I wrote a bit on this problem awhile back that I should probably add
to the articles available on my webpage. But I'll post it here as
well.
WHEN COLORS RUN
Quilters, who sew little bits of wildly different colored fabrics
together a lot <g>, have LOTS of problems with fabric dyes running
when they shouldn't. Here are the bits of condensed wisdom that I
gathered in my quilting days and that I now swear by when I have
these problems.
First, I've heard fabric manufacturers say that most modern fabric
dyes are designed to be washed in _warm_ water, and may be
de-stabilized if they are washed in water that's too hot -- even
once. (I'm not very good about this -- I tend to toss things in "hot"
to be sure they have shrunk all they are going to before I cut into
them.)
A lot of people use salt and/or vinegar to "set" dye in fabric, but
there are now much better things to use. The people I know who do a
lot of dyeing say that vinegar and/or salt treatments *do* allow you
the comfort of feeling you are doing *something* <g> -- and besides,
they're cheap and you probably have them around the house already --
but they have very little effect on the dye.
The advice to use salt or vinegar arose in the first place from a
misunderstanding. Certain dyes need an acid environment (the vinegar)
or a higher salt concentration when you are _FIRST_ applying the dye,
in order to make it attach properly to the fibers. However adding
these substances _later_ does no good, because the other conditions
for getting the dye to attach are no longer present (lots of excess
dye, heat, presence of mordants, etc.)
For problems with color "bleeding" or "running," I use a mild
detergent called SYNTHROPOL that's used for washing
fabric before dyeing to help remove sizing. It *also* will remove any
"loose" dye that is not firmly bound to the fibers, and it is
definitely the first thing to use on anything light colored that
something else has "run" onto. It's often available from art stores
that carry supplies for fabric painting, dyeing et cetera. I've
bought a half-pint bottle in my local art supply store for around $5,
and it only takes a couple of tablespoons per wash.
Conversely, to "set" color, there is now a substance called
*Retayne*, which seems to do a considerably better job at it than
home remedies. There are small amounts of it -- or of something
similar -- in Cheer detergent ("with ColorGuard") and possibly
others. After you have removed any excess dye with Synthropol, this
is a good thing to use on many washable fabrics, because unlike
vinegar and salt, it really *does* increase the stability of dye that
is in the places you _want_ it to be.
Rit Dye company has also packaged up both of these in packets
containing about 2 Tablespoons (enough for 1 laundry load) and sells
them for something like $3.50 per packet. The Synthropol is called
"Run-Away" and the Retayne is called something I can't remember at
the moment. These overpriced versions are better than nothing, and
they're available this way in lots of fabric stores, but if you do much
dyeing it's well worth searching out a better deal on price.
Dharma Trading Co. <http://www.dharmatrading.com> carries both of
these chemicals at much less expensive prices -- 4 ounces for less
than the price of one package of the Rit version. (All the usual
disclaimers apply -- test on a scrap of fabric first, et cetera.)
* * * * * * * *
There's one more thing. If you have a white item that color has
accidentally run onto, and if bleaching and/or the things listed
above haven't worked -- if you're willing to give it one more try,
look for a substance called COLOR REMOVER. If you read the label, it
will list an ingredient called "hyposulfite." Run a sink full of VERY
HOT water, put a little of this powder in (start with about a
teaspoonful), mix well, and dip your item in. If nothing whatever
has happened after a minute or so, take your item out, add another
teaspoon of powder, and try again. If this is going to work, it
usually starts to work right away. (Usually one box or packet of this
stuff is designed to do one full wash load, so use your judgement
on how much of it to add.)
This is a type of bleach that the Edwardians used to use on all their
whitest white lacy things, and like any bleach, unfortunately it does
have a weakening effect on the fabric if used repeatedly -- it's why
vintage laces and sheers sometimes sadly just disintegrate
the first time you put them in water. Don't leave anything you care
about in this stuff for more than about fifteen minutes -- if it's
going to work at all, that will usually do it -- and be sure to rinse
THOROUGHLY. But it *can* work miracles: I managed to save a bread
cloth bordered in blackwork embroidery that a friend of mine did,
when she bordered it with a commercial black binding that ran. There
was *some* color loss from the black silk embroidery thread, which
became a dark brownish black in places, but the item as a whole
looked fine and was usable.
Hope these things help.
--
____________________________________________________________
O Chris Laning <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> - Davis, California
+ http://paternoster-row.org - http://paternosters.blogspot.com
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