If you wash us, do we not bleed?

November 4, 2011 8:12 AM

My red-on-white polka-dot dress bled in the laundry... onto itself. Is there any way to remove the pink stains while preserving the print?

Fabric is cotton corduroy, with a red poly lining (which does not appear to have bled, thank goodness). I did wash it according to directions, in cold water, and drip-dried, so hopefully the stains haven't set.

Google has a billion different suggestions, but I'm afraid to do a lot of experimenting that might just set or worsen the stain, or destroy the fabric. Anybody have a reliable, or at least a non-damaging, method for dealing with red dye self-transfer on printed fabric? Thanks!

posted by Bardolph to home & garden (5 answers total)

No good solutions yet--but you may want to follow this thread, as well.
posted by vitabellosi at 8:38 AM on November 4, 2011 [1 favorite]

I've used Rit Color Remover to get rid of colors that have transferred in the wash. I'd only use it as a last resort, though, as it may dull the red.
posted by zsazsa at 9:38 AM on November 4, 2011

bleach pen? I've seen them used to make white patterns on coloured fabrics, so if you have the patience to sit and 'colour in' the polka dots, i think it should work?
posted by Kololo at 11:17 AM on November 4, 2011

Strangely, an hour previously, just in case something comes up there that's helpful.
posted by mendel at 12:34 PM on November 4, 2011

Update: following advice belatedly found elsewhere on askme, I rewashed the dress in a lingerie bag with three Shout color catcher sheets. Stains came out beautifully, and the pattern is intact. Thanks, all!
posted by Bardolph at 5:20 PM on November 10, 2011