When you wash dark clothes for the first time - use cold water and put salt in the water. The salt helps set the color. When I want to brighten dark clothes after they have been washed several times, I repeat the procedure (salt in cold water when washing).
This tip is from 2001 so I am not sure if Lou is still with us or not. I did however find this tip on an extension site recently and the recommendation was 1/2 cup of salt.
This page contains the following solutions.
Use 2 Tbsp. turpentine and 1 small handful of salt. Pour boiling water over this mixture. Put garment or cloth in and saturate. Let it soak until the water gets cold.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
Many people recommend either vinegar or salt, but no one ever says "how much" to put in a washer load or even in a big pot. Will some one please give us that information in a usable form? Do you put in a cup or a whole gallon bottle of vinegar or a whole box of salt?
By Karahana
I have always put one cup of salt in the water. I've never tried using vinegar, so I don't know how much of it to put in. Also, after I've dyed the fabric (using the clothes washer) I run them through another washing cycle using cold water before putting them in the dryer.
I had dyed two pairs of jeans using Rit dyes, one pair was purple and the other was turquois. Both bled badly as I began to wash them for the first time. So I tried washing each pair separately in cold water, using 1 TBSP of Woolite in a gallon of water, and then in the rinse I dissolved 1/2 Cup of Epsom Salt in a gallon or so of cold water and put a pair in it. There was no further bleeding!! I did a second rinse in cold water and there also was no bleeding. I think that the Epsom Salt rinse may have finally set the dyes!
My understanding is to use:
Salt for plant based fabrics like Cotton.
Vinegar for animal sourced fabrics like Wool or Silk.
and get this, Liquid Dish Soap for Synthetics like Spandex or Lycra.
As far as the amounts go you don't need to use a ton, but you do want to create a fairly strong solution in a large enough amount to saturate whatever you are dying. I guess ratio wise it would be about a tea spoon to a cup or so give or take. Sorry if that doesn't help much. It's been many many years since I dyed fabrics for costumes for stage performances.
I brought a pair of flannelette sheets, they have been washed twice.
When you sweat at night, the dye comes out on your skin. Any idea how to stop it?
By Val S from Deception Bay, Qld
Find the receipt and take back to the store. If you decide to keep the sheets, do not ever wash them with something else.
I have heard soaking in salted water or vinegar + water will help to set the dye, but I wouldn't trust this method.
Soak the sheets for several hours in vinegar and cold water.
Something else to consider is that your sweat may be unusually acidic. To correct that, eat more vegetables and drink lemon juice in water.
In my experience: If you wash the sheets by themselves in hot water setting of your clothes washer and add a cup of vinager to the cycle. Dry them in the hottest dryer setting you have, then it will set the dye in the fabric. Please let us know if it works for you.
There is no need to return the sheets. Do as others have suggested and wash them in hot water with vinegar. I would add several cups, because when people dye things, they use a ratio of at least one cup of vinegar to 8 cups of water.
Does anyone know how to stop color bleeding from clothes when washing them. Is there any way to stabilize the colored fabric so it will no longer run? Hoping someone has answer for me and thanks in advance if you do.
If you put a cup of vinegar in your wash water it will reduce color runoff onto other fabrics. Just make sure that you do not add chlorine bleach, as it will cause a chemical reaction.
Wendy
I wash only with cold water, which means no running colours. If I have to use warm I add salt to the water. Susan from Hamilton
When i worked in a children's clothing store, we always told the customers to soak clothing that had the potential to run (like bright reds) in a solution of 1/2 cup vinegar per 1 gallon of water for 30 minutes before washing. Supposedly any dye that would come out should be taken care of by this, and the rest of the dye would be set - though I've never tried it personally, I never had any customers come back complaining.
Saok clothes in heavely salted water before washing.
If I remember correctly, adding salt to the water sets the color.
The first time I wash a new item that I don't want to fade, I wash it in cold water with just salt - probably a cup of salt. I will wash several items in the salt at once and I've never had problems with them fading on each other. I also wash all of my clothes in cold water and nothing else. If I want to kill germs, I run the items through the wash with liquid lysol and then again with regular detergent.
Call your nearest quilt shop. I can't remember the name but, you use a little of it in a bucket with water and the items and IT WILL NEVER RUN AGAIN. I wish I could remember the name. I need some more.
I disagree will a lot of these statements. I've bought clothing, and after around the 5th time I ever wash my items, the clothing turns colors....ei: My brown shirt turned orange, my baby blue shirt turned pink. They never showed any signs of bleeding until that wash, I always use cold water and have never used bleach in my washing machine.
