The T-shirt has faded stains, what should I do? How to properly wash and restore color to faded colored items

What to do if the first wash unexpectedly turns out to be faded? This can happen even if you follow all the rules. However, this is not a reason to throw away an item without using it. Therefore, it is worth thinking about how to wash such linen using home remedies and return it to its former appearance.

Anything can fade: bed linen, a T-shirt or shirt. This is especially true for white items that have colored emblems, embroidery or appliqué. It is from them that colored spots appear on snow-white fabric. You notice a similar nuisance right away when you take things out of the washing machine to hang them out to dry. It is at this moment that you need to take action and “save” white underwear.

Remember! It will be easier to remove stains from wet items, so you shouldn’t wait until the paint eats into the fabric.

Housewives are constantly discovering new ways to whiten faded laundry. Let's look at some options.

Important! When trying to bleach an item, be careful. After all, some bleaches and stain removers are very aggressive and can ruin delicate fabrics. First test the product on a small area of ​​the item.

Washing colored laundry

If colored linen has faded or simply lost its former brightness, you can try to “reanimate” it.

An unusual way of “resuscitation”

If you cannot remove faded stains at home, or you are afraid of completely ruining the item, then, as an option, you can take it to the dry cleaner. However, that's not all! Paint will help give colored clothes their original brightness. For example, you can easily restore the color of your favorite jeans. The main thing is to purchase the right dye suitable for the type of fabric being dyed.

In addition, you need to follow simple rules so that your laundry does not fade.

• Any clothing has a label with information about the temperature at which the product can be washed. If you do not exceed the permissible value, the product will retain its color longer. As a rule, things that can fade are washed at a temperature no higher than 30 0 C.
• During washing, you can use dye-absorbing cloths. They will prevent paint from one product from getting onto another. You can buy them in stores that sell washing powders.
• If you are not sure how the product will behave when washed in a machine, then hand washing will help protect yourself from faded clothes. It is enough to soak the item in lukewarm soapy water for about fifteen minutes, and you will be able to understand whether it sheds or not, and whether it is worth washing along with other items.

There are plenty of ways to remove stains from faded items. But not all of them can be applied with 100% confidence. Some “recipes” can lead to the loss of an item forever. Sometimes it is better to go to a dry cleaner, where professionals know what to do with such a problem.

Often, young, not yet experienced housewives have an incident - the item faded while washing, what should you do in such a situation? As a rule, this problem is caused by incorrectly set temperature conditions or dyeing clothes getting into the drum of the machine. The review below presents the most effective methods for returning a product to its original color and answers the question of what to do if the item suddenly fades.

How to protect things from shedding?

Have you bought a new item and are wondering how to wash it so it doesn’t fade? The baking soda solution will help fix the color of the fabric. The procedure consists of adding table salt to water (you need to take 2 tsp per 1 liter). The solution is mixed well and the product is placed in it. The exposure time should be from 25 to 37 minutes.

This method will help industrial dyes to adhere well to the fabric fibers. Also, choose the right detergent. To do this, you should choose packaging marked Color in the store.

Before putting any items into the washing machine, you need to sort them. It should be remembered that white laundry must be washed separately from dark or colored ones.

How to wash faded items - methods for white items

If your favorite item faded during washing, what should you do in such a situation? Bleach and stain removers are the best way to remove faded stains. If preference is given to store-bought products, pay attention to packaging marked White.

Oxygen-based bleaches are the most effective. They are much preferable to those containing chlorine. In addition, they are gentle on fabric fibers and will not harm the skin.

Digestion

You can return the original whiteness to white things that have lost their color by boiling them down. A good helper for this will be laundry soap, which must be grated and added to cold water.

For 5 l. Half a bar of detergent is enough water. Bring water to a boil and simmer for 35–50 minutes. After this, leave the mixture until it cools completely and rinse well.

Washing with homemade stain remover

A homemade stain remover will help restore the original color of your clothes. It works especially well if the embroidery on faded clothes is completely smudged. This product will cope with colored stains and remove the yellowish tint from the product. Removing molting takes place in several stages:

• stir 1 tbsp. l. regular salt with 0.5 tsp. citric acid, ammonia and 1/3 bar of laundry soap (it is better to grate it);
• add 0.5 cups of warm water and stir well until the mixture turns into a paste;
• Apply the mixture with a brush or sponge to faded areas.

