Caring for Coloured Clothes: Archive Note and Limits
This is an archive note on caring for coloured clothing. Salt, vinegar, and baking soda do not give a universal guarantee against bleeding or fading and may be incompatible with a particular fabric, dye, finish, or washing machine.
Follow the garment label and the instructions for the machine and laundry product first. Wash new or clearly bleeding items separately, sort by colour, and test colourfastness on an inconspicuous area if the maker permits it. Choose temperature, cycle, and drying from the label, not a universal rule.
Do not mix laundry chemicals, acids, baking soda, bleach, or other products unless the label expressly permits it: combinations can damage fabric, finish, skin, eyes, airways, or equipment. Work with ventilation, avoid eye and skin contact, and keep products away from children and pets.
Stains and colour loss cannot reliably be fixed by one home treatment. For a dye or colour remover, use only that product’s instructions, a test swatch, and appropriate protection; results on unevenly faded clothing can differ from expectations.
There are special products for coloured laundry, including some with a colour-refreshing effect. I use them for especially valuable items. I also dry garments inside out to reduce sun exposure. [Editor's note: Follow the garment and product labels; this personal practice is not a guarantee of colour retention.]