Removing colour run...any advice welcome!!!

C

cathy_m

Registered Guest
I washed a 70's printed cotton dress (white background, orange/brown print) with a purple skirt. (What was I thinking!) Of course the purple ran out and has stained the white parts of the dress.

So far I have tried: washing the dress again (on it's own, without drying it in between), soaking in Napisan (oxyclean), washing with dishwashing liquid (googled that one, didn't work), painting the purple bits with lemon juice and hanging it in the sun.

It has faded the purple a bit, but is still really obvious. It's a fairly short dress so I can't even cut the bottom off to make it into a top. So, does anyone have any tips on removing colour run? Thanks in advance!!
 
Oh dear - Cathy, I use a product called "Run Away" by Dylon - if you're not in Australia too, there is probably a similar product where you are. Unfortunately, you're likely to have set the colour run with all your good intentions but it's worth a shot - it's the only thing I've found that works. Good luck!
 
cathy, I'm sure we've all had stuff like that happen! If you can't find Nicole's recommended product, you might try using regular old bleach in a solution of warm water and just a wee bit of detergent? I've had one or two mishaps and have had luck using a q-tip and "painting" the discolored areas--but you have to allow for some spread once you apply it, so you have to paint well "outside the lines," otherwise the bleach may spread into the color you want to stay! Let set a few minutes, then re-paint with a q-tip and clean, clear water a few times to get out the bleach solution, and blot lightly (if you don't rinse it well, you might have a problem next time you wash the item. I use a pretty diluted mixture and apply more than once as needed.
 
Oddly enough, we just did something similar. My sister washed a couple of white peasant tops (60's & 70's) with colorful (mostly RED) embroidery.
of course, they came out PINK in the end.
I thought they were goners! We tried vinegar (which I later realized might have SET the dye bleed!) and oxiclean, too.
So - we figured we had nothing to lose. We soaked them in a bucket with just a touch of bleach. I figured I'd do better if I bleached out the embroidery than trying to sell pink blouses!
Amazingly, both blouses came out pretty well!! After one soak, there was still the slightest tinge of pink - so I know she was going to give them another quick soak... but all in all, I'd recommend just soaking with a touch of bleach. Keep an eye on it -I think we only soaked for about 20 min - and definitely RINSE WELL!
 
Thanks everyone for the replies. I think I'll try painting with bleach next, as I don't want to risk bleaching the print as well (Thanks Anne).
Nicole, have you used the Dylon Run-Away on prints? I looked at it in the supermarket but it was a bit light on information!
Kristine, when I googled, one site recommended vinegar, but I thought this would set it too. Another site said try salt, but I think that would definitely set the run!
Anyway, it's not the most fantastic dress, so I'll give everything a go, and I won't be too devastated if nothing works.
 
I recently used Dr Beckmann's Colour Run Remover on a 70s print skirt that I'd washed with something that turned all the white parts into very pale purple. Worked a treat, my skirt was good as before. I assume it's similar to the Dylon product.

I ended up treating it twice because the first time I didn't use enough water or a big enough bowl, and didn't stir it often enough during the soaking, so it cleared up the run but with some uneven patches that were still purple. So that's my tip - it's like cold dyeing, to get an even finish you need to give it room in the bowl, and move it around now and again.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top