Many people are familiar with the situation when a favorite item fades in the sun or fades during washing. It’s an unpleasant occurrence, but this doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye to your favorite blouse or dress. There are different ways to help fix the dye if the fabric is fading. Let's find out how best to do this at home.
Dyed fabric
Vinegar
Good old vinegar will help fix the paint on the fabric and extend the life of your favorite item. The procedure will not take much time and money, but the result will pleasantly surprise you.
Vinegar for fixing paints after dyeing fabric
We will need:
- Large capacity for washing.
- 8-10 liters of cold water.
- 200 ml 9% vinegar.
Instructions:
- Pour vinegar into the water and stir well.
- Place the product in a container with the solution and leave for 10-20 minutes.
- Take the item out and rinse until the smell disappears completely.
- When the product is dry, iron it from the inside, choosing a temperature for a specific type of fabric.
Dyed fabric
This is the easiest and most effective way to fix paint on fabric with vinegar. Important! Dyeing or color fixing is done on washed clothes.
How to test fabric for color fastness?
Sometimes you need to fix the color before you start wearing a dress or blouse. To determine whether a fabric may shed, a simple test is recommended. This can be done in different ways:
- Moisten a small area (preferably in an inconspicuous place on the inside) with water, apply a white napkin and iron with a hot iron. If colored stains appear on the napkin, the color of the item is weak.
- Another test option: place a small piece (if there is no sample attached to the tag, you can cut a piece from the inside at the seam) in a 10% solution of ammonia for 10 minutes. Then rinse, dry and compare with untreated material. Poor quality dyes will fade after this procedure.
- You can determine whether a fabric is prone to losing shade by dipping it in a warm detergent solution. The water may not color immediately, so without rinsing, wrap the item in a piece of white cloth or an old towel. If the fabric is dyed, it is better to immediately take preventive measures and fix the dye.
Acrylic paint
Painting clothes with acrylic paint is a budget-friendly way to update your wardrobe and get a unique and stylish item. Acrylic paint is often used to decorate things at home. It makes it possible to realize any idea. However, so that the work is not in vain and the design does not fade during the first wash, you need to fix the acrylic paint on the fabric. This is especially true for natural fabrics.
Painting with acrylic paints
Drawing on fabric with acrylic paint can be completed within several days. It all depends on the complexity of the design and the characteristics of the paint. It is advisable to fix the result so that the product is not afraid of washing, ironing, or the sun. We will need an iron and a piece of thin fabric.
The product must be turned inside out and laid out on a flat surface. Set the iron to gentle mode, iron the product for 2-3 minutes, without staying in one place.
Drawing with acrylic paints
This is the easiest way to fix acrylic paint to fabric. Some craftsmen practice fixing paint in the oven, microwave or double boiler. To do the procedure in the oven, you need to spread the product on a baking sheet and hold it for 14 minutes at a temperature of 140 degrees. It is recommended to cover fabric that is too thin with parchment.
Tips for caring for fabric so it never fades
Follow these simple recommendations, and the fabric will retain its color and attractive appearance for a long time.
What should I wash with?
To prevent items from fading for as long as possible, you need to use the following ingredients for washing:
- Gentle powder for hand washing;
- Table salt;
- Vinegar.
Additionally you need to have:
- The basin is the right size;
- Washing machine.
How to wash
Once and for all, it is necessary to understand that colored items are always washed separately. Especially those that can shed. In order for the product to please the eye with its bright color longer, you need to take the products indicated above and use one of the following methods:
Method 1
If the item sheds just a little, then you can simply remove excess paint from it. To do this you need:
- Pour warm water into a basin and soak the item in it;
- Rinse thoroughly with clean water;
- Re-soak for 1 hour;
- If there is less paint in the water, rinse under running water;
- Soak further until the water is completely clear;
- Wash in a washing machine.
Method 2
If the first method did not give any results, and the thing still gives off paint to the water, then you will need to take additional substances. Table salt is a substance that can “hold” paint and perfectly removes dirt. To make the result as noticeable as possible, you need to:
- Pour slightly warmed water into a basin;
- Add 250 grams of salt and 2 tbsp. l. detergent;
- Soak the product for half an hour;
- Wash by hand;
- Rinse.
