wash in cold water on a gentle cycle with woolite dark laundry fabric wash.

you really would think you could but that in the uk since a lot of people wear black...doh my best bet for now is to carry on washing them seperatly in cold water, i'll try the gentle cycle that should help...

thanks

any other suggestions general or uk specific would be appreciated

not uk specific, but...you could turn pants inside out

grey, the other black....

If bleach is good for whites, how about washing your blacks in ink?

it's simple and it works. the solution is to add a cup of table salt with your wash. i put about a cup with a medium to large load. you should add it in when the water is just coming into the load, or else your clothes might be soaked in too much salt if there isn't enough water in the load when you add it... anyways. try it. it works. you do still use detergent.)

but it also works best in retaining the black if you hand wash the items with the whole salt and detergent thing.

...by the way, that doesn't mean i advocate the whole architects wearing black thing. how did that whole thing start anyway and what is the true reason behind it?

designers, generally speaking have been wearing black, it's not just architects.

to be a hott designer you need

black clothes
a scarf
expensive shoes
stylish glasses
and a tiny metal sketch book

From an interview with JP Ramus:

"The reason that designers, architects and others in such fields tend to wear black is that it brings human beings into the sharpest relief.

Shaving heads is popular for the same reason. There is also an aesthetic to black -- it is satisfying to the senses."

What 'bout fatter people, like me, who have very less 'relief'????

I'm concerned about the salt damaging my washing machine, sounds like you use a top loading machine.

what would the salt do to a side loading machine? excuse my ignorance... i've never really used a side loading machine before...
maybe you can dissolve the salt in a bowl before loading it into the machine? or... handwash your favourite black clothing. it'll last longer that way too, since it's not being battered by a machine..

maybe some vinegar would be better. that way you don't get stalactites in you washing machine after some time.

black colour clothing is helpful for hiding such situations ...

turn down the sun. (and save a little energy at the same time. call me crazy now, but pay me when you get paid.)
or rinse in india ink

don't launder (gag)
btw, landscape people don't often wear black.

Dear friends,

"Once you go black...



With love!

eb

I knew it!

You can also make your own homemade detergent that's a lot milder. My gf and I do this (ok, actually she does all the work) but we make a huge bucket of the stuff (maybe 2 gallons) and it ends up costing us about 2 pennies per load. There's no phosphorous or NTA, your clothes will last longer, and it's ridiculously inexpensive. It also works just as well or better than any detergent I've ever used - and I'm not a stinky hippy by any means.

There are variations, but the idea is borax + water + pure soap (and maybe some other stuff, I forget).

Hang dry, don't use a dryer.

black is green if you hang it on the line: smells nice, too