A clue as to whether clothes are more likely to bleed and fade is on the product label. If you see warnings such as “color may wash off,” “do not use detergent,” “wash before wearing,” or “use cold water,” chances are those gorgeous hues may bleed.
Garments with red direct dye are much more likely to color bleed in the laundry as opposed to clothes that use fiber reactive dye. This is because of the chemical makeup of direct dye and it reacts with the fibers of the clothing.
Hot water opens up the fibers in clothes to release the dye, while cold water keeps them closed, trapping the dye inside to prevent bleeding. Choosing the cold setting on your washing machine will eliminate most problems with color bleeding, and may also help clothes last longer.
Color bleeding – this happens when fabric gets wet and dye is extracted from its fibers. Often occurring when washing in the washing machine, this tends to transfer dye into other clothes. Color fading – this happens when the wear and tear of the fabric has happened and the dye has lost its vibrancy and strength.
Drying clothes with colors can cause the colors to bleed and mix, which can ruin both the clothes and the dryer. When you put wet clothes in the dryer, the heat causes the fibers of the fabric to open up and release any dye that is still present in the fabric.
One easy way to test if a fabric is colorfast is to dampen a clean, white cloth. Rub the wet cloth on an interior seam or hem of a colored garment. If any color comes off onto the white cloth, then the item is not colorfast and the dye will run when the garment is washed.
Even after several washes, always be sure it is only washed along with other dark items in the future. You can get past the major bleeding stage faster by washing and drying the denim 3-4 times before wearing. The hotter the water, the more the dye will come off—using a little detergent will also help.
Add 1 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle or one-half cup salt to the wash to help hold in colors. Use color-catcher sheets, which trap extraneous dyes during the wash cycle to prevent bleeding. Don't overstuff your dryer. Clothes will dry faster.
According to Speed Queen, anything below (60°F) can prevent your detergent from providing a proper clean. Cold water is the preferred choice to prevent color bleed. Also, choosing cold water can make your clothes last longer by reducing wrinkling, reducing fading and preventing shrinking – all while saving energy!
Washing clothes in cold water will mostly prevent color bleeding between clothes. So why not just combine the whites with the lights then? While it may not prevent color bleeding as well, hot or warm water washes away dirt better than cold water, so your whites stay, well, white.
Take a white cloth and dampen it with a commercial stain remover, rubbing alcohol, hairspray, or any clear solvent that is 90% alcohol. Dab the stain with the white cloth repeatedly, and the dye should keep transferring from your garment onto the white cloth. Afterward, rinse in warm water.
Wash on the usual cycle in cold water. Do not use hot water, as this will set the stain. Always check the instructions on the garment's care label. Wash on the usual cycle in cold water.
How to Do a Fabric Bleed Test. Submerge a small piece of fabric in soapy water—a two-inch square is fine. Use the same soap and water temperature you normally use to wash fabrics and quilts. Let the fabric sit in the soapy solution for about 30 minutes, then check to see if the water is discolored.
White garments, such as socks or underwear, that have been accidentally tossed into the washer with a red garment come out pink. Fortunately, It is possible to "set" the dye in a red fabric, stopping the "bleeding" issue.
Wash the garment as usual in the washing machine, adding in a little bit of color-safe bleach. Be sure to use cold water. Washing in hot or warm water can set in any remaining stain. If the clothing in question is white, color-safe bleach isn't necessary.
Protein stains—like blood and sweat—will just set in further if you wash them in warm water. And warm water can cause dyes to bleed and fabric to shrink, whereas clothes washed in cold water will stay brighter and keep their size and shape for longer. Cold water is the greener option, too.
While some washing machine temperature settings go as low as 20°C, most cold washes start at 30°C. A setting of 30°C is usually recommended for washing delicate clothes when combined with a delicate cycle, and not on quick wash.
Hot washes could be anything from 60°C all the way up to an impressive 90°C. Washing on hotter temperatures can be said to give superior results compared to lower temperatures.
Black pants will hide blood stains and no one will suspect a thing. You can add to this security by rocking our period underwear on days you think you may get your period. Carry a period emergency kit. Read our blog post on how to stock a case with all the crucial period supplies you need in order to be prepared.
As soon as you can, rinse the fabric under a flowing cold water tap. The blood should dissolve easily and any residual marks can be removed with a little bit of hand soap or with a round in your washing machine.
As much as we would all like to avoid the situation, it does happen. Whether it's a little stain in your pants, or a full leak through to your clothes – It happens to us all.
But all of the experts agree that the less you wash your jeans, the better. If there isn't any visible dirt, they recommend considering washing after around 10 wears. Kozen, who specializes in fiber and apparel design, explains that frequent washing and drying can lead to more wear and tear.
Add a cup of white vinegar to your cold water rinse. The vinegar will help seal the dye within the fabric so that they won't continue to bleed. At the very minimum, the added vinegar should at least lesson the amount in which the indigo dye bleeds and stains other fabrics.
A good rule of thumb is to wash your jeans after every 3-10 wears, or when they start to smell. If you're regularly active in your jeans (think: manual work, anything where you work up a sweat), wash them every 3 wears, but if you're working at a desk, you can probably go through multiple wears without washing.