Worried about your clothes looking old after washing the stains? Here’s what you can do.

Are your clothes beginning to look old and faded? Watching your favourite everyday comfort clothes fade due to multiple washing of stains can be heart breaking. And the question that arises is why it happens and what you can do about it. There are also multiple solutions at hand, which will help you maintain the quality of your clothes. All the answers you need are covered in this!

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Washing the stains
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Some stains are tough and cling to the fabric stubbornly. So, to remove these stains, you would have to treat the clothes with multiple washes. While at it, one would observe that where these washes remove stains effectively, they also contribute to the rapid fading of clothes and make them look old before their due date. This happens because of a combination of several things, including the usage of hot water on clothes and harsh or excessive use of detergents and improper handling of stains. When stains come into the picture, there is an agitation of the fabric due to intense washing and overdrying that leads to their untimely fading. Not only fading but it also affects the cloth fabric, its texture and integrity as well. Let’s explore more about why it happens and what can you do about it.

Before you tackle the problem, A deeper dive into understanding why it happens is important to get a better insight into the solutions. Let’s explore some reasons why your colour clothes might fade.

Keeping the stains for a long time

Once the stains settle on your clothes, we make the mistake of chucking them in the laundry, or worse, waiting till laundry day instead of treating them quickly. The more time we take to remove the stains, the harder they are to remove, which will require multiple washes, and ultimately causes your clothes to fade.

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Not identifying right detergents for different stains

The cleansing formula of detergents vary for different degrees of stains. For light and flimsy clothes with basic stains, you need gentle stain removal. However, for tough stain removal, you need something that is gentle on the fabric yet concentrated on the stain. If you neglect the stain and the fabric combination, then chances are you might ruin clothes by fading them.

Rubbing stains

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Rubbing the stains on our clothes can only make them worse to treat. This action leads to the penetration of food particles in our clothes, making them harder to remove. These damage the frays of the fabric, making it more difficult to remove and causing the clothes to look old.

What can you do about it?

Now that we have understood the concept of why clothes fade, let’s get down to the real business of stopping your clothes from fading. We have listed some essential tips that will come in handy the next time you plan to treat stains on your colourful fabrics.

●  Set the washer setting appropriately

You don’t want to set the machine on a heavy setting for the clothes every time. A heavy-duty cycle causes constant friction and agitation in the washer. This affects the fabric by attacking the fundamental fibres in the yarn of which the cloth is made, leading to breakage and fraying. To prevent this, stains should be broken down in a different way such as using a powerful cleanser. And what better detergent than Surf Excel Matic Power Concentrate Liquid? Surf Excel Matic's next-generation 'Power Concentrate' is specially formulated to remove the toughest of stains in only half a cap (25 ml) and three easy steps. Just load the clothes, pour ½ cap of power concentrate and start the machine. Unlike a heavy washer setting, this helps you protect the integrity of the clothing without fading its colour ahead of time!

● Follow the instructions on the tag

Every piece of clothing has a different texture and material, and hence the treatment would be different as well. The stained clothes are going to need an appropriate wash so that the fabric doesn’t worsen. Some materials like stained denim jeans might fade if they aren’t washed by following some set of instructions. So to get a better insight, check the label tag provided for each piece of clothing. These label tags provide information about the washing and drying conditions, which helps the fabric maintain its quality. Some instructions we look out for are water temperature, cycle speed, dry on low or high, drip-died and more.

GSC Tip: Apart from reading instructions, if you’re washing the garment for the first time, you could add half a cup of salt. This helps lock in the colour, stopping the bleeding that gives it a faded appearance.

●  Upgrade your liquid detergent formula

While you do have a set laundry routine, it is always good to add on a formula that's concentrated just for tough stain removal. This handy formula gives you an easy process for you, so you don't have to rely on quick fixes but long-lasting fabric care. One such stain removal expert with multiple benefits is the Surf Excel Matic Power Concentrate detergent for your clothes! This innovative formula dissolves completely in the machine on its own without leaving any residue in the machine or on clothes. Additionally, this detergent works wonders as it ensures 2X clean and a superior wash with deep stain-removal technology. What’s more? Its new intense fragrance is exotic and has a dewy and floral fruity note that gives a long-lasting effect!

● Treat the stains immediately

Multiple washes can certainly remove the stains from the clothes but at the cost of stealing their appearance and fading their colour. This can often happen when you don’t treat the stains immediately and wait out till, they are set into the clothes. To avoid this, take proactive action in removing the stains before they are left for too long.

  • Remove the remnant food particles by scrapping the cloth surface with a thin element such as a butter knife.

  • Proceed to blot the surface with a wet tissue or napkin and dab on the cloth, without rubbing on the surface!

  • Next thing, you can directly put the clothes in a washer with a concentrated detergent formula having a powerful cleanse.

GSC Tip: Gently scrub the stains from the inside of the cloth to push the stains out. This helps the wash cycle to easily lift the stain out.

● Don’t over dry your clothes

Another trick to prevent your clothes from fading is to not over dry your clothes if you are planning to maintain them for a long time. Over drying is particularly bad for bright and dark clothes as their colours are likely to fade. As easy as it is to let them over dry, stop the process by setting a timer. We also recommend line drying due to the added element of heat and friction during the process. When it is one, the clothes should be slightly damp, and while drying them out in the sun, we make sure that the coloured clothes are hung inside out. This prevents them from fading due to the heat of the sun. This is an everyday useful trick to prolong the life of your clothes because the UV rays in the sun can break down the chemical bonds in the clothes and fade them quickly.

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Frequently asked questions on clothes fading after wash

Does vinegar help the clothes from fading?

Yes. Vinegar acts as a natural fabric softener that prevents the clothes from fading. Half a cup of vinegar or 118 mm in each wash cycle will prevent the quality of clothes. Another benefit of using vinegar is that its smell washes away immediately during the rinse cycle.

Should stains be removed before washing?

Always remove the stains from clothes before tossing them into a washer. Make sure to remove all the excess solid or liquid items from the stain before you submerge them into water.

Can you remove stains from clothes after washing them?

Yes, you can remove them. Soak the clothes in warm water and add drops of dish soap to the stain. Rub both the corners of the cloth around the stain to let the fabric absorb the soap and leave it for an hour. Once the hour is up, put the clothes in the washer and then let them air dry.

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