Yesterday, my friend Sana complained to me that the winter coat she bought in last week, which costs about ¥1500 (US$230) was faded, and unfortunately, her other light-colored clothes were also dyed after washing. She is so angry and deeply doubts that there must be some quality problems in her coat.

We used to think that only the cheap clothes with bad quality are likely to fade while the expensive/luxurious outfits will definitely last longer and it's less likely to fade.
However, fibers are fragile and don't last forever. No matter how good-quality of your clothes, fading or aging are inevitable. But with the careful consideration and correct washing methods, you'll be able to wear your favorite clothes until they are out of style. Before introducing how to wash and how to preserve your precious garments, I'm going to explain some things that most people are confused about.

With the enhancement of environmental awareness, more and more garment companies begin to use plant dyeing method to produce their clothing, meaning that they use the expensive natural ingredients that are extracted from plants. Such natural dyestuffs are harmless and environment-friendly, but have a poor fixation and easy to fade. For example, a technique called “ blue-dyeing” is a process that extracts indigo from persicaria tinctoria, then color the fabric artificially.


Due to the poor color fastness, these kinds of clothes cannot be soaked for a long time and cannot be washed with warm water.

Natural fibers like cotton, linen, ramie, silk, and wool are more likely to fade faster than chemical fabrics, such as chinlon, terylene (Polyester), acrylic, etc. That's the reason why many linen clothing fades much faster and the cotton outfits are easy to get aged.

Natural Fiber: Linen

Cotton gets aging

Chemical Fabric: Polyester

In addition, comparing to light-colored clothes, those textiles in bright tones or dark tones are much easier to fade.

The more to the right, the more serious of the color fade

1. First, turn your clothes inside out before you wash to keep them from rubbing together. Be sure to wash them by opting for a mild laundry detergent to prevent fading. Regular-formula detergents are known to contain harmful chemical additives that can damage fibers. Wash clothes in cold water for helping protect a garment's colors since warm water makes fibers more prone to releasing dye to the wash water.

2. Separate your clothes in dark colors and light colors to avoid mutual staining, especially when you use washing machines.

3. Rinse your clothes with clean water to ensure there is no cleaner residue are left.

4. Don't expose your clothes to the sun, dry them in a cool and ventilated place.

About different washing tips for clothes with different fabrics, please head over to the following articles:
1. < How to Wash Down Puffer Jackets > 
2. < 8 TIPS OF CARING FOR SWEATERS >
3. < HOW TO WASH COTTON LINEN CLOTHING > 
4. < 8 TIPS OF CARING FOR WOOL COATS > 
5. < HOW TO CARE FOR LEATHER JACKETS >

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