Does Denim Fade in The Sun? (How To Make Denim Fade Faster)
The dreaded sun. It is life helping and it brings light, warmth, and a secure feeling but sometimes the sun is not always the friend of humans or fabric. Its hot rays can burn the skin or fade clothing very quickly if not precautions are taken.
Does denim fade in the sun? The short answer is yes it does fade. The sun is known for fading clothing, car upholstery, and furniture fabric so it will do a number on your denim clothing items. If you like the faded look you can use bleach or lemon juice to get the task done fast.
To learn more about fading your denim jacket, jeans or other clothing items just continue to read our article. It gives you the information you need to know so you can do a good job of fading your clothes.
Denim Fade 101
Does Stretch Denim Fade?
It is possible that your stretch denim do fade. They just may not look like they are because they fade in a different manner than regular jeans do. There may not be a lot of contrast when your stretch denim starts to fade.
Also, it takes longer for stretch denim to fade like regular denim. That may cause you to think that that style of denim does not fade at all. The secret is that stretch jeans are designed to resist fading. They are to look their original best for as long as possible.
There is a possibility that you can speed up that process and wash your stretch denim material then hang it out to dry in the sun. That should do the trick if you want more fade and less color to your denim clothing.
Does Sanforized Denim Fade?
It is possible that you may get as much fading with sanforized denim that you do with your unsanforized denim clothing. The reason for that answer is that the sanforize process is designed to stop shrinking not fading.
A sanforized pair of jeans may shrink only up to 2% while an unsanforized pair may shrink up to 10%. We have found nothing that says sanforizing stops fading even though the process helps the fabric stabilize
With that in mind, you can fade your sanforized denim like you would your unsanforized material. All options are available to you so you can get the job done quickly and the way you want it done.
How your sanforized jeans or jean jacket will look will be up to your creativity and the method you use to fade them. Just take your time and do the task right.
Does Heavier Denim Fade Faster?
It is possible that thick and heavier denim will fade faster than regular denim. The reason behind this conclusion is that the thread count is lower in heavy jeans. That is one theory about heavier denim.
The true fact is that most manufacturers only brush the dye onto denim fabrics. That means the dye is not set very deep and the jeans, no matter how heavy, can fade quickly. What that means is that denim is only dyed on one side, protecting your skin and allowing you to fade them the way you want.
If your heavy denim is blended with certain synthetic fibers then you may not see any fading taking place. If your denim doesn’t happen to fade then it may be treated with a chemical to stop that process from taking place.
Why Does Raw Denim Fade?
There are several reasons why raw denim will fade. One of the minor ones is that the areas that get creased the most will fade first and probably the fastest. The more you bend, sit, and walk the more the areas around the crotch, rear and knee will fade.
Another reason why raw denim fades is that manufacturers do not spend a lot of money on the dyeing process. They look for the easiest and cheapest methods possible and only care that their product looks good on the department store shelves.
If you don't want your denim to fade, then you need to look for those brands that do not use the cheap and easy dyeing methods. You need top-quality jeans that have been subjected to a very good dyeing process to make sure your jeans are dyed correctly.
Or find the brands that chemically treat their jeans to resist fading.
Will Raw Denim Still Fade After Washing?
If they have not been treated to rest fading then yes raw denim will still fade even after washing. But that is if you do not wash your raw denim right away. Washing your raw denim quickly helps slow the fading process down a little.
By too soon, that is usually prior to the 6 month break in time before you are supposed to wash your raw denim for the first time. The thing about washing your raw denim is that you will get a very uniform fade result. You may or may not want that to happen.
The thinking behind the 6-month wait is to make sure your raw denim fades uniquely to your style. In other words, you are to own that fade look because it is unique to you and the way your body looks.
How Long Until Raw Denim Fades?
It can fade right away but usually, you need to wear your raw denim for a while to let the creases fade first. That may take a month more or less. But you still need to adhere to that 6-month time frame if you want to ‘own your fade’
There is no minimum time limit as even the first wash may begin to fade the raw denim instead of slowing it down. Every wash after that will contribute to the fading process so the time frame is actually under your control.
Also, washing raw denim too soon will reduce the uniqueness of the fade in the creases, etc., and just give you a nice uniform fade. Sometimes you may have to wait 3 months to start seeing any fade taking place.
Does Denim Fade In The Sun?
Yes, it can and that is one of the recommended ways of fading your jeans. All you need to do is wash or soak your denim items and hang them in the sun to dry. This may be a slow process but at least you can control the amount of fade to some degree.
This is a good method if you want to slightly fade dark-colored denim clothing. It is slow and gives you plenty of time to bring the denim inside so that they do not fade too quickly.
The secret here is not to use hot water when wanting to fade your denim. The hot water will or can shrink your material and ruin the objective. Make sure to wash in cold water if you want to wear those jeans again any time soon.
How to Fade Denim Jacket Without Bleach
The easiest way to do this is to wash your denim jacket in cold water and hang it out to dry in full sunlight. This process takes patience as it is easy but also takes a long time to do.
Probably the next easy way is to use vinegar. This natural product, like lemon juice, is safe on jeans and should not ruin them if you forget about them while you are in the soaking stage.
