Faded black clothes? Find out how to revive them using a natural remedy
A dress, a pair of pants, a much-loved T-shirt: even those who love a colorful wardrobe will still have at least one black garment that acts as a wild card and solves a lot of "what-to-wear" indecisiveness. The more often we wear our favorite clothes, however, the faster they will wear out: in addition to structural damage (something rips, wear appears in certain places, it gets covered with lint and piling, etc) - these clothes are also prone to discolouration and fading.
When a black, gray or dark brown garment begins to show lighter areas / spots and loses the brilliance of the original color, it tends to be relegated to use for less important occasions until it becomes a piece of clothing that we only wear at home. But if, aside from the color, it is still in good condition, you could try to recover the item by dyeing it. And in addition to commercial synthetic dyes, there are also some natural methods to try. Read on to discover what they are:
Natural ingredients such as black walnut husk and roasted coffee can be used as a dye, as long as the fabric to be washed is made of organic fiber and is not synthetic. Before proceeding with any dyeing procedure, however (and this also applies to the dyeing products purchased), the garments must be washed thoroughly.
In the case of dyeing with natural elements, such as the ones we describe below, it is also advisable to do the so-called fixing stage with vinegar. This is a step that helps to fix the color in the garment that is contained in the leaves, flowers, spices or plant materials we intend to use for the dyeing process.
- Fill a basin with one part of vinegar and four of water.
- Soak the clean clothes in the mix and let them steep for an hour or more.
- Rinse out well with cold water.
For the dye, you will need:
- 60 grams of shredded or powdered black walnut husk (if not, you can try the liquid version, but generally it is recommended in its solid form)
- 40 grams of roasted coffee beans (not the grounds)
- a gauze bag (cheesecloth), but using a large gauze which is folded and knotted is fine too
- a jar which is big enough to hold the garment
- distilled water
The procedure:
- Fill the gauze bag with the husks and coffee.
- Put some distilled water in the jar (about one third full should be enough).
- Add the bag with the husks and coffee to the water in the jar.
- After 10 minutes, add the garment to the jar, and pour in more distilled water until the garment is completely submerged.
- Shake the jar to make water bubbles rise to the surface.
- Close the jar and shake it again to distribute the color.
- Put the jar in the sun for a few days, shaking it up periodically.
- After 4 or 5 days, remove the garment, wring it out and hang it over a tub or a basin.
- Rinse out a little with cold water (not too much), and wring it out gently to remove the bulk of the water.
- Let the garment dry naturally in the open air.
Using this method, you will notice that when you dry the garment it lightens up just a little, and if you want to, you can intensify the color by repeating the dyeing process a second time.
Do you know of other natural methods for dyeing fabrics?
