40p household staple stops dark jeans from fading in the wash by setting the dye

Black and dark-coloured jeans can often lose their colour if they’re exposed to sunlight and hot temperatures in the washing machine.

While faded jeans can look just as good as dark jeans, they don’t always have the same aesthetic value, especially if you’re trying to achieve a specific look.

Typically, jeans don’t need washing as much as other garments as after three or four washes, they will likely start to fade.

In fact, jeans need to be washed every three to 10 wears or when they start to smell or look unpleasant.

Sarah Dempsey at Myjobquote.co.uk, the UK’s leading trades matching site, has shared how to stop dark jeans fading in the wash exclusively with Express.co.uk.

She exclusively told Express.co.uk: “Turn dark jeans inside out before washing and use a colour-preserving detergent.

“Wash similar dark colours together and keep the wash temperature low, use the cold setting if necessary.

“Occasionally, soaking dark jeans in white vinegar and salt helps to set the dye in the fabric and slows fading.”

Sainsbury’s Table Salt Bottle costs 65p, Asda Table Salt costs 65p and Cook With M&S Table Salt costs 40p from Ocado.

Stardrops White Vinegar Multi-Purpose Cleaning Spray costs 99p from Asda and Wilko Original White Vinegar costs £1.25.

The reason salt is effective is because it helps lock in colours for longer and prevent dyes from fading.

This is because, during the dying process, salt is used to help the fibres absorb colour.

Salt can also be used on other fabrics to brighten colours and remove stains.

Meanwhile, white vinegar contains acetic acid which helps lock in dye and prevent jeans from bleeding.