Laundry For Goths

As we head into spooky October, it’s all about black clothing.

The Outline’s Leah Finnegan, former Gawker features editor, laundry enthusiast, and a dark, magnificent soul, stopped by for the final episode of Laundry School. Leah has long been a Holy Grail guest for me, and it was my absolute pleasure to be able to introduce her to some of the more choice terms that we in the Industry use when we talk about indigo. She was absolutely delighted to learn the term “fugitive dye.”

Here’s what I covered in my 88th episode:

The best practices for washing dark clothing to prevent fading;

The products to use, and the ones to avoid, when laundering darks;

How to set dye in non-indigo clothing;

The right way to use a top-loading washing machine;

How to avoid product buildup from marring the look of your dark clothing;

The beastly nature of indigo dye, and some products you might employ to tame the beast;

The rules and regulations as they pertain to the wearing, laundering and storing of indigo-dyed garments.

As promised, here are the brand names of the various dye fixatives mentioned in the episode: Retayne Color Fixative; Dharma Dye Fixative; and Raycafix Dye Fixative.

Over in the bonus episode, Leah and I talked about our shared love of online solitaire and Vanderpump Rules. We also delved into her collection of miniatures and how nipple brushes might play a role in their care and keeping. And, naturally, we indulged in some good old-fashioned New York Media inside-baseball chatter. It was wonderful, and so is Leah.

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