Important ! This method is only suitable for single-color products; multi-colored ones can be ruined.
Method 3
This is where vinegar comes to our aid again. It will help “retain” the color and minimize the shedding of the item. The procedure is as follows:
- Prepare a large basin;
- Pour soapy water into it, heated to 35 degrees;
- Place the product in the basin for half an hour, then wash;
- Pour 6 tbsp into a 10-liter basin. l. vinegar;
- Rinse the item in the mixture;
- Send to dry, without twisting.
Method 4
Also the “vinegar” method. But now we will not rinse the item, but wash it in a special solution. Everything is done this way:
- 5 liters are poured into the basin. heated water;
- Add 3 tbsp. l. washing powder and 4 tbsp. l. vinegar;
- The product is dipped into the substance and washed;
- It's time to rinse;
- Drying, no twisting.
Good to know ! If you have a lot of different colored items in your wardrobe, you should determine in advance the most optimal washing option for them, and write it down or remember it somewhere.
How to rinse
Another important point. If you follow all the rules listed below, the item will retain its colors even longer.
How to rinse:
- After finishing washing, the product is placed on the bottom of the basin;
- Doused with plenty of warm water;
- Turns to the other side and the procedure is repeated;
- After this, the item is turned inside out and doused again;
- The water temperature drops and the rinse is carried out for the last time.
Fixing paint on jeans
It's rare to meet a person who doesn't have a pair of jeans in their wardrobe. High-quality jeans retain their decent appearance for 2-3 seasons and are comfortable and practical in everyday life.
Often jeans fade intensively already during the first wash, staining the skin and underwear. To prevent this and extend the life of your jeans, you need to fix the dye after purchase. The procedure is done at home.
Soaked jeans
We will need:
- Bathtub or other container for washing.
- Laundry soap or powder.
- Salt.
- Vinegar (200 ml per 10 liters of water).
Instructions:
- Turn the jeans inside out and soak them at 40 degrees (do not put the product in too hot water).
- Add a little detergent (gel, soap, powder).
- Keep the item in water for 30-40 minutes.
- Pour a glass of salt into the water and stir.
- Rinse the jeans in warm water; during the last rinse, add the required amount of vinegar.
- Rinse the product completely and dry.
Jeans
You can also do the procedure using a washing machine. Based on the markings on the tag, set the appropriate mode, add a glass of vinegar and 1-2 tablespoons of salt.
Important! In the future, do not use products containing bleach for washing.
Ways to fix the dye
If you find out that, for example, a towel is shedding, you should not rush to throw it away. You can try treating the product with color fixatives.
The following dye-fixing recipe is suitable for any fabric:
- salt and table vinegar (6 tbsp each);
- water ─ 2 l.
The prepared solution is poured into a container. Its bottom is covered with a light towel. A shedding item is placed on top of it. Leave for 3 hours. Then wring out and hang without rinsing. The dry product is sent for washing, without the spin function.
A simple saline solution can serve as a fixative. It is prepared at the rate of 1 tbsp. l./1 l of water. Duration: an hour or more. After ─ rinse in cold water. With severe shedding, the dosage is increased 3 times. This is how color is fixed in viscose, cotton and linen.
If your bed linen is shedding, you can save the situation with potatoes. There are several options here:
- prepare potato broth for washing;
- soak the item in a mixture of potato juice and hot water;
- prepare a fixative from potato infusion (2 kg of tubers/1 liter of water).
If silk or wool fabric fades when washed, you can prepare a soaking solution of 2 tablespoons of glycerin and 1000 ml of water.
Table vinegar (9%) for 1 tbsp wash. l. for 1 liter of water. The recipe for the combination of salt and vinegar is above. Rinse wool and silk fabrics with a weak vinegar solution. It not only updates the color, but also makes it brighter.
Author:
Zakharova Nina Afanasyevna
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