another clothes washing thread

[buzzingtalk]

cut a long story short - i did a classic 'red sock in the white wash' moment except it was a massive purple and pink tye die dress in my OH's lovely white and posh cotton bedsheets and they went all purple. I got some oxy stuff on recommendation of people on here, and after a 12hr soak and a wash in the machine it seems to have turned the sheets from off purple to bright pink. OH will not be happy and I'm doubting they will go white again - the back bit of the duvet cover (the bit that touches your body) has gone a bit whiter but there is a thicker material on the top that really took the colour and its not budging.

anyone got any suggestions?? im thinking i might have to dye them another more acceptable colour, but can you do this easily? are there dyes you can stick in the washing machine to let it do the work for you, and how good are they?

short of spending another ££2345787 on washing machine bills and breaking my neck carring massive wet duvet covers from bath to machine or buying a new set (which i really cant afford) i got no idea what to do...

HELP!

[taff]

you can bleach them with a weak solution of bleach, instructions on bottles.

You can also get colour removers

washing machine dyes work really well, but you're going to need more than one packet, they're about 5 or 6 quid a pack I think.

here's a link

How to Remove Coloring Washed in to Clothes - wikiHow

good luck

[Two_Sheds]

BT, I told you to buy Colour Run Remover

I did this myself last year. White sheets, he snuck a red Thai (30p) tee shirt in the wash. Result, pink sheets.

I bought 2 packs of Dylon, followed the instructions (I did textile dyeing for my degree too) and they came out patchy.

Did it again with a darker dye, still patchy.
Threw sheets away

Bleach won't work: you'll get a patchy result and the fabric will be damaged permanently. You will have to live with pink, or buy new

[Nicos]

I'd give the colour run remover a go still. You have nothing to lose!

Alternatively- sew on some pretty flowers and make the duvet cover really girlie and sell on e-bay!!

[zazen999]

I'd second [or is that third or fourth] the colour run remover.....

[Glutton4...]

Colour Run Remover, here too. Are you listening!!?

If you're still not happy with the glow after that try their Net Curtain whitener afterwards.

[buzzingtalk]

right im gonna try some colour run remover - anyone know which one is best? and how much to put in for a double duvet and 4 pillowcases?

the pink looks horrible and my OH is going to laugh when he sees them, plsu the duvet alone was £90 so can't just chuck it away (and each pillowcase was £10!!!!!!!!!!!!) this is why i dont buy white, or expensive stuff. becuase this will happen haha!

T_S - peopel were talking about vanish oxy on that thread too, i looked for the stuff you recommended in the local supermarket but they didnt have it. i seem to remember somewhere down magdalen street having it though? got that vanish stuff and all its done is brighten the pink, lost me £5 and my hands are bleeding from the stuff when i was soaking it in the bath (allergic reaction) and before anyone asks, no i didnt have gloves on becuase im allergic to latex and the shop didnt have vinyl ones. gah.

do you think somewhere down magdalen st could sort it if it needs dyeing? i wouldn't mind it purple and dont think OH would mind that either, will try that if the colour run stuff dont work.

[Two_Sheds]

Go to Anglia Fashion Fabrics on Magdalen St and talk to the girls, they are very helpful, although they won't do it for you

Or Bonds

[Two_Sheds]

The trouble with dyeing large items like sheets, is you need an industrial machine to do it in (and launderettes won't let you).

This is because the fabric needs to move around freely in the dye bath (and in a home washing machine a sheet can't move around that much, and the dye won't get in all the creases, so you get a patchy effect. Been there, done that)

[lizzylemon]

sadly when this happens it pretty much game over for said dyed stuff. like any thing related to sods law, much eaiser to do than undo!

The colour run stuff is good to keep in the cupboard as you must pretty much take out wet stuff and immediated wash it with colour remover. Washing with other products or letting it dry will stop the colour run from working (I have tried various combinations and none worked)

Bleaching will just kill the fabric as you'll need a strong mix / long soak / combination and it will rot it before you will get it back to white

Home dying is tricky and normally not very successful. Also, it normally looks OK for the 1st couple of washes and then it turns a weird colour because the new dye fades and the wrong colour starts to come through to forever remind you of the mistake, which is why I have lots of weird coloured trousers / tops

[Two_Sheds]

Lizzy is right on the money.
When I did my textile degree, we used industrial grade dyes: nasty stuff, much stronger than Dylon

The trouble with washing something that's been accidentally dyed, is that hot water is itself a setting (fixing) agent, making the new colour even harder to remove

So, don't beat yourself up too much about it. Sh!t happens (I once took all the non-stick off a brand-new set of John Lewis saucepans. The whole set. Boyfriend's. Well, ex-boyfriend)

[buzzingtalk]

shan't bother with the colour run stuff then. ill keep on with the oxy stuff, it did 'lighten' it but looks more pink rather than off purple...maybe after a couple of go's it will go whiter

it is annoying me though, i do have some sort of mild OCD and its clashing with the perfect white wall and white sheet and is really, really annoying me to the point i might ujst go to john lewis and blow this weeks wages on a white one. gahhhh

[Two_Sheds]

Buy a dimmer light bulb, call it romantic

[buzzingtalk]

Buy a dimmer light bulb, call it romantic

winner!