans well. Then again I suppose I could try the Woolite.

 

[whirlcool]

Trying to find a detergent these days that doesn't contain an optical brightener is very difficult if not impossible. The good news is that if you catch OBs early enough they'll wash out of your clothes.

 

[hoover8pulse]

Well most colour detergents here don't have them. I checked earlier today & Ariel Colour & Tesco Colour are OBA free. I'm gonna give Ariel Colour another a try, it's been ages since I last used it.

 

[aquacycle]

I don't believe in colour detergent - it's pointless and fading is inevitable. Loose dye particles ALWAYS wash out of clothes, it's a completely unavoidable fact. And as has already been mentioned, chlorine in the water will add to this.

Colour detergent may help prolong colours, but it won't stop fading altogether.

I wash everything with bio powder, I find it more hygenic and it doesn't fade colours anymore than regular laundring does.

 

[hoover8pulse]

It's just that fading is more noticeable on black clothes. I've washed a relatively new pair of black trousers twice & already the seams are turning grey.

 

[aquacycle]

Have you tried using less detergent? By the sounds of it from another thread, you're using a lot of powder. The high level of powder is probably bleaching the more delicate areas of your washing, especially if you're using Ariel Professional which contains a higher bleach content than regular bio.

 

[warmsecondrinse]

RIT is a godsend!

I'm an interpreter so my shirts need to be a solid color that contrasts with my skin. For me that means black, dark blue, and green.

When I have my own washer I simply dye all my dark clothes with RIT every 2-3 months. Many 'black' clothes have a red undertone. To counteract that I use 2 parts black, one part navy, and one part dark green and a quarter cup of salt. I usually let the clothes go through the longest wash on the machine, stop it before spinning and let the clothes sit for 15-20 minutes, then run them through the full cycle from the beginning. When possible I use a cool rinse.

Once the clothes are in the dryer I run the machine through a full wash with hot water, detergent, and chlorine bleach. That takes 99% of any dye stains out. If any remains, simply wipe with a rag and a bit of bleach.

An alternative is to add RIT to the detergent. I use about half cup total with the same proportions and add it to a 2 litre container of detergent.

For best results your clothes need to be stain=free and uniformly faded.

Jim

 

[hoover8pulse]

I mostly use Daz powder though, which has a 5%-15% bleach content & generally it's good on coloured laundry.

 

[aquacycle]

I was always under the impression that Daz had quite a high bleach content, hence the "whiter than white" and "Daz White" advertising campaigns.

 

[hoover8pulse]

Nope. It used to be great on black clothes too but the new version seems to fade them. I must be using a high temperature but I only use a 40c wash.

 

[kenmoreguy89]

In my house
Whites/Light colors: Hot wash 60-70 what comes out the tap
Darks and blacks; Warm about 35
Woolens/silks: Cool  about 15-20 (in winter i mix it)
Fading:
Depends on items, chinese made ones ( including Made in Italy/europe/US whetever  with chinese parts or by chinese folks) last about 1yr and half or 2 without fading, higher end ones still have then new for years and years..I wear also stuff my dad doesn't fit in anymore, stuff he has used for years and I do now, decades old....still pretty much new...though they were the times we had more money, stuff was made differently etc...
Vintage shirts I buy at flea markets  still like new.....

I'm not an hypocrite....I am not rich enough to buy much high end stuff now, I buy what I like and I think it's worth the money for the quality it is... this is regardless  of brands.
I can't really give a rats if it's prada, levi's armani or "Giannino Luigino"...
I try to avoid china  but sometimes it's stronger than me and can't resist over a cute t-shirt or shirt......those low end dyes don't last well though,. as i told in about 2 years they're unwearable,  but I am good at selecting cottons  and textiles quality though, while color don't last the  cottons I chose does very but very well, I home dye quite often so I am good at renovating and change colors to stuff and don't throw away anything, I just change it...
Blue jeans I re-dye them and do my bleaching wash again, plain black jeans I make black again or I make them white jeans,  I am in love  with white  jeans with black seams (seams don't fade).....the others I just dye them their original colors or similar, shirts and t shirts  every color and even some nice effects...
Dyeing is such a beautiful way to renovate....I wish I were able to sew well, then I really wouldn't have problems.

Home dyeing result lasting longer than the original low end dyed clothes came with...you just need techniques....with a 3 euro packet of dye I turn 2-3  items new again.... 
Oh I only use regular powder except for woolens & silk...

 

[this post was last edited: 1/14/2015-16:34]