How to Remove Dye Stains From Fabric

Dyeing one's hair or dyeing fabric can be a messy endeavor that can leave your clothes and other fabrics stained and dirty. But there's no need to toss the stained items. With a trip to your kitchen cupboard or bathroom cabinet, you can take care of dye stains right at home. Using the chemical properties of household solvents like alcohol and vinegar, and abrasives like toothpaste and baking soda, you can return your fabrics to their formerly pristine condition.

Things You'll Need

• Mild dish soap
• Water
• White vinegar
• White cotton cloth
• Sponge
• Alcohol
• Ammonia
• Hairspray

Instructions

1. Mix 2 cups of cold water with 1 tbsp. of mild dish soap and 1 tbsp. of white vinegar. Substitute ammonia for vinegar for particularly strong or deep stains.

2. Apply the solution to a clean white cotton cloth and rub down the stain. Allow the solution to soak into the stain for at least 30 minutes. During that time, blot the stain every five to seven minutes with the solution to pick up the stain gradually.

3. Flush the stain and the solution away with a sponge soaked in cold water.

4. Apply some alcohol to another clean cotton cloth and rub at any remaining remnants of the stain. Flush out the alcohol with a sponge soaked in cold water.

5. Apply hairspray to the stain if you are in a pinch. Spray the hairspray onto the stain, then soak the fabric in cold water to let the stain lift.

Tips & Warnings

• Test all stain removal methods on a small, inconspicuous area of the fabric before applying to a highly visible area.

• Mix all products with caution. For instance, mixing bleach and ammonia creates hazardous gases.

References

• Good Housekeeping: Stain Buster (Dye)
• Good Housekeeping: Stain Buster (Hair Dye)
• This Old House: How to Remove Every Type of Carpet Stain