Are your black jeans turning gray? Is your ruby red T-shirt becoming pink? Has your lime green beach towel gone olive? Of course, fabrics inevitably fade, but you can significantly delay the process with nothing more complicated than proper laundering.

The first thing to remember: All fabrics are not created equal — or equally colorfast. Some synthetics, such as polyester and nylon, keep their color fairly well, and they are often dry-clean only, which further diminishes (though doesn't eradicate) 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 deep, 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; it 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.

If your water comes from a municipal system (and 80 to 90 percent of water in the United States does), it probably contains minute amounts of chlorine. This disinfectant additive could act as a subtle bleach on clothes, unless your detergent has chlorine-scavenging agents to counteract it. Tide, Cheer, Era, Ivory Snow, Gain, and Wisk all contain such agents.

Button all buttons. Zip up all zippers. Exposed metal teeth, buttons, and snaps can abrade and dull fabrics. Open zippers can also pull and tear delicate ones. 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 The Ultimate Guide to Shopping & Caring for Clothing (Boutique Books, $14, 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 — it dulls colors, weakens fabric, and frays hems. Select shorter drying cycles, and remove clothes before they're hot to the touch.

Line-dry colored clothing out of the fading rays of direct sunlight.