We all hate to see our favourite shirt or jeans slowly lose the vibrant colours that attracted us to them in the first place. Unfortunately, it’s during the washing cycle, when our clothes are being cleaned, that they begin to lose their colour. So, the next time you’re doing laundry, utilize these tips to preserve your favourite shirt’s colours.

Turn Clothes Inside Out

Turning your clothes inside out, prior to placing them in the washing machine, prevents brightly coloured clothes from direct exposure to hot water and detergent. Also, putting your clothes inside out prevents the surface of your clothes from getting caught on zippers or rubbing against other clothing. This stops your attire from getting pulls and fading.

Wash with Cold Water

Warm water can cause the dye in clothes to fade faster – especially with darker colours. A short, colder cycle is best to preserve the fabric’s dye and fibers.

Wash with Other like Clothing

It’s best to wash light coloured clothing with other light colours and darker clothing with other dark colours. Also, heavier clothing can wrinkle and potentially even tear lighter clothes in the wash. To avoid damaging clothes, separate your loads between heavy and lighter articles of clothing.

Don’t Wash After Every Wear

Unless your clothes have gotten seriously dirty or you participated in physical activity, clothes often don’t have to get washed after each use. For example, if you haven’t been sweating, jeans can be washed after every few wears. This cuts down on the amount of time they are washed and helps them retain their colour for a longer period of time.

These four tips will help you get the most wear out of your clothes and keep them in optimal condition for as long as possible.