I have been using this trick for a few years now, ever since I put my wife in charge of caring for my BDUs post-game day. Normally, I am very particular about my gear and how I gear-down from a game but when it came to my BDUs, I just tossed them into the laundry machine and called it a day. I noticed that after 3 or so washes, the color was fading, significantly changing the effectiveness of the pattern on the field. At roughly $70 USD a set, I can’t afford to replace my BDUs on a regular basis, but what choice did I have?

Now, my wife has a BA in textiles and a graduate degree from FIDM. Needless to say, she knows a whole lot more than I do when it comes to fabric. When I presented the fading problem to her, she went into action. Apparently when working with denim, the factory dye bleeds each wash, which is why your jeans break in and fade with each wear. She used a trick of the trade on my BDUs that have, so far, locked in the color of my new BDUs. There is mild fading, but far from the 3-wash-fade that I was experiencing. The following works best on new BDUs but can be applied to old ones as well.

Just a short disclaimer… use this technique at your own risk. I make no guarantees or warranty!

• Turn both BDU blouse and trousers inside-out.
• Fill the washer with COLD water to a medium height.
• Completely submerge the BDUs.
• Add 1 cup of distilled white vinegar.
• DO NOT USE ANY SOAP OR LAUNDRY DETERGENT!
• Wash ONLY the BDUs, no other clothing should be added.
• HANG DRY once cycle is complete.
• Done!
• All future washes should be with COLD water, laundry detergent, BDUs inside-out and hung dry.

And there you have it. So far, the fading on all of my BDUs are the result of use and wear.. not the wash. Ranger Joe’s an article about how to care for ACUs, including a great list of ‘friendly’ soaps/detergents. Check it out here.