After 8-10 hours, gently rub the affected areas and rinse thoroughly.

Soaking with hydrogen peroxide

An excellent stain remover that can cope with faded stains no worse than store-bought products is peroxide. For 1.5 liters of water you will need 50 ml of pharmaceutical preparation and 0.5 tsp. salt. All ingredients must be mixed well and heated.

Place the damaged item in a container with the solution and leave for 40–60 minutes. If the products are not bleached enough after the specified time, then it can be increased to 2–3 hours. This method is good for removing stains from white cuffs and collars.

Soaking with ammonia

An equally effective way to return things to their original whiteness is to use ammonia, which can be purchased at any pharmacy. This option is also the most budget-friendly and is suitable even for the most delicate fabrics that cannot be treated with aggressive bleaches from the store. To return whiteness, if a white item has faded, you need to do the following:

• dilute 70 ml of ammonia in boiling water (3 l);
• put the item in the solution and leave it in it for about 2 hours;
• After this time, the clothes are thoroughly rinsed.

Since after rinsing the unpleasant smell of ammonia remains on the fibers of the fabric, it must be removed. To do this, the product is hung out to dry in the fresh air.

Washing with potassium permanganate

Another way to bleach fabric is to use potassium permanganate. Despite the fact that this product has a pink color, diluted in a weak concentration it can restore the original whiteness of the product. To prepare the mixture, you need to add a few crystals of the pharmaceutical drug to a bucket of very hot water. The mixture should be mixed well, otherwise streaks may remain on the fabric.

For greatest effectiveness, you can supplement the solution with grated shavings from laundry soap (70%) or any washing powder. Place faded clothing in a bucket and keep it there for 3 hours. To make the effect of the mixture even stronger, you need to close the container with a tight lid. After the specified time, products that have lost their original appearance should be rinsed thoroughly.

Since potassium permanganate in combination with detergent makes fabric fibers stiff, you can add fabric softener to the water during the last rinse. Any will do (Lenor, Dosia, Cotico, Stork, Eared Nyan, etc.). This method can also be used to whiten baby clothes.

Whitening with aspirin

An excellent stain remover to keep on hand is regular aspirin. In order to remove faded items, you need to crush several tablets of acetylsalicylic acid and dilute them with water in a ratio of 1 to 2. The amount of aspirin will depend on the size of the damage to the fabric.

Apply the resulting mixture to the stain with a brush or sponge, gently rubbing into it. The acid contained in the tablets will help restore the original color. After 25–30 minutes, the item should be rinsed well. This method is great for removing faded stains from collars and cuffs.

How to restore colored items?

It is much more difficult to return the original shade to colored products. In this case, you should not only preserve the original appearance of the item, but also remove the paint from it. The effective methods listed below will help you do this.

Ammonia

Ammonia (aka ammonia) will help restore fresh color. To do this, you need to use the following recommendations:

• dilute 50 ml. ammonia in 5 liters of warm water;
• place the damaged item in a container;
• after 1.5 hours, the product is removed and rinsed well;

Dry clothes in the fresh air, hanging them in such a way that direct sunlight does not fall on the laundry. Exposure to ultraviolet radiation can change the original color of your favorite blouse or skirt.

Chalk

Regular chalk will help give a fresh look to faded clothes. To do this, you need to grind it and dilute it with warm water. The color of the chalk must completely match the color of the damaged item. For 5 liters of liquid you should take 100–150 g of chalk.

The laundry is soaked in the resulting mixture for about 4–5 hours, after which it is rinsed in water with the addition of a bite (4 tablespoons of essence per 7 liters of liquid). This additive will help the color to take hold in the fabric for a long time.

Dish detergent

Using dish soap to restore the original shade of colored items is only advisable if the stains are not so pronounced. If the stains are very slight, you can use regular 70% laundry soap.

How to use dishwashing detergent? To do this, you need to wet the faded items with warm water, apply the detergent composition to a sponge and blot the stains with it. Leave the products in this form for about 3 hours. After this, things need to be rinsed well. To consolidate the result, it is recommended to wash them in a machine with regular powder.

