How to Remove Dyes that Bleed into Fabric
Dyes are difficult to remove from any fabric because the very purpose of dyes is to permanently change the color of fabric. Chlorine bleach should only be used if the damaged fabric or garment is white or color-fast. Otherwise, you will end up with a whole other kind of mess on your hands. Before you toss the mistakenly dyed garment, act fast to successfully remove the unwanted stains. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Heavy-duty laundry detergent (without bleach)
- Dish detergent
- Water
- Ammonia
- Large pot or bucket
- Boric acid
Instructions
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Pretreat the garment with heavy-duty laundry detergent. Let it sit for 30 minutes, then rinse well with warm water.
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2
Mix 1 cup dish detergent, 1 cup water and 1 cup ammonia in a large pot or bucket. Test a hidden area of the fabric or garment with the ammonia solution to make sure the color won't fade or bleed. If the color is unaffected, place the affected garment in the ammonia solution and let it sit for several minutes.
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Rinse well with warm water, then launder the garment as usual. Do not place the garment in the dryer until the dye stain is completely removed, as the heat will set the stain.
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4
Wash the garment again if the dye stains are still present. Instead of using your regular laundry detergent, wash the garment by itself and add ¼ cup boric acid to the wash water.
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