Does dry-cleaning induce colorfastness?

November 26, 2007 12:32 PM

Will dry-cleaning cause my comforter cover to be colorfast?

I have a new comforter cover that is very bright blue with a thin, white-lined flower design.

It is very hard for me to wash it on delicate, as I do not have my own washer-dryer. I also worry that, even on delicate, the blue will run into the white; it has already gotten a tad moist, and this has occurred.

I am okay with dry-cleaning initially, but this will ick me out (and be a pain) in the long run. If I dry-clean once, will this affect its color fastness at all?

posted by unknowncommand to home & garden (4 comments total)

I've never heard of dry cleaning causing colorfastness, but the link says for care of the cover:

Machine wash ,hot 140°F (60°C).
Do not bleach.
Iron, high temperature.
Do not dryclean.
Tumble dry, normal.

I wonder why it recommends hot if it's already running with spot cleaning. I say take it to a laundromat and wash on cold and dump a pint or two of white vinegar in with the wash cycle.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 12:47 PM on November 26, 2007

I have never heard that basic dry-cleaning improves color-fastness. I believe it just avoids the discoloration that might occur with ordinary washing.

You could ask your dry cleaner. I know there are protective coatings for furniture, as well as spray on ones like Scotch-Gard. But even if there is some kind of special protective treatment you or your dry cleaner could apply, I doubt it would survive regular washing.

One idea is to contact the manufacturer and ask them if there's anything you can do it prevent the discoloration you're already seeing.

Another idea is Rit Color Brightener, which claims to be safe enough to use with every wash.

Personally, I would just wash it separately on delicate in cold water, even at the laundromat. Or I would say screw it and get a less persnickety comforter cover. But that's me.
posted by ottereroticist at 12:50 PM on November 26, 2007

Best thing you can do is get yourself some Shout Color Catchers. They are seriously some of the best damn things ever. You put them in the wash with whatever the potentially offending item might be and they suck up any dye that bleeds out, preventing it from migrating onto other parts of the wash.

Obviously, I would use a cold water wash on the duvet cover, and not let it sit in the machine after it stops. But some items just never become totally colourfast.

I have a duvet cover that requires drycleaning (it's a heavy kind of brocaded fabric). And let me tell you, it SUCKS. Don't go down that road if you don't have to. It costs me upwards of $75 each time you do it, and if my experience demonstrates anything, you will become a screaming lunatic anytime a dog or kid gets near your bed. ;)

that's why the duvet cover now lives in the closet and our bedroom is no longer coordinated...
posted by dancinglamb at 4:34 PM on November 26, 2007

Is the white a printed design? If so, the blue dye washing out of the fabric won't affect it.

I'd turn it inside out and wash it in cold water.
posted by yohko at 8:34 PM on November 26, 2007