In addition, you can resort to the help of special stain removers, which are designed to restore colored items to their original shade. As mentioned earlier, they are all labeled Color. The following products are most effective for faded laundry:

• ACE Oxi Magic;
• Vanish color protect;
• Amway PreWash Spray;
• Astonish OXY PLUS;
• Sarma Active 5 in 1.

All of the listed products quickly and effectively return the original color to the laundry.

Method for two-color clothes

What to do if two-color clothes have lost their original colors or stains appear after washing? In this case, you can take the help of green tea. For the procedure you will need 5 sachets, which must be brewed in 4 liters of boiling water. Cool the water slightly and soak the faded item in it. After 2 hours, take the item out and rinse well.

Such a “misfortune” can happen even to the most experienced housewife. A red sock that accidentally gets into the washing machine with white clothes causes an unpleasant surprise. Snow-white linen becomes covered with pink spots. Or even more trouble - an indigo-colored dress turns dirty blue after washing.

Will this be an irreparable loss for the wardrobe, or is there hope to return your favorite item to service?

Is it possible to cope with the problem?

If the clothes are faded, this is not a death sentence. In most cases it is not difficult to repair, but it depends on the extent of the damage caused.

Dry cleaning is not our choice. We will save money by fixing the situation ourselves. Means for saving things that have come into contact with third-party dyes or that have lost their own are available in industrial production and at home.

Important! If the item has faded again, you should not use one of the restoration methods listed below again. Otherwise, the fabric will deteriorate, and you will have to say goodbye to the item of clothing.

Store-bought drugs:

• oxygen bleaches;
• chlorine bleaches;
• white;
• stain removers for colored fabrics;
• universal color restorers.

Industrial products are significantly more expensive than traditional ones.
The most popular and effective methods used at home to restore damaged clothing:

• several repeated washes in cold water;
• ammonia solution;
• a mixture of starch, salt, soap and citric acid;
• a solution of 6 percent hydrogen peroxide with washing powder;
• soda.

Important! If the item has faded, what to wash it with depends on the original color and type of fabric.

White thing

We will talk about methods that are acceptable specifically for saving white things. With their help, the path to solving the problem of discoloration. In addition to the methods listed below, you can also use universal ones, suitable for clothes of any color.

1 way
White.
How to use: Soak the item in the solution for 20–25 minutes, then wash.

Method 2
Bleach. Oxygen and chlorine-containing ones are available on the market. The efficiency is much higher for the former.
How to use: Follow the instructions carefully. As a rule, to obtain a whitening effect, you need no more than 6 hours of soaking. Rinse.

3 way

• citric acid – 1 tbsp. l;
• laundry soap (in the form of shavings) – 1 tbsp. l;
• starch - 1 tbsp. l.;
• salt – ½ tbsp. l.

How to use:

• mix the ingredients in 3 liters of hot water;
• lubricate the stain and wait 12-14 hours;
• wash and rinse thoroughly.

Peculiarities:

• Most types of tissue can be restored;
• The method is applicable not only to combat dye stains, but also to get rid of traces of the natural yellowing process of white fabrics over time.

4 way

• soda – 15 g;
• laundry soap – 40 g.

How to use:

• dissolve soda and soap in 5 liters of water;
• Immerse clothes in the mixture and simmer over low heat for about 2 hours;
• rinse in cool water.

5 way

• ammonia – 20 ml;
• hydrogen peroxide – 200 ml.

How to use:

• pour the ingredients into 10 liters of water;
• Place the laundry in the solution and boil.

Peculiarities:

• It is impossible to subject an item to this procedure more than 3 times;
• This method is not suitable for things with elastic bands and various inserts that can be damaged when boiling.

This is not a complete list of methods. There are various formulations of home remedies. Each housewife chooses her own technique, taking into account the characteristics of the damage and the characteristics of the substances used for bleaching.

Colored item

When solving the issue of restoring a colored item, more gentle methods are needed than when returning the color to white clothes. Otherwise, you can only make the situation worse. Here are just a few of the many ways to “resuscitate”.

