Learn How to Set the Color in Clothes and Stop the Bleeding (2024)

Clothes bleeding color is a challenging and sometimes preventable laundry problem. If you have washed jeans with light-colored clothes, you might have experienced streaks of blue dye on your other clothes. A rogue red item may have turned a load of whites pinkish when they came out of the wash cycle. Learn how you can possibly reverse the damage and set the color. Our guide helps you know what methods may or may not work with clothes bleeding color in your wash.

How to Stop Dye Bleeding in Clothes

If you suspect that brightly colored clothes are going to bleed, should you try to set the color? Some people add salt to a load of clothes to set the color, while some swear by the idea that addingdistilled white vinegarto the wash or rinse water will set the dye. Unfortunately, neither method will work reliably to prevent dye bleeding from clothes or fabrics that have already been commercially dyed.

Salt and vinegar may help during the manufacturing process, according to some science. Whencotton yarn or fabrics are dyed, salt is added tothe dye bath as a mordant (a chemical that fixes a dye) to help the fibers better absorb the dye. For wool or nylon, the acid in vinegar acts as a mordant in the dye bath to help the fibers absorb dye. But neither is a dye fixative for purchased garments made from already dyed fabric or fibers. To keep cotton, wool, or nylon fabrics in good shape, you will need to learn the best cleaning practices for those types of fibers.

Commercial Fixatives

So, what can you do to stop dye bleeding in clothes? Commercial dye fixatives can be purchased for home use. However, carefully read the instructions because some products work in one type of washer and not another, or they work on some fabrics and types of dyes and not others.

Dye fixatives are cationic,which means that they have a positive charge. The positive charge allows the fixative to cling to negatively charged dyes, such as direct dyes and acid dyes. They cannot stick to basic dyes, which have a positive charge, and have no benefit for creating colorfastness.

Best Advice for Clothes That Fade

Some regular laundry tips that you may already practice will help guard against color bleeding and color fading.

• Test any questionable garment to be sure it is colorfast before washingit with other clothes.
• Hand-washclothes separately that have bled color previously.
• For clothes that may bleed, like blue jeans, wash them in a load with similarly colored clothing.
• Do not rely on detergents and color catcher cloths that promise to trap dye. They are not reliable methods, and you may still end up with pink-toned whites.
• Usecold waterwhen washingand rinsing colored clothes to help colors last longer.
• Sort your clothingcarefully and correctly before loading the clothes washer.
• Wash colored clothing inside out to help a little bit with the color bleed.

Why Do Some Fabrics Bleed Dye?

Not all fabrics behave well after they are manufactured and can lose dye in threeways.

1. Crocking occurs when color is transferred as the fabric rubs against another surface. If you have ever seen blue streaks on upholstery after wearing new blue jeans, you've witnessed crocking.It occurs because the dye was not properly adhered to the fabric.
2. Color bleeding happens when the fabric gets wet and dye leaches out into the water. This is what happens when a red sock invades your load of white underwear leaving them pink.
3. Color fading is when the fabric loses dye due to bleeding, crocking,exposure to bleaching products, or intense ultraviolet rays (sunlight).

All of this color loss happens due tohow the fabric was manufactured or because of incorrect handling by consumers.

Dye Bleeding You Cannot Control

If the color loss happensdue to the following reasons, it is beyond your control:

• Incorrect dyeing techniques or poor-quality dye were used during manufacturing.
• The incorrect dye was used for the type of fabric (not all dyes work on all kinds of fabrics).
• The dye was not properly rinsed out leaving an excess of unattached dye in the fabric.
• The manufacturer did not use a fixative or mordant to bind the dye to the fabric.

Ways You Can Control Dye Bleeding

You can control some of the color loss by keeping in mind a few tips:

• Excessive exposure to hot water during washing can cause the mordant to be washed out of the fabric. If the mordant is washed out, it will no longer hold the dye to the fibers. Use the lowest water temperature possible to wash colored clothes.
• Control rough treatment of the fabric by notovercrowding the washer, skipping harsh detergents, and avoidingwashing in hard waterthat can cause micro-breakages in the fibers and lead to the release of dye.
• Avoid overuse of bleaching products, too much exposure to the sun, and excessive heat that can cause fabrics to fade and release the dye.
• Before wearing jeans or any garment that you suspect might shed color due to crocking (test by rubbing briskly with a clean white cloth), wash them separately to remove loose dyes.
• Do not overwash black clothing and only wash the item when visibly dirty. Use detergent specifically formulated to clean black clothing with minimal fading.

Will the Bleeding Clothes Ever Stop Fading?

Maybe. Some clothes may stop releasing dye after several washes. But be careful; don't trust them completely. Higher water temperatures may cause the release of dye even after a few years. Never wash an unstable dyed garment with any other clothes you care about. It's best to wash a vibrant or color-saturated garment by itself to prevent damage to other items.