It’s terrible when you buy your favorite clothing, and it starts to transfer color. It’s even worse when it starts at day one. The damage caused may be irreversible or expensive to remedy.
Imagine sitting on a white couch with blue jeans that crocks? By the time you wake, the couch is already blue. This is even worse if you are at your friends.
You as the buyer and the manufacturer have a responsibility to prevent color transfer between fabrics or color fading. The manufacturer must test whether there is any excess dye on their products. They’ll do this by using a TESTEX Crockmeter.
As a buyer, the best way to prevent your clothes from fading or crocking is by washing them less often. Better yet, don’t wash them at all. The water, friction, detergent, and drying contribute to pulling of bright colors from your clothes.
But since it’s not possible to hand wash all your clothes, it’s important to learn some tips that’ll help prevent color crocking. They include the following.
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Sort the Clothes
Sorting clothes presents you with an opportunity to check the manufacturer’s label. Use this to determine whether you’re placing the clothes on the correct pile.
If you’ve washed any red pair of socks with white clothes, you understand the pain. It’s even worse when the colors are fading away. If you don’t want this to happen, keep clothes of the same color together.
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Read the Care Label
Reading the information on this label only takes some few seconds. However, it may be helpful in determining whether you’ll buy the product or not. You can use these guidelines to determine whether the dye is strong or not. If not, look for a different clothe. Don’t buy.
But if you’ve already bought, the label contains instruction on how to wash and dry the garments. Be sure to follow them fully.
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Don’t Stuff Your Washer
Stuffing the washer to its capacity can be tempting. While you’ll wash many clothes at a go, there’re some drawbacks.
If you fill your washer to capacity, the machine tends to be hard and tough on your garments. The detergents and rinsing water isn’t distributed properly. Also, your clothes won’t come out clean as you’d want.
Also, the clothes will take time to dry if the dryer is stuffed. Don’t let this happen. Leave out some space on your machine.
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Use Vinegar
Vinegar doesn’t have that pleasant smell that you may want. But adding it on your washer acts as a natural fabric softener. It’s, therefore, able to protect and prevent your garments colors from fading.
But what happens to that unpleasant smell? Well, the good news is that it goes away with the smell.
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Don’t Overdry
It’s easy to leave your clothes out to dry. But most people tend to overdo it. This is wrong! Leaving bright colored clothes on direct sunlight causes them to fade. Don’t forget, drying adds friction and heat to the fabric.
These two components aren’t good for any fabric.