1 way
Stain remover marked “Color”.
How to use: dilute the product according to the instructions for the product. Soak the item in the resulting solution (usually from 40 minutes to several hours). Wash and rinse thoroughly.

Method 2 – helps return clothes to their “native” color.
Color restorer.
How to use: strictly follow the manufacturer's recommendations.
Peculiarities:

• this type of product contains strong chemicals, so you must adhere to safety precautions;
• Immediately after treatment, the item may become gray, but then the color is restored.

Method 3 - can be used not only as a way to restore plain clothes, but also things of two colors and even more multi-colored ones.
Ammonia – 10 ml.
How to use:

• add ammonia to water (5 liters);
• soak clothes for at least an hour;
• wash and rinse with conditioner.

Features: after using ammonia, the item acquires an unpleasant odor, but subsequent washing and rinsing gets rid of it.

Method 4 – for black and white things

• green tea;
• salt.

How to use:

• Soak clothes for 15 minutes in hot green tea;
• the part that needs to be bleached should be sprinkled with salt and left for another 15 minutes;
• wash and rinse.

Woolen item

Items made from natural materials require especially delicate handling. In this case, there can be no talk of aggressive chemicals.

Method 1 – for bleaching woolen clothes.

• 3% hydrogen peroxide or
• baking soda.

How to use:

• Mix peroxide and water 1 to 8. You can use soda as an active ingredient.
• Soak the woolen item for 2-3 hours.
• Rinse the item and wash it.

Method 2 – can be used to process wool that has lost color in skeins, before creating the item.

• laundry soap;
• vinegar.

How to use:

• Boil the wool in a soapy solution.
• Rinse in warm water.
• Rinse again, only in cold water and vinegar.

3 way
Crushed chalk – 1 kg per half kilo of wool.
How to use: Dissolve chalk in 3 liters of cold water. Place the item in the solution and stir occasionally. Rinse thoroughly in cool water.

The problem can be solved by resorting to the help of industry. There are special stain removers on sale for things made of this material.

Item made of angora or viscose

When working with angora, the rules for handling all woolen items apply, but in this case you need to be especially delicate. Viscose also requires careful handling.
Therefore, the possibilities for restoring the color of such clothing are very limited.

1 way
Mild detergent or shampoo.
How to use: Repeated washing can solve the problem if done as soon as possible.

Method 2
Laundry soap
How to use: Apply soap to the damaged area and wait a few hours. Rinse.

3 way
Bleach (stain remover) for delicate fabrics.
How to use: strictly follow the instructions for use of the drug, in no case exceeding the dosage and exposure time.

Express Tips
It is enough to follow a few simple rules so that problems with faded things do not arise.

• Careful sorting of clothes before washing is necessary. Black to black, white to white and then on the same principle.
• You should follow the manufacturer's washing instructions on the labels.
• Cheap synthetic fabrics in bright colors fade first.
• It is advisable to wash new items separately.
• If you soak your clothes in a saline solution for a few hours before washing, the dye is less likely to wash off.

Last chance
If none of the above methods saved the faded item, there is an alternative to restoring the color - dyeing it in a darker shade. Blue or a special dye is suitable for this. Some housewives use brilliant green, but it gives a short-lived effect.

Video

Each garment has its own washing rules. Failure to comply with these conditions may cause things to fade. Colored clothes will lose their brightness, and white fabric will take on an undesirable shade. Don't throw away a damaged blouse or faded jeans. You can try to save the clothes. How exactly - read our tips.

If you accidentally wash white and colored clothes, the white items become covered. The same thing happens with colored inserts. You can notice that the item has deteriorated immediately after drying. At this moment you need to take action. The faster you take on white clothes, the greater the chances of resuscitating them. You need to re-wash damp items, so the colorful pigment will be washed out of the material faster.

