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Keep the original colours.
Tie & dye is nice, but only when you want to…
White fabrics: to stay white, they must be protected from the light that yellows them. Don’t hesitate to store them in dark boxes or opaque drawers, away from direct light.
Coloured fabrics: To give your coloured garments a boost, add white vinegar to the last rinse water. Or use it as a fabric softener.
Black fabrics: together and inside out is the right way to wash them.
Add white vinegar to the rinse water to fix the colour and never iron them inside out so they don’t shine. To give them a deep black, soak your dark garments in the cold spinach cooking water (without the spinach) before washing.
Respect the shapes
A woollen jumper or a cotton fabric is not meant to be deformed…
Before the first wash: go through the (very) salty bath stage. Soak your cotton T-shirts (respecting the colours) in a basin of cold water with 4 handfuls of coarse salt.
For woollen jumpers: avoid the machine. Proceed by hand in warm water with Marseille soap flakes. Bathe without rubbing or wringing and rinse well, finishing with a rinse in diluted white vinegar. Dry your woollen jumpers flat, between two terry towels.
Despite these precautions, did it shrink?
Only solution : relax the fibres. Not just by pulling it out, but by first soaking it in a solution of cold water and glycerine (or conditioner) and gently stretching the sleeves and edges until your jumper returns to its initial size. Wring it out on a towel and spread it out to dry, stretching it regularly.
Continued on next page…
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