The Common Laundry Mistake That's Causing Your Jeans To Fade Quicker

Clothes can get expensive. So, we want to take care of the ones we have and get as many wears out of them as possible. Regardless of how much we spend, there are some articles of clothing we cherish more than others. If you have a favorite pair of jeans, then you know what we're talking about. Whether they came from Walmart or Saks Fifth Avenue, you want your favorite pair of jeans to last forever. But the way you do laundry could be sabotaging this. Overloading your washing machine can actually cause your jeans to fade quicker.

Your jeans can fade in an overloaded washing machine because of all the friction created between all the different garments rubbing together. Overloading your washing machine is just a no-no on many accounts. Not only does it cause your clothes to fade, but you can also damage your machine. While it may be tempting to toss a bunch of stuff in your washing machine at once, doing that second load will help your jeans stay vibrant for longer and will protect your machine so you can keep those jeans clean.

The reason denim begins to fade is because the molecules of dye disintegrate over time. This is caused by things like wearing, washing, and sunlight exposure. The dye in blue jeans attaches to the fabric's surface instead of being sucked up by the fibers. So, when you overload your washing machine, it causes items to rub up against one another. This extra friction breaks down the molecules in the dye and causes it to rub off the surface of the denim, leaving you with faded jeans. You should never put more than five pairs of jeans in a large load of a standard washing machine at a time. 

You want to add just a few pairs so your denim has ample room to move around and get enough soap and water to be washed properly. Jeans should be washed inside out on a normal cycle instead of a heavy cycle, which is less gentle on the fabric. It is recommended that you avoid using hot water or fabric softener, which can also wear the fabric down. If you're hang-drying your jeans, keep them out of direct sunlight. Otherwise, toss them in the dryer on a gentle low heat cycle.