It happens sometimes – one garment’s color bleeds in the wash and other garments become discolored. It can feel like a catastrophic mistake, but there are often ways to save the clothes and restore the color.
What happens when clothes fade?
When garments with strong colours are washed together with light-coloured garments, colour pigments can come loose and become stuck to the fibres of the light-coloured garment. This is especially true for new garments or materials such as cotton and some synthetic fibres.
Quick actions
• Remove the garments immediately – the longer discolored garments lie in water, the more difficult it will be to remove the dye.
• Rinse in cold water – cold water prevents the dye from adhering more to the fibers.
• Use dye remover – for example , Rit dye remover , which we sell here at Knappinnålen, can often remove unwanted color and save the garments.
Prevention tips
• Wash new colorful garments separately the first few times.
• Check the laundry list and sort by color.
• Use a gentle program and the correct amount of detergent to reduce the risk of discoloration.
