Most of us have bought clothing at some stage and faced the problem of the dye bleeding out of the fabric. If this happens with most modern clothing, it may be because the dye was not done properly or was of low quality. Trying to get the dye to not bleed may be difficult. However if you want to try to stop it, this is one method. The most popular way is to mix salt and vinegar with fresh water and submerge the fabric in it. Below is another methods that can work to set fabric dye which we will go through.
There are few things more annoying than buying a new piece of clothing or fabric for a project, and it starts losing it’s color after the first time you wash it! Luckily there are things you can do to prevent further loss of the fabric’s colour.
How Do I Set Dye in Fabric That Bleeds: The Process
PLease beware that this method uses very hot water in an oven. Please take care if you attempt this method, and ensure you put your safety and that of any others in the home with you first.
The materials you’ll need are-
- Citric Acid
- A metal pan
- Any type of wool wash
- A strainer or colander
Here are the steps are given below to set dye in fabric that bleeds.
Step 1: Soak the fabric
Take the fabric and item of clothing and unwrap or straighten it out. Now put it in a colander or strainer in a way that it sits in the strainer fully. Place the colander under the water tap or in a sink. Turn the tap and run cool water all over the fabric. Do this for some time so that the fabric gets fully soaked.
Step 2: Prepare the pan
Then, take the metal pan. Fill it with water to half full. If you make it too full, it may overflow when the the fabric or clothing goes in as it will displace the water.
Now take the bottle of citric acid and pour one tablespoon of it into the water. Stir the water to mix the acid properly in it. Pull the cloth out of the strainer and squeeze it gently to take the extra water out of it. Try to place it in the pan in one layer so that each part of the fabric is exposed to the liquid solution.
Step 3: Provide heat
In the meantime, pre heat your oven to a temperature of 300 degrees Fahrenheit. When it gets to temperature, place the pan inside the oven and leave it for 30 minutes.
Step 4: Wash the fabric with a washer
After 30 minutes, take the pan out of the oven. Let it cool off. When it gets cool enough to touch, take the fabric out of the pan and place it in the strainer without squeezing off any water. The water in the pan may have changed slightly. This is to be expected. This water can now be discarded. You may see the color of the pan water changed because of bleeding. Pour it out in the sink.
Now again place the strainer under the tap and run cool water over the fabric. Pour a little bit of the wool washer you have on top of the fabric. Squeeze the fabric gently while running water over it. You’ll see foams of the washer and there will be no bleeding seen in the water running by. Once it’s done, let the fabric dry.
The bleeding problem should be solved with this method. However, if it seems a bit tough to you, there’s an easier but somewhat lesser effective process.
The Salt Vinegar Method (Use Instead of Dye Fixative)
This method is the oldest and most widely used to prevent bleeding. Here are the steps given below.
Step 1: Prepare the bucket
Take a bucket or pan and clean it thoroughly. There shouldn’t be any strain or dust in it.
Step 2: Make the mix
Fill the bucket with fresh water. Take one cup of vinegar and one-half cup of salt. Add them to the rinse cycle. This mix will help to lock the dye.
As mentioned in the previous section, use color-catcher sheets and don’t put too many clothes at one time. You can also use some of the products made for preventing bleeding of the fabric while washing. However, these are the instant home remedies for this problem.
Effective Tips for Prevent Bleeding in Fabric
Dye and fabric usually are not best friends because of their many element differences. But as techniques are evolved, people have found many faithful ways to set the desired dye on the fabric properly. Still, if it bleeds, the solution is not far.
1. Salt and Vinegar are Good, But Not Always
Salt and vinegar solutions doesn’t always work for commercially dyed fabrics. You can follow some suggestions to protect other fabrics from the fabric that bleeds. To ensure which fabric will bleed it’s suggested to test the possible garments if it’s colorfast or not before mixing it with other garments.
2. Match Color Before Washing
Also, it’s always better to wash the same colored clothes together. Dark-colored garments should always wash separately so that if any dye bleeds, it won’t hamper much.
3. Washing Inside Out
As fading usually happens on the outside, you can turn the garment upside down while washing.
4. Keep Space in Washing Machine
The lesser friction is the chance of lesser mishaps. So never overfill the washing machine. You can also use a color catcher to trap incidental dyes while washing.
5. Coldwater and Fast Drying
It’s always suggested to wash the clothes in cold water. Coldwater tires to prevent dye bleeding. As soon as your clothes will dry, take them inside to protect them from unnecessary UV rays.
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers (FAQ)
1. Is baking soda useful to prevent color bleeding?
Baking soda is a whitening product. It helps to remove color or dye stains. But it’s harmful to clothes as it hampers the smoothness and glaze of the fabric. It will stop dye bleeding but the problem is it’ll not only prevent bleeding but also dampen the color of the fabric.
2. What colors often bleed in the wash?
The answer is not obvious. But usually, dark-colored clothes often bleed. Though, it’s regarded that red dyes are most likely to bleed among all other colors. Clothes that have fiber-reactive dyes are less likely to bleed.
Conclusion
Dye Bleeding of fabrics may seem troublesome while washing. We tried to cover every necessary detail related to this problem. By following the steps, we hope that you’ll be able to get rid of this very common issue easily.
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