Special products for restoring white items

Here are a few ways to save faded white clothes:

• If white items have acquired a gray or yellowish tint after washing, intensive washing will help. Add a large amount of washing powder to cold water and soak the items for 3-4 hours. Wash the clothes thoroughly by hand and repeat until desired result.
• You can wash it again in the machine. Add plenty of powder, oxygen bleach and soda ash. Set to high temperature setting.
• Prepare a whitening paste. Mix a tablespoon of citric acid, the same amount of starch and crushed laundry soap. Add 0.5 tablespoon of salt and grind everything into a paste. Apply the product to stains and then wash.
• Ammonia will help. Pour very hot water into a basin, add 100 g of pharmaceutical product, stir everything and soak the clothes for 2-3 hours. Rinse 2-3 times until the smell completely disappears.
• Damaged delicate fabrics can be revived with hydrogen peroxide. Mix 2 liters of water, 1 tbsp. l. baking soda and the same amount of 3% peroxide. Heat water to 70-75 degrees, soak white items for 10-15 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Modern means will help - bleach with chlorine, oxygen powder and stain remover. Use them strictly according to the instructions when washing by hand or machine. Aggressive substances can damage expensive and delicate items, so test on an inconspicuous area of ​​fabric.

Rescue of colored things

Saving colored clothing, especially items with a pattern, is more difficult, since incorrect actions will ruin the item forever. Special delicate preparations will come to the rescue:

• Color restorers. These active chemicals will restore the brightness of the fabric. They have a strong effect, so follow the instructions exactly and observe the dosage.
• Universal bleaches. Helps remove stains without damaging the color. For example, Amway and Vanish products and brilliant green.
• Oxygen powders. Choose products marked Color on the packaging to avoid damaging the color. Do not soak clothes in them for more than an hour.

You can restore colored fabric using traditional methods. Dilute 100 g of ammonia in 5 liters of hot water. Soak the faded item in this solution, then rinse at least 2 times.

You can save your clothes by washing them again. Soak the clothes in water at a temperature of 60 degrees, adding a large amount of powder. It is important to wash clothes while they are still damp.

Washing faded woolen items

If a wool item has faded, it should be revived as carefully as possible. If washed incorrectly, it may shrink in size. The following actions apply to such material:

• Prepare a solution of water and 3% peroxide in a ratio of 1 to 8. Soak the clothes for half an hour, then.
• Boil the skeins of wool in a soapy solution. Add grated laundry soap to a bowl of water. Rinse the wool in warm water, then rinse in a weak vinegar solution.
• Grind 1 kg of chalk into powder and dissolve in 3 liters of cold water. Place the wool into the solution and stir occasionally. After 15-20 minutes, rinse thoroughly.

Washing angora and viscose

Viscose clothing and angora sweaters are washed in the same way as wool, only they need to be handled a little more delicately. If clothes made from these types of fabric have faded, the following will help:

• Delicate laundry detergent or shampoo.
• Crushed laundry soap.
• Chlorine-free bleach for delicate fabrics.

Stain removers

If there are faded stains on a white or colored item, oxygen powder or stain remover will help. Today there are many brands of such products, the most famous of which are Vanish Color, Udalix Oxi Ultra, Astonish Oxi Plus, Dylon SOS Color and others.

Use detergents and stain removers in this way. Wash the items with regular powder (preferably by hand), treat the stains with a concentrated preparation, then after half an hour, either in the machine or by adding a little shampoo or stain remover to the water. Some products contain aggressive components, so use rubber gloves when washing.

Extreme measures

If the above methods do not help, the problem is solved in a radical way - staining. This can be done using special fabric dyes. The shade of paint should be half a tone darker than the color of the fabric. Natural fabric with a dense structure is dyed evenly, but with synthetics you will have to suffer. The most famous dyes for clothing are Simplicol, Dylon and the classic “blue”, which used to be used to dye jeans.

You can paint a colored item this way:

1. Prepare the container and protect your hands with gloves.
2. Dissolve the dye according to the proportions in the instructions.
3. Heat the basin on the fire to 40 degrees, then remove from the stove.
4. Gently place the item in the water for 15 minutes, stirring the item.
5. Rinse the fabric several times until the water runs clear.
6. The first few times, wash the dyed item separately from other clothes.

It is necessary to select a coloring pigment, taking into account the type of fabric and the condition of the item. If the clothes are expensive and the fabric is delicate, take them to the dry cleaner.

