# jeans becoming dull in color



## puddlejumper007 (Jan 12, 2008)

i use home made wash soap with fels napa, washing soda and borax, my jeans are becoming dull in color, does anyone know what detergent or something i could use to brighten them again?


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

Put them on.


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## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

You can use bluing. I used to use it all the time but forgot about it. It also whitens whites. I always use Mrs. Stewarts brand.


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

I've never had a pair of jeans that didn't fade over time... the more I wash them, the more faded they get.. I've had some that you'd almost swear they were made white and some blue bled into them.. 

If you don't like them faded, you can always sell them.. some people pay a lot of money for nice looking faded jeans..


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## newfieannie (Dec 24, 2006)

I never buy new jeans. I only like the faded and soft ones. that's why I buy them at VV or SA. ~Georgia.


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## haunted (Jul 24, 2011)

You might try adding a cup or two of white vinegar to the rinse water. Vinegar will cut the excess soap. When you get new jeans, you might also try washing them with just vinegar, no soap, the first time. Vinegar is a mordant and helps set the dye into cotton. Back when I was a kid, my grandmother always washed her new cotton clothes with vinegar and water the first time so her clothes would hold the color longer. ALL cotton cloth "bled" dye back then, not just jeans or dark colors. The fabric will still "bleed", but usually only the first time it's washed.


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## Ardie/WI (May 10, 2002)

For less fading, wash them inside out.

BTW, all jeans fade with time and use.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

It could be because the homemade stuff is a soap, rather than a detergent and isn't completely rinsed out of the jeans. Try washing them with a good detergent in hot water to see if that removes the dull look.


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