Detergent when pre-washing?

If you pre-wash your fabric before using, do you add detergent? I always pre-wash mine because I don't want to find out later that the colors runs, and because if it's for a garment I don't want it to shrink! But is there any reason those things can't be achieved by simply letting it soak in warm water for a few minutes, without detergent, and then letting it drip dry or tossing it in the dryer?

Dogmom

Reply to
dogmom
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I tend to use a little bit of the Orvis soap when I prewash. But thats just me......

Reply to
AliceW

At the very least, I'd treat it the same way the finished quilt will be treated. If you use detergent when washing a quilt, use it for the fabric, too.

Because I hand dye, I have plenty of Synthrapol around, as well as a dye fixative, so my routine for prewashing is hot water with Synthrapol in the wash, cool water with dye fixative in the rinse, dry in the dryer. Is this overkill? Possibly. But I had a very bad experience with a fabric bleeding in a quilt; I'd rather go overboard than to have that happen again.

Basically, find what works for you, and stick to it! :)

Reply to
Kathy Applebaum

I just prewash in my reg clothes detergent.

Reply to
Kathy in CA

I'm getting a good trial right now - I got a lovely thunky in the mail, full of all sorts of bits that just need a bit of a swish 'round.

Reply to
frood

I've heard that if you prewash without detergent, you get the shrinkage but the sizing remains in the fabric. I plan on trying that next time.

Cheri On Vancouver Island Canada

Reply to
Walt & Cheri Carroll

Reply to
Pat in Virginia

The pieces in the first quilt weren't pre-washed so I'll need to find some sort of dye magnet for when I get around to washing it. I've prewashed the pieces for the next one in warm water and a bit of eucalyptus wool wash, rinsed in plain cold water by hand not how I intend to wash the quilt but close enough.

Reply to
melinda

Most of the time, mine just goes in with the regular wash.......... the finished project will so why not? If it is a finished "donation" quilt (for some reason I don't like to use the word "charity" then I wash separately with no fabric softener and little detergent.

Pati, in Phx

Kate Dicey wrote:

Reply to
Pati Cook

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