Talk:Remove Coloring Washed in to Clothes

Panic time! You pull the laundry out of the washer, only to discover that your daughter's new red shirt somehow got mixed in and all the other colored clothes are tinted red.. Now everything - including your favorite blue blouse - is light pink!

Here's what to do.

Steps

 * 1)  Separate colored items from unstained items. Sometimes the color may be subtle, so find something truly white to compare everything to or you may think an item wasn't affected and put it in the dryer by mistake. Make sure the offending colored item is out, too!
 * 2)  Wash multi-colored items by hand, or in a washing machine without bleach.
 * 3) * Fill the washing machine with HOT water. Use an amount appropriate to the amount of laundry you're left with - more is better than less.
 * 4) * Add bleach. A cup of regular bleach should do for a small to medium-size load. Add more if necessary, but remember bleach is potent stuff and it also smells. You should not combine chlorine bleach with non-chlorine bleach. The two products will cancel each other out. Don't use bleach with items that are not completely white, as it will remove all color - not just the undesired highlights. Instead, use all-fabric bleach and other laundry brighteners.
 * 5) * Add the laundry. Run the load with as much agitation/washing as possible. Let it run through a full cycle to wash the bleach out.
 * 6)  Check again for coloring. If the color is not gone from the items, wash them again as described above.
 * 7)  Dry items as usual. Do not put anything in a hot dryer unless it's completely washed out or you're comfortable accepting it the way it is. You might want to air-dry items that retain a hint of color, as putting them in a hot dryer will set the color for sure. It may still fade more through repeat washings if it isn't set.
 * 8)  Consider dying the items again to a more desirable color. This is an option for items such as towels or sheets that retain a hint of the undesired color. Even if they won't come white again, "new" green towels may be better than accidentally-faded-in pink. If you're feeling creative, instead of throwing out a discolored item, you could make it a novelty by tie-dying it!

Tips

 * Another useful technique is to try washing out the stains in a couple of gallons or liters of cold water with 1/2 cup [120 ml] of white vinegar and 1 teaspoon [5 ml] of liquid detergent.
 * Can also purchase a commercial color remover which is usually found near the clothing dye supplies in department or grocery stores. Follow the directions on the box. The commercial color remover works very well in removing accidentally dyed white clothing.
 * There are oxidizers other than bleach. Hydrogen peroxide (3% to 5% solution) is a very useful oxidizer and is worth trying before using beach.
 * Before you go out and buy strong detergents like Oxy-Clean and Color-Safe Bleach, try simple lemon juice. Get fresh lemons.  Cut them into wedges and rub them against discolored areas.  Lemon juice is not only effective, it is not toxic to the environment when it goes down the drain.
 * Lowering the ph of the water in the wash cycle will reduce the amount of chlorine bleach needed to wash clothes. Add 1/4 cup [60 ml] of white vinegar (5% solution) to the wash water as the machine fills. This lowers the ph level in the water. Next, add 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons [5-7 ml] bleach. That's a lot less bleach necessary to do the same job as well or better. If you use this technique, however, be careful not to use larger amounts of bleach or you risk injury by chlorine gas.
 * Certain fabric stabilizers will absorb dyes and act as "color magnets" in your wash load. Also known as "interfacing", stabilizers are found where fabric is sold.  The absorbent ones are more similar to a thin sheet of foam than a dryer sheet, although not made of foam.  Experienced clerks at the fabric store should know which works best.
 * Be prepared to accept that it might not come out. Your little cheerleader may have pink nylon undershorts for the rest of the school year, or you may have to buy a new blouse.
 * Finally, you can try washing discolored clothing in powdered dishwasher soap. It sometimes will take out what other detergents leave behind. Use a mixture of 1/2 cup dishwasher detergent and 1/2 cup all-fabric bleach dissolved in a gallon of water. Just be aware that this is a last-ditch effort to be used when the only other solution is to discard the item(s).
 * If you don't have bleach, and if the items are cotton and you catch the mistake right away before the color sets at all, you can use all-fabric bleach instead. You'll need more of it, and it's best combined with other laundry brighteners, such as Oxi-Clean. This stuff isn't as strong on purpose, so you'll need more. Add baking soda, too, if you like. Be careful combining chemicals, but in this situation more cleaning products are usually better than fewer.
 * You can also use salt and lemon.

Warnings

 * Use good sense and restraint when using bleach or any cleaning product. Adding more than 1 or 1 1/2 teaspoons [5-7 ml] of bleach to a wash cycle with a lowered ph could release enough chlorine gas to kill or injure a person. This could even happen in water without a lowered ph. No solvent or oxidizer is entirely safe and in sufficient quantities most household cleaners can kill.
 * Again, don't put it in the dryer until you are satisfied with the color.
 * Use extreme caution when mixing cleaning products! Never mix bleach with ammonia: the fumes will cause you to get sick in a matter of minutes. Be sure to read the labels on the products before using them together.
 * Not all fabrics that accept color will come white again. Natural fabrics such as cotton are easiest to clean, but nylon may hold the color indefinitely.

Things You'll Need

 * Hot water
 * Bleach
 * Commercial color remover
 * Vinegar
 * Hydrogen Peroxide
 * Liquid, dye-less, unscented detergent.

Related Tips and Steps

 * Remove Blood Stains
 * Remove a Stain Using Common Household Ingredients
 * Tie Dye Using Rit Powder
 * Wash Eyes With Water
 * Restore White Socks Without Bleach

http://www.wikihow.com/Remove-Coloring-Washed-in-to-Clothes