To keep colors from bleeding use: 1/2 Tablespoon salt and 1/2 Cup of White vinegar to 1/2 gal (2 qts.) of cold water. Soak for 1 hour, rinse and repeat if necessary. One item at a time will make it easier to check if it will be necessary to repeat the process.
There is a product called Bright White that reverses colors that have run, stops running and removes yellow from under arm area (if it's not too bad).
Do you think I would ruin a pair of white linen (55%) and rayon (45%) capris that says to dry clean only by washing them?. They are lined with polyester and have some decorative black stitching on the bottom.
Thank you.
JJ
Retayne is the product that is supposed to stop bleeding. I haven't tried it as it has formaldehyde in it.
In the laundry section of the grocery, you can buy a box of sheets called Color-Catcher. Although the box says to use a new one each wash, we use them again and again and again. I only toss it when it doesn't have a real color left in it (even navy or brown) and it is dark and dingy. I wash all clothes worn close to the body in warm water (even my delicates) because cold water doesn't clean them well enough. Haven't had any color bleeding except to the Color Catcher sheet!
Well i am using the salt and vinegar treatment in cold water for an hour on a brand new pair of 501s. We'll see how it works.
My black bled into my white in my black and white cotton coat...now it is grey and black. What can I do to restore the white to white and not fade out the black?
ayaba 11 @ aol . com
I washed a red and white uniform in cold water and on the hand-wash cycle.The white is now pink... I am desperate! Is there a chance to get the pink back to white?
Salt! Soak the offending clothes in very salty water, then remove them and spin. You may need to repeat several times but it does work. It is also possible to remove the colour run off from clothes by doing this. Also washing alike colours together prevents the problem somewhat.
The product used for quilts to stop color bleeding is called Grandma's Secret Spot Remover.
I found mine at Keepsake Quilting.com
I am going to try Bright White, based on the above advice. The white collar on my favorite red rugby shirt has pink streaks, even though I washed it in cold water with a cup of vinegar. I will also try the salt trick in the future. Thanks.
Hi, I have a dress that has 3 colours on it. The base is white and it has one line of red fabric and one line of black fabric across it. The red from the fabric runs and the dress has turned pink. I have tried soaking it in cold water twice for days already but the colour worsens . I've tried most of your advice (ie salt vinegar and cold water treatment) but it has been stained to dark pink! I need help!
By soaking in salt water or vinager will it keep the fabric color from rubbing off on to another color while you are wearing it?
I believe the product you are looking for is called Retayne. It sets colors.
One of the above responders mentioned a product called BRIGHT WHITE to remove colors that have bled. I have not used personally, but I am going to look for it to have on hand.
vinegar is the right thing to use for synthetics, but use salt for cotton.
The other comments appear to name the product: "Retayne."
Good luck.
I've worn this black knit dress twice. Every time I wear it the dye rubs off, onto nail color, fingers, and skin. Help! It's awful. What can I wash this dress in to prevent this?
Try adding a cup of vinegar to the rinse water and then rinse it again. Vinegar will set some dyes. Good luck.
Table salt will also set some dyes. If vinegar doesn't work. Don't use both at the same time.
I recently bought a red cardigan and when I wore it, it transferred the red dye onto my white t-shirt. I have managed to remove the red dye from the t- shirt, but I am wondering is there a way I can stabilise the dye in the cardigan to prevent it transferring to my other clothing when worn together.
By yvie
Add 1 cup salt to a washer full of cold water, soak item by itself overnight, then wash by itself. Should not "bleed" color after that.
How do you set dye in a silk garment? I would like to use old thin silk blouses to make a quilt. Some of them just run and run every time I wash them. What kind of dye does the manufacturers use for these silks? I have tried white vinegar, but it didn't work. Will the dryer or ironing help set it?
By DeBushe from Gilroy, CA
When you use food coloring or cake decorating paste with white vinegar as fixative for protein fibers (wool, silk are protein fibers) you want the temp to get to 180 degrees plus or minus a few degrees. Not a simmer, below that. The color will 'strike' at that temp when you have about 2 Tablespoons of white vinegar per quart of water. By that it means the fiber will suck up/take up the color and water will be clear or close to it.Take off heat, let cool, rinse, hand wash gently with a little dish soap and rinse again. Keep rinsing until there is no color in water.
You don't want to simmer or boil silk; it can start to dissolve, but does take dye well.