You can avoid shedding of clothes if you wash them according to the instructions on the tags. Kitchen salt will help preserve the color of bright things. Place the fabric in a saline solution before hand or machine washing. Also pay attention to our tips:

• Sort your clothes. Colored, separately.
• Observe the temperature regime. Delicate fabrics should not be washed in hot water.
• Buy washing powder for colored items. It will prevent the pigment from being washed out of the fabric.
• Use conditioner. A high-quality product will give the fabric softness and retain its color for a long time.
• Avoid low-quality items. Synthetic clothing from the market is impregnated with a unstable bright dye, which is washed off after the first wash.

If an item has faded so much that it cannot be revived, and it would be a shame to throw it away, use a creative approach:

• Paint the item a different color.
• Cover the stain with a patch, sticker or appliqué.
• Wash denim with chlorine - “varenki” are back in fashion.
• Increase the number of stains with special textile paint.

It is possible to save even a hopelessly faded item if you act immediately and use proven means. Give your favorite clothes a second life, and they will serve you for a long time.

Is there a housewife whose clothes haven’t faded at least once during washing? Probably not. Clothes trimmed with contrasting fabric, an accidental item in blue, red or black, incorrectly selected temperature conditions. That's all. Your things are “decorated” by faded stains and stains. How to wash a faded item and return it to a presentable appearance? Sometimes washing with a large amount of powder at the highest possible temperature for this fabric can help with this problem. But it is better to use more reliable methods.

Read in this article:

Options for removing faded stains

Different recipes are used for white and colored items. If all kinds of bleaching options are used for whites, then for blacks and colors - color restoration.

The return of white

1. The first thing that comes to mind is various bleaches. Based on their composition, they are classified into chlorine-containing and oxygen-containing.
   Compositions with chlorine are used only for natural fabrics - cotton and linen. They achieve the greatest effect. For other fabrics, they should be used carefully, after testing on an inconspicuous area of ​​the fabric. Synthetic fabrics may turn yellow after exposure to chlorine.
   Oxygen-containing products are much safer. They can be used in accordance with the available instructions for natural and artificial fabrics.
2. Stain removers. Universal compounds or those with a special mark “for white” will help you wash faded items. Diluting the product and its further use only in strict accordance with the instructions is a dangerous, potent, chemically active drug.
3. Boiling. This recipe can be used not only to whiten things, but also to remove stains from kitchen towels and bed linen. Not suitable for thin natural fabrics (wool and silk) and some types of synthetics.
   Pour 5 liters into a large saucepan or metal bucket. water and dilute 1.5 tbsp. soda and 30 gr. grated or liquid laundry soap. Place white items in the resulting mixture and boil for about 90 minutes. After this, they must be rinsed and washed with the addition of bleach.
4. Soak. In 2 l. water at room temperature, dissolve 100 g of salt (not iodized), 10 g of citric acid, 20 g of potato or corn starch and 2 tsp. crushed laundry soap. Soak the white item in the resulting mixture for 12 hours, then rinse well and wash again.
5. Potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate). Helps remove stains from white items. At 5 l. Dilute potassium permanganate crystals (sold in a pharmacy) with hot water until light pink and add 100 g of washing powder. Soak white items in the resulting solution for 3-4 hours, then rinse thoroughly in cold water.
6. Hydrogen peroxide is a real express method. Returns whiteness in 10 minutes. To do this, to 2 l. add 1 tsp hot water. baking soda and 1 tbsp. hydrogen peroxide (3%). Keep things in the hot solution for about 10 minutes, constantly turning them over. Then rinse and wash again.

Washing colored items

What to do if something with a colored pattern has faded? In this case, there are several ways to save her.

1. Repeated washing. If a faded stain appears on colored clothing, it can be removed by repeated washing with washing powder for colored clothes and adding 1 tbsp. baking soda. The water temperature should be the maximum allowed for this type of fabric.
2. Stain remover. Use specially developed products for colored fabrics in strict accordance with the attached instructions.
3. Color restorer. Allows you to refresh the color of black or colored items. The method of use is described in the instructions.
4. Ammonia. To 5 yrs. add half a glass of ammonia to water at room temperature and soak the faded items in the prepared solution for 2 hours. The container must be tightly closed with a lid. Then rinse thoroughly in cold running water. It is better to perform this procedure outdoors or use a respirator.

If all of the above methods fail, then faded items can always be repainted.