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Hot take: I had no idea how much my laundry routine was actually fading my dark clothes

For like three years I just tossed all my dark jeans and t-shirts in with everything else, warm water, normal cycle, dried them on high heat in the machine. I thought that 'fading' thing was just cheap fabric. Then last month I got a new pair of black jeans for $60 and decided I'd actually follow the care tag for once. Cold water, gentle cycle, hung them to dry in my bathroom overnight. After 10 washes they still look almost black, barely any difference. My old ones would be gray after maybe 3 washes. It's such a small change but the difference is crazy. Anyone else ever realize they were basically wrecking their own clothes for years without knowing?
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3 Comments
christophers27
After 10 washes they still look almost black" - did you also switch to a detergent for darks or just go cold water?
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hollyramirez
Yeah I read an article somewhere that said the detergent matters too. Regular detergent has stuff that clings to dark fabrics and makes them fade faster. I switched to a cheap store brand for darks and saw a difference. But honestly cold water is still the main thing. I wash almost everything in cold now and my clothes last way longer. Less fading, less shrinking. It's just better.
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robert_hayes
Detergent makes a difference too @christophers27, but cold water is the real game changer.
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