- 1). Test for colorfastness. Before washing your black clothes, determine if the color will bleed during initial washings.
- 2). Place a drop of water on an inside seam. Using a white cotton ball, blot the water. If the cotton ball remains clean, wash the black garment with other dark clothes. If the cotton ball becomes tinted, wash the garment by hand in cold water.
- 3). Divide clothes before washing. Separate the dark clothes from white or light colored clothes. Place black lingerie and delicate fabrics in a mesh bag to wash separately from jeans, cotton t-shirts or other sturdy materials.
- 4). Pretreat soiled colors and cuffs with a liquid detergent or pretreatment product made for dark clothes.
- 5). Turn garments inside out. Washing the dark fibers in the washing machine begins to strip the color from your black clothes. By placing the garment with the inner lining outside, the outer fabric is less likely to fade during washer agitation.
- 6). Select detergents and prewash products for dark colored clothes. Detergents contain surfactants, which loosen and remove soil. A detergent formulated for black clothes does not include laundry bleaches, stain removers or brighteners, which lift the dark color from the garment.
- 7). Choose cold water and the gentle cycle. For machine washable clothing, select the cold water setting for black clothes. A gentle or slow washing cycle reduces the agitation speed of the washer. As a result the dark clothes do not rub together frequently and cause fading of the dark fibers.
- 8). Launder using the manufacturer's recommended washing suggestions. Machine-wash your cottons, polyesters, flannels, denims and gabardines in cold water. Silks, some linens and synthetic knits require hand washing using cold water.
- 9). Tumble dry or air-dry your black clothes on a low temperature. Remove promptly. If you hand-wash your clothes, lay the garments flat on a towel to finish drying.
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