Sometimes we have clothes we absolutely love but are a pain in neck to care for.  White denim is a fabric that I often hear this sort of sentiment about.

While owners of white denim love the clean crispness that new white denim has, many would agree that this is one of the hardest fabrics to maintain.  It shows every stain, acts as a magnet to lint and fuzz, and yellows over time.

Champion Cleaners in Birmingham Alabama is  providing you some information to help clean and care for your white denim garments.  Following this advice will ensure you’re jackets, and pants will stay looking newer, longer.

An Ounce of Prevention

Prior to wearing any new white denim item, it’s best to protect it from the future inevitable stains.  Using a product like Scotch Guard can really help protect your white denim from any future stains. 

Washing White Denim

Always check the care label!  Before bleaching, ensure that your white denim is 100% cotton.  If it is not, do not bleach as it can actually cause your whites to yellow.  Do not use bleach if the item using stitching in any other color but white.

Wash often; a good rule of thumb is to wash your white denim twice as often as your blue denim, preferably after each wearing.  Only wash these items with true whites, never anything with the slightest bit of color.  Even “lights” will fade and the colors redistribute onto your whites, causing discoloration over time. 

Detergent is alkaline which is something that also causes yellowing in whites.  Because of this you’ll want to be sure that the detergent is completely out of your denim.  The best and easiest way to do this is to run through two complete rinse cycles after washing.  Fabric softener also causes yellowing so avoid it as well. 

Air dry your denim and be sure not to leave it out in the sun too long if you dry them outside.  Long exposure to sunlight is yet another yellowing culprit.    If you do notice your white denim is looking a little dingy, you can add a commercial laundry brightener that doesn’t contain bleach to the first rinse cycle.  You also can add a half cup of distilled white vinegar.  Running a cycle with a whole cup of vinegar before loading clothes can help clean your washing machine so nothing redistributes onto the whites from your machine.

The best way to do this is to take it to your Dry Cleaners. 

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The 4 Fundamentals of caring for your clothes

Perhaps the most important tip I can give is DO NOT put away your clothes after the change in seasons without first cleaning them. Anything that’s been worn, even a little, has been exposed to the elements (dust, dirt, pollen) and perhaps food spills. If you have worn the clothes, it is practically impossible to not contact with your skin and, therefore, transfer body oil to your clothes.

If you leave that sweater or shirt you wore just once hanging in your closet until the cooler months next Fall, you could find an unwanted surprise for football season. The contaminants left in clothes can cause fabrics and fibers to deteriorate. This can also result in stains that are more difficult, sometimes impossible, to remove because they weren’t removed sooner. Food particles and perspiration will encourage moths to live and breed in your clothes. Their offspring will make a feast out of the natural fibers like wool and leather and leave those tell-tale holes in your clothes.

Don’t forget about those ski duds from your winter trip.

Textiles need air to thrive. That means you should not store your clothes in the plastic bags that protect your garments when we get them back to you. The sole purpose of the plastic bags is to keep your clothes clean and protected until you get them home.

Don’t store your clothes when the seasons change in the plastic bags that we use. That includes the large bags covering each order and the individual bags we use to protect sweaters.

If you leave the bags on your clothes, it is possible for discoloration of the fabric and even encourages the growth of mold since circulating fresh air helps reduce the possibility of mold growth. You can have similar problems if you store off-season clothes in airtight plastic containers or so-called “space bags.”

Even cramming too many garments in your closet reduces the air circulating around your clothes which can be bad for them.

So that suit coat, pants or shirt has wrinkles and needs an iron or steamer to make them look right. If you don’t clean your clothes before applying heat, you run the risk of food spills or body oils coming to haunt you in the form of dark spots that can be difficult to remove. In general, stains that have been heated become much more difficult to remove.

So be careful – and be warned – that ironing or steaming a garment that has not been cleaned can permanently damage a garment through discoloration.

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