I bought a holiday tablecloth last year. 100% cotton, in dark blue and white. Package said to wash in cold water. I did, but the blue ran horribly, and all the white parts of the tablecloth ended up a pale blue. Not unpleasant, but not the look I wanted.
This year the same store has the same tablecloths on sale again, so I took the damaged one in and they exchanged it for a brand new one.
My question is, is there something I can put in the wash water to make the blue dye not run? I'm open to any suggestion anyone might have as to how I can preserve this new tablecloth and keep the colors intact.
I have heard that you can use ordinary table salt to set colors and prevent running. I'm not sure of the amount but I think you use quite a bit. I bet someone here would know more about this.
Many quilt shops, and some fabric stores, have something called Retayne. It's intended to set the dye when dyeing at home. (Carbona may make something similar, but I haven't checked their displays recently).
Retayne will set the dye in the fabric, but it won't do anything about the excess dye coming out of the fabric, which may actually be the problem. For that, you'll want something like Synthrapol. Synthrapol is a detergen which keeps the excess dye from re-depositing on the fabric. ISTR that Tide made something like that as well, but since I don't buy Tide, I don't know if they still do.
Synthrapol may be available at a quilt shop near you, or you can order it from
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(nayy). If you've got a well stocked artist's supply place near you, you might find it there, as well.
Synthrapol is a soap for washing out starches and dirt and is used to thoroughly clean your fabric before the dying process or to remove excess dye afterwards. I don't think you want that.
Dye Magnets and other type products remove "loose" dye from the water bath and trap them so they are not allowed to "run" over to other clothes and muddle up the whole wash (ie. an accidental red sock turning the whole laundry pink) It works great, but I don't think this is what you want.
Salt, as it was explained to me, is used to "open the pores" of the fabric and does something else magical to allow the fabric to accept dye in the dying process so this suggestion does sound like it might have some possibilities if you are open to experimentation.
VINEGAR - this is the option I would go with!! The last step of nearly every dying process I have followed has been to add vinegar to "SET" the dye. Even when dying colored eggs in spring the vinegar is added to set the dye. So, logically, my first choice would be vinegar.
(Bear in mind I am known to be a great experimentor and I have lived with many of my failures, so I am by no means the end all of knowledge on the subject. I would call a company called Dharma for more advice. They sell dyes and can give you professional knowledge that is better than mine.)
over on the quilting newsgroup they swear synthrapol and dye magnets. Apparently the synthrapol "grabs" onto the loose dye in the wash water and stops it reattaching to the fabric, and the dye magnet soaks up the colour into itelf. I've not used either as they are not readily available in the UK, but they may be worth a try.
That blue is probably natural indigo, and it's notoriously fugitive. Washing the tablecloth again in a product that 'unlocks' the dye that's bled into the white bits might be helpful. In England, that's called Dyegone, but in the US it might go under another name.
You can expect the blue to be lost for quite some time with an indigo-dyed cloth - this is why your jeans fade over time. If you don't want that natural fading, Dharma Trading can probably give you advice.
You may be right, but Jenn (see later posting) has used the name of the other product often recommended - Retayne. The problem is the names don't stick for me because they are not UK retail products.
Oh my goodness....I have just re-read the post. I thought your problem was that the original tablecloth had washed out to a light blue from a dark blue and you wanted to prevent the loss of the blue dye on the new table cloth. But, now I see that you need to keep the white areas of the tablecloth from accepting the loose blue dye.....thus the Synthrapol soap removes excess dyes and the dye magnet will keep it from locking onto the white. I know you have a product like it in the UK as I first purchased it while living there under a different name (perhaps "Run Away"?) and brought back several boxes because I was so thrilled with it. It took a couple years before the similar product showed up on our shelves. I need sleep. I will read more closely next time. Joy
Wow!! Thanks, everyone, for all the suggestions! My head's spinning!
It sounds to me like the best solution is a dye magnet. I know the blue dye will run (the tablecloth was made in India), but I just don't want it to discolor the white parts of the tablecloth. So from everyone's description of a dye magnet, that sounds like my best solution.
I'm in Los Angeles, so I'm sure I'll be able to find the right product, now that I know what to look for.
I'll let you all know how it comes out after I wash it!
What is the name of the dye magnet or is it called just that "dye magnet". I live in the Chicago area.
Am making a quilt for my mom and the back is a blue print fabric. I did prewash all the fabric, but as I was sewing it left blue color on my machine. I don't know if it will run when I wash it. There are white patches in the quilt.
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