Laurel in the washing machine, the miraculous ingredient for your colorful clothes
How to restore bright color to clothes that have lost color? Here is the simple and natural remedy that will save your clothes.
It often happens that you have clothes in excellent condition but, due to incorrect washing or drying in the sun, they may have lost their beautiful bright color. If they are in good condition, throwing them away would be a shame. But how can we restore its former bright color without resorting to fabric dyes? Simple, with bay leaves.
Laurel against faded fabrics
Many of the most well-known and used home remedies include the use of bay leaf, among other ingredients. A very old plant, already used in the time of ancient Greece, with a thousand properties and a thousand uses, widely used especially in the kitchen but which also lends itself very well to other functions. Among these is the use of bay leaves in laundry .
Its properties allow, with a few leaves, to disinfect clothing, eliminate the most stubborn odors and, naturally, revive the colors of fabrics.
Our grandmothers have passed on to us many home methods, known as “grandmother’s remedies.” Among these, there are some that allow you to take care of your clothes in the best way and with ingredients available to everyone. While more attention is always paid to darker garments to prevent them from fading, the same attention should be given to colored garments, which can lose the brightness of their colors over time.
The reasons for the loss of color in fabrics can be different , starting with the temperature of the water, perhaps too hot, frequent washing, the use of too aggressive detergents or simply drying in the sun. Despite the damage, it can still be remedied without resorting to fabric dyes, which would be useless in the case of garments with textures or patterns.
How to use bay leaf on machine washable clothing
Instead of throwing away clothes that have lost their original color, you can give them new life by restoring their shine with bay leaves. Bay leaves are, to say the least, very useful for returning clothes to their original color . They can be used in different ways, some people put the leaves directly into the basket, while others boil them to obtain a decoction. The decoction itself turns out to be the most effective method for discolored clothes .
Preparing it is very simple and the ingredients are easily available, probably present in most homes. To make the colors of your clothes shine again, you need some bay leaves (about ten should be enough), a little water and a little baking soda .
The process is easy to do. In fact, all you have to do is fill a saucepan with water to which you will add the bay leaves and 4 tablespoons of baking soda. Once all the ingredients have been added, it is time to put the saucepan on the heat and wait for the water to boil .
Once the water starts to boil, you will have to “cook” everything for at least half an hour, taking care to stir every 5 or 10 minutes . Once the cooking time has passed, remove the pot from the heat and let the decoction cool. When the solution has reached room temperature, you can immerse the items you want to revive inside and let them soak for at least 24 hours .
For objects that are light or tend to rise to the surface, it may be helpful to help keep them well submerged by using a small weight, such as a glass jar that is not too small to float. After 24 hours, the clothes can be washed as usual , by hand or in the washing machine, and once dry, you will be able to notice the difference. The procedure can be repeated several times without problems, since it does not damage the tissues.