How to Remove Red Dye From Clothing in Laundry

It is frustrating to wash clothes only to discover something red has snuck in the laundry and bled all over everything, staining them with dye. It can be difficult to return the clothes to their original colors, but often the loose dye that has bled is removable. Try these methods below in solving your problem.

Things You'll Need

• Bucket
• 1/2 cup Clorox 2
• 2 tbsp. ammonia
• RIT dye fixative
• Synthrapol

Instructions

1. Check the care instruction on the stained clothes to make sure you avoid using cleaning substances that will ruin clothes fabrics. Ammonia, distilled vinegar and alcohol will remove bled dyes from clothes but they also will break down the natural organic fibers in fabrics like cotton or linen if allowed to soak in too long, causing holes and frailty.

2. Soaking the clothes while still wet will prevent stains from permanently setting. Fill a bucket with 1/2 cup of Clorox 2, 1 quart of warm water, one tablespoon of ammonia and allow clothes to soak for a half hour to two hours. The color safe bleach will help to loosen the dye without affecting the color.

3. Rinse cloths well with warm water. If the dye has not bled out, next use a special dye remover. Try RIT Dye Fixative. It is designed to bind to loose dyes, reduce color bleeding and is created specifically for situations like these. Find it at any drug store, department store or fabric store with other RIT products. Check the label carefully to make sure you do not buy dye remover with bleach.

4. Hand wash clothes in 2 tablespoons of Synthrapol detergent, which is a special detergent used to pre-score fibers before dyeing but used also as a surfactant or wetting agent to remove dye penetration before it sets. It is another way to remove red dye without causing fading on the bled item.

References

• Stain Buster--Red Dye