How to wash colored items in a washing machine?

Every housewife already knows that colored items should be washed separately from whites and blacks. This is the only way to avoid dyeing and discoloration, cleaning your laundry without stains or streaks. But this is only one rule for caring for bright colors. To preserve the richness of your colored items, it's important to keep a few things in mind. We'll explain them in more detail.

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The easiest way to wash laundry is in the washing machine. This also applies to colored items, which, like whites and darks, are not affected by the spinning drum and other associated intricacies. You just need to organize the washing process correctly – choose the temperature, detergent, stain removal method and spin intensity. Otherwise, the saturation of the fabric will suffer.

To prevent your washing machine from robbing your clothes of their brightness and original color, keep a few things in mind:

• heavily soiled items are pre-soaked;
• New linen should first be washed by hand, as some of the paint will inevitably wash off;
• Before loading the item into the drum, it is advisable to wet it and then apply a white napkin - if the latter is stained, then the item is washed separately;
• powders or gels for colored laundry are used (they should not contain bleaching components);
• maximum water heating temperature is 40 degrees.

Multi-colored items are washed at 20-40 degrees!

Washing follows a standard procedure. First, sorted items are loaded into the drum, then a mode is selected, parameters are adjusted, and the cycle starts. The clothes are then removed and placed to dry.

Traditional washing

The most appropriate method for washing colored items is hand washing. This allows you to clean items one at a time without risking staining red items blue or vice versa. The procedure is not much different from the standard method.

1. Fill the container with water at room temperature.
2. Dissolve the detergent for colored laundry in water.
3. If necessary, first soak the clothes for 30-80 minutes.
4. Using gentle movements, wash away the dirty areas.
5. Rinse in clean water with conditioner.
6. Squeeze and dry.

Hand washing is considered gentler, so the item will retain its color longer. The main thing is to change the water when dyeing and not heat it above 40 degrees Celsius. It's also important to take care of your hands by wearing rubber gloves.

Recommendations from experienced housewives

Colored items shouldn't be washed with white or black items—otherwise, everything will be ruined. While many people know this rule, few are familiar with the other nuances of washing brightly colored clothes. We suggest you address these concerns by following the recommendations of experienced housewives.

The first tip is to wash colored items in soft water. You can test this by adding 25 grams of soap to 250 ml of boiling water. If the soap dissolves quickly and completely, there's no problem with hardness. Otherwise, you'll need to purchase a special fabric softener or add baking soda to each wash.

To wash colored laundry, you need a detergent without bleaching components!

Particular attention should be paid to soaking. Soaking colored tights and socks in a solution of water and boric acid for an hour will remove stains faster and preserve the color. When washing workwear or heavily soiled items, rub them with a mixture of laundry soap, boiling water, baking soda, and kerosene and leave for 7-8 hours.

Here are a few more tips:

• when washing linen items, add vinegar and rinse in cool water;
• rinse pink, yellow and blue in vinegar water;
• Rinse red and blue in salted water.

Multicolored mohair items are rinsed using a special technique. For the rinse, three tablespoons of glycerin are diluted in water. This component will lock in the color and make the fabric soft and smooth.

General advice

That's not all. It's also worth considering a few "general" rules to ensure your colored items won't fade, retaining their richness and color. These recommendations include the following:

• Before washing, carefully read the information on the label - it indicates the optimal temperature and the recommended cleaning method;
• remember the capacity of the drum - do not fill it to the brim;
• do not heat the water above 40 degrees, otherwise the laundry will fade;
• combine colors correctly: red with purple, orange and yellow, and blue with light blue and green;
• colored laundry is turned inside out before loading into the drum;
• You cannot bleach colored items - aggressive components will remove the pigment from the fibers;
• Do not leave wet laundry in the drum after the cycle has finished, as the colours will inevitably fade;
• It is prohibited to use chlorine-based detergents to remove stains, as they will discolor the fabric;
• When drying, do not place items of different colors on top of each other - prolonged contact will cause fading.

Particular attention should be paid to the detergent. It's easy to find powders and gels in stores that are specifically designed for colored laundry. In addition to gentle cleansing, they preserve and fix the shade, making it more saturated even after several cycles.

Colored items are prized for their brightness and boldness, so it's important to preserve the original hue when washing. Our tips will help preserve and enhance the fabric's richness.

   

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