Discolored laundry - How to avoid it

Discolored laundry, discolored whitewash, discolored clothes, discolored sheets, stains from lipstick, sweat stains and discolored towels. All this is something that can easily happen and that can quickly reduce the life of a nice garment. Unfortunately, clothes and textiles – especially white and light colours – become discolored easily and quickly. Here we have collected some tips on how to get your laundry looking fresh again.

Do not mix different colors

It may sound obvious to avoid discoloured laundry, but it's oh so easy to forget in the everyday hustle. This is especially important for white and light clothes – wash them only with other white or light coloured garments! If they are washed with coloured clothes, it is easy for the colour to bleed and for everything to become a uniform gray / pink / brown.

Choose the right detergent

This is important – never wash coloured laundry with white detergent. Detergents for light laundry contain a weak bleach that will make white clothes lighter and fresher. But if it is used on coloured garments, they just become faded and dull.

The right amount of detergent

Check carefully that you always measure the correct dose of detergent in the washing machine. Too much detergent can cause detergent residues to accumulate in the clothes and for limescale residue to build up in the machine, which can make the garments gray or washed out.

Discoloured washing vinegar

If you notice that the garments are starting to discolour, it may be because lime residues or detergent residues have accumulated in the textiles. If you wash the garments with ordinary vinegar, you dissolve and remove the residue, which makes the clothes softer and fresher again.

Descale the washing machine

Even your washing machine needs a good washing sometimes. To get the best washing results possible, and to avoid discoloured laundry, it is a good idea to descale your washing machine regularly. The easiest way to do this is with special descaling tablets that you can buy in the store.

Avoid discoloured clothing

Too hot water can cause the fibers of the clothes to open and begin to release colour. Therefore, it is important to look at the washing symbols and see what temperature is recommended for the particular garment to be washed in.

It's not just new clothes that can discolour – many clothes are treated with a fixer to keep the colour in place. But after many washes, sometimes the fixer releases and the garments risk bleeding colour. Therefore, it is always good not to mix garments in different colours in the washing machine.

Discoloured and sweaty clothes

If your nice gym top or your nice training tights have become discoloured by sweat, there are some things to try out:

• Soak the garment in a bowl with warm water and vinegar. Scrub the stains with a soft brush and then run in the washing machine. Remember to check the correct temperature according to the washing symbols.
• Vinegar also helps to remove sweat odour and other odours.
• Even training shoes are easy to wash! Just check the washing label before running them in the machine. Wash the shoelaces separately by soaking them in warm water with a little detergent first. Then they become like new.

Make-up stains and discoloured clothes

Fill a spray bottle with vinegar and apply to the makeup stain. The acid in the vinegar dissolves the dirt / make-up. Scrub gently with a soft brush and run in the washing machine at as high a temperature as the garment can withstand (check the washing symbols).

If the stain still remains after washing, try soaking the garment in a bowl of warm water and detergent. Leave for about 30 minutes and then run again in the washing machine.