Question:

I’m King Midas in reverse when it comes to laundry. Instead of preserving my clothes, I seem to ruin them. Help!

Answer:

Oh, the inevitable woes of the launderer. Black jeans fade to gray; basic white tees are forever ruined by icky “pit stains”; and one stray sock can tarnish a whole load. Even the most conscientious among us encounters these problems. There are a few things you can try to salvage already ruined clothing, but the best remedy is to prevent these disasters in the first place. Below are some helpful tips to keep your laundry from getting all washed out.

Preventing Fading

Of course, fabrics eventually fade, but you can significantly delay the process with proper laundering. The first thing to remember: All fabrics are not equally colorfast. Some synthetics, such as polyester and nylon, keep their color fairly well, and are often dry-clean only, which further diminishes the likelihood of fading. Wool, cotton, and denim, however, are infused with water-based dyes that wash away little by little with every rinse cycle. That means the materials most prone to fading are probably the very fabrics tumbling in your Maytag or soaking in your utility sink. But there are methods you can use before, during, and after the wash to keep your colors vibrant, not dull.

Before the Wash

Sort by color. Wash like colors together to minimize damage from bleeding dyes.
Sort by texture and weight to keep coarse fabrics, like denim, from abrading more delicate ones, like cotton jersey and nylon.
When pretreating stains, don’t rub spots too vigorously, which can cause color loss. Instead, blot the area gently, then soak the garment in cool water and mild detergent for at least 15 minutes to help lift the stain.
Button all buttons. Zip all zippers. Exposed metal teeth, buttons, and snaps can abrade and dull fabrics. Open zippers can also pull and tear delicate materials.
Turn clothes inside out before washing.

In the Wash

Always follow a garment’s care label, but as a general rule, dark and bright colors do best in cold water. Because hot water opens up fibers, releasing dyes, fabrics are less likely to fade if you keep the water cold.
Don’t overstuff the washer. Fill it to a maximum of about 80 percent of its capacity for the most effective cleaning, suggests Steve Boorstein, author of Ultimate Guide to Shopping & Caring for Clothing, (Boutique, $20 www.amazon.com. Garments that have enough room to circulate are less likely to be damaged.

After the Wash

To minimize abrasion, don’t stuff the dryer and keep clothes turned inside out.
Don’t overdry, which can dull colors, weaken fabric and elastic, and fray hems. Select shorter drying cycles, and remove clothes before they are hot to the touch.
Line-dry colored clothing out of direct sunlight, which can cause fading.

Reviving Faded Black Clothes

That pair of black jeans is not necessarily beyond repair.
Reblacking is one dyeing job that’s not too difficult to do at home, since you don’t have to worry about overdyeing. Try using Rit Dye ($3 to $4, www.ritdye.com), which works on most washable fabrics. For best results, redye black clothes in a pot on the stovetop — the hot water helps the color hold.

Eliminating Underarm Stains

The mysterious yellow stains that appear on your white T-shirts are most often caused by a combination of the salt in your perspiration, your diet, and the deodorant you use.

Yellow stains tend to take hold over time, not as a result of wearing the shirt once. So the best thing you can do in this case is use a product such as OxiClean ($5 to $15, www.oxiclean.com), following the instructions on the package.

For recent stains on machine-washable T-shirts, create a solution of one part water to four parts dishwashing detergent. Lightly spray just the underarm area of the T-shirt where the stain is beginning to set. Using a toothbrush, very gently go back and forth over the area to break up the stain. Let it sit for a few minutes. (This should lift 50 percent of the stain.) Next, launder your shirt according to the label instructions.

For nonwashable white tops, try gently blotting the underarm area with a very small amount of water, then take the item straight to the dry cleaner’s.

Kate Parker
Home Department