Black jeans are a staple in everyone’s wardrobe but a lot of us don’t know how to care for them properly.
Many of us have experienced the colour fading after a few washes, or taking them out of the machine to find washing powder streaks.
And it turns out we have been washing them wrong.
With this in mind, a cleaning guru has shared some surprising hacks that you probably didn’t know about.
Carolina McCauley - known online as Home Hacks Queen - posted a video of her top tips.
She recommends turning jeans inside out before washing. This means any washing powder streaks will be on the inside.
Her second tip is to not use fabric softener - but instead white vinegar. She suggests filling the container halfway with the liquid.
Fabric softener can stain jeans and over time, leave a waxy coating, while white vinegar acts as a natural fabric softener and will keep your washing machine smelling fresh and clean.
When it comes to the actual washing, she recommends only putting black jeans in with other dark colours and to always use cold water, as hot water can increase the chances of the colour fading.
Her final and most surprising bit of advice is to use salt. Epsom salt will boost the scent of your jeans, as well as help the colour stick to the fabric and prevent fading. Its chemical composition is naturally antibacterial also so it will disinfect.
Thousands of people have ‘liked’ the hack on social media.
One person joked: “No wonder my black jeans have a short shelf life #RIP”
Another agreed, saying: “I replaced fab softener with vinegar. Keeps softener from building up on towels.”
A third said: “I use a cup of vinegar in every load of laundry and it works great as a fabric softener and gets rid of any smells!”
