Dark clothes will stop fading in the wash with a splash of a popular beverage
Dark clothes have to be washed at some point, even if you wait as long as possible before tossing them in the machine.
Unfortunately that can lead to colours fading over time, making your shirts and jeans looking worn out.
But it turns out a simple hack can give those dark colours a boost so they look as bright as they did when you first bought the garment.
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Dark clothes can fade in the wash but your morning brew can help prevent that. Getty Images/iStockphoto
Mum-of-two Sarah Thompson has revealed she adds a little black tea or coffee during the rinse cycle to brighten dark clothes.
Her grandmother gave her the tip, which she has found to be hugely successful in maintaining the condition and quality of her clothes.
"My kids wear black school trousers and sweatshirts every day. After a few washes, they always looked worn out and faded. But adding cooled black tea in the rinse has really helped keep the colour fresh without using harsh dyes," she told The Sun.
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Black tea contains tannins which helps bind colour to the fabric. Getty
To prepare black tea or coffee for use in the washing machine, Thompson brews a cup of either beverage and leaves it to cool. When ready, she adds the tea or coffee into the fabric softener dispenser or pours it straight into the drum once it gets to the rinse cycle stage.
The best part about the hack is that it's super cheap and much more affordable than store-bought laundry products that do the same thing.
"It costs barely anything – I just use a cheap teabag or whatever instant coffee we already have," Thompson says.
The reason black tea and coffee work to boost the colour of dark clothes is because they contain tannins, which gently tint dark fabrics without staining them.
However, this hack is mainly good for cotton and denim clothing but not synthetic fibres like polyester, as they don't absorb the tannins as well.
And it doesn't last long so you'll need to keep it up with each wash to get the desired effect.
In addition to boosting the colour with a splash of black tea or coffee there are lots of other things you can do to prevent dark clothes from fading in the wash.
One of the most helpful is to wash dark clothes every few wears instead of every wear. Denim jeans in particular can go a long time between washes to maintain the quality of the dye.
Air out dark clothes instead of washing them straight away and only wash them if you got sweaty while wearing them or been somewhere dirty or smelly.
Then when you do wash them turn them inside out first so that the dye in your clothes isn't bearing the force of the agitation action of the washing machine.
READ MORE: The denim jeans we'd buy again (and again)
Denim jeans should be washed less often to maintain the colour. Getty Images/iStockphoto
It also helps to use cold water for a load of dark clothes as hot water makes the dye more likely to bleed during the wash.
Using less detergent than you think is another beneficial tip as too much detergent leaves a residue on clothes that makes them look duller than they are.
When it comes time to dry your dark clothes dry them in the shade as the sun's UV rays are like a natural bleach that makes colours fade.
If you are using the dryer to dry dark clothes the best setting to maintain the darkness of the fabric is a low heat setting.
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