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Are your black jeans, t-shirt or your little black dress not as black as they used to be? For the most part, it’s pretty inevitable that dark clothes will fade after repeated washings.
There are laundry products that are formulated to lessen the fading. Be sure to read the product label and look for features like color guard or "for black" or "dark clothes". And always follow the product and garment label instructions before using.
If…
You’ve invested in the clothing that will protect you from the harmful rays of the sun. But are you taking care of those rash guard shirts as well as you are caring for your skin? If you don’t launder them properly, they can lose their effectiveness. So read up!
Rinse it out with fresh water immediately after wearing
Never use hot water, only cool or lukewarm
Turn the garment inside out and hand wash, using a biodegradable soap
Hang dry away from direct sun or heat
Don’t fold or ball up…
To help you out, we’ve compiled some dos and don’ts of hand washing clothes.
Q: I suspect that our new backyard has some poison ivy. If I wear gloves, long sleeves and long pants to protect me, how do I clean these clothes when I'm finished gardening so I don't spread the poison ivy?
A: You are right to be concerned. Poison ivy produces a resin called urushiol. This resin is the culprit that triggers allergic rash reactions in most people. When it remains on unwashed clothing, it is still active. Avoid touching your clothes…
Q: I’ve done a good job keeping my skin protected from the sun, and my kids protected from mosquitoes. But now I have bug spray and sunscreen on my clothes. What do I do?
While that’s definitely good news for you and your kids, it sounds like the family wardrobe didn’t make out as well. But don’t fear; most commercially available bug sprays and sunscreens do wash out relatively easily. First, pretreat the stains with a prewash stain remover, then launder, using the hottest…
Today is the perfect time to stop and think about your laundry routine. We have tips for how to get clothes clean as well as advice to make sure you’re practicing safe laundry habits, particularly around liquid laundry packets and bleach. If single-load liquid laundry packets are your go-to, always keep them safely away from children, out of reach or locked in cabinets and drawers.
Laundry…
Shopping for clothes at secondhand stores also comes with some uncertainty, like questions surrounding the last time an item was laundered, the possibility of leftover germs and mystery stains. We’re sharing tips on cleaning thrifted and vintage clothing.
Whether you’re a first-time parent or you’re welcoming another baby into your home, it’s important to wash your baby’s clothes properly. Check out our tips.
Some clothes are easier to care for than others. Here are some guides for dealing with tricky fabrics, specific color groups, and links to our supporting topic pages. Explore laundry basics and a how-to list, good detergents, and precautions to take around children on laundry day!
Dark Clothes
Rash Guard…
The Cold Water Saves Initiative educates about the benefits of cold water washing, a sustainable action that greatly benefits the environment with little effort on the individual’s part.
What's in it for me?
Save energy.
Save your clothes.
Save the planet.
About 90% of the energy the washing machine uses goes towards heating the water. According to the Sierra Club, every household that switches to cold water washing could…