The key to using vinegar is to include the laundry soap. This mixture should help fade the jeans quickly. Just make sure to use laundry soap that does not have bleach as an active ingredient.
Also, use enough vinegar to cover the denim garment and it may be possible to blend in some water to dilute the vinegar and slow the process down somewhat.
How to Fade Denim With Salt
You start with mixing 2 gallons of water with 2 cups of salt in a 5-gallon bucket. Next, you place the denim item in the mixture and make sure it is completely covered. Now you wait 2 days, but you are stirring everyone in a while to make sure the denim gets covered evenly.
After that time period has expired, you take the jeans out and use medium-grit sandpaper to get the final look you want. When you are done that simply hang the jeans to dry.
If you still do not have the desired amount of fading, then repeat the [process until you are happy with the results. This is a very safe way to fade your jeans without using bleach as the solution to your goal.
Fade Denim With Lemon Juice
The next best way to fade your denim jacket without turning to bleach to do the trick is to use lemon juice. This is a very safe method as well as lemon juice contains no chemicals that can ruin your denim fabric.
All you need to do is soak your jeans for a little while then wring the water out. Place the jeans in a quart of lemon juice and let them sit there for a few hours. When you have the right amount of fade, hang the jeans, etc., up to dry and then rinse with water when that takes place.
As you can see, it is not a complicated process. You just need to have a nice block of empty time to make sure you do not leave the jeans in the lemon juice for too long.
How to Make Black Denim Fade
One way is to go to that easy fading solution, bleach. One trick is to put a 1/2 cup of bleach in with your denim wash load and let it soak for about 20 minutes. Next, drain the water after the 20 minutes are up and refill the washing machine sans bleach.
Make sure the water is cold and start your normal denim cycle. The key to using bleach in the first step is to make sure it is thoroughly mixed with water. Undiluted bleach can damage your denim and make it unwearable.
It is possible to use the salt, vinegar, and lemon juice methods. Just keep an eye on your jeans to make sure they do not fade too much. These latter methods give you a lot more control over the fade you get but the bleach method you are at the mercy of the bleach.
How to Make Raw Denim Fade Faster
There are several methods you can try to fade your raw denim clothing faster. The first method is to sleep in them. The rubbing f the jeans against the bed fabrics help rub the dye off your jeans.
Next, you can try wearing your jeans inside out. Raw denim fades faster and better when there is friction. The jeans rubbing against your legs help remove the dye as you go about your daily activities.
Method number 3 has you rubbing coffee beans against your jeans. These beans are naturally acidic so rubbing them should help remove the dye faster. If you do not live in a high humidity zone maybe you should move to one or vacation there.
High humidity levels help jeans fade fast even though you will be very uncomfortable wearing them in such high temperatures. There are quite a few more methods to fade raw denim quickly but we will stop after one more.
Use your microwave. About 45 seconds in the microwave at high temperatures should break the indigo bonds and allow your jeans to let go of the dye.
How to Restore Faded Denim
If you want to get rid of that faded look, the best solution is to go with denim dye. You will need to go with either the original color or a darker color to have the jeans turn out right. Rit all-purpose dye is a good option to use.
You will need a large enough bucket, rubber gloves, and tongs to do the dyeing process easily and without staining hands or the clothes, you are wearing. Then fill the bucket with 3 gallons of hot water, 1 cup of salt, and 1 teaspoon of dishwashing liquid.
Then you ad the dye but only as much that will get you the desired color. You do not have to use all of the dye. Then add your jeans and mix for 10 minutes. When done do a cold water rinse to get rid of any excess dye and then let dry.
How do You Keep Denim From Fading?
If you want to keep your raw denim from fading, wash them too soon using a variety of products. Those products are used individually and not in every wash load. One method is to soak the jeans in water and vinegar.
Or another method would be to hand wash the denim in dark Woolite. Then if you are into some extra laundry work, you can iron your raw denim regularly to keep the creases away.
The easiest way to prevent denim from fading is to buy those jeans, blouses, etc., that are chemically treated by the manufacturer to stop fading. That saves you a lot of time and trouble.
Also, you can lower the number of times you wash your jeans. Jeans are made to resist dirt so it is possible to go longer times in between washings and keep your denim looking great.
Is Faded Denim in Style?
This treatment of jeans seems to have never gone out of style. Since jeans look better when faded it is safe to say it is still in style and not going anywhere anytime soon. Faded jeans have that lived-in look that no other clothing material can seem to match.
But people are finicky and it may be that one day you will wake up and hear that the faded jean style is passe and not something you would want to be caught dead in. Then again, you could care less about what other people think and continue to wear your faded denim in style or not.
Denim Fade Types
There seems to be a label for everything these days. Even fading denim has its own label for each different kind of fade design you can create. One is the honeycomb named after the look you get when the denim fades behind the knees.
Then there are the whiskers and these are long and look a lot like spider threads. The stacked fade comes when your jeans are hemmed so that they stack up over your shoes. The final type looked at here is called train tracks and they are two long lines going down your legs.
Some Final Words
Yes, denim fades in the sun and they can fade through washing, using lemon juice, bleach, or even vinegar and salt. How much they fade and which style you get is up to you.
