Color Bleeding With Machine Wash Shirts- Help!

[cheessus]

I have a Truzzi shirt that is white with a blue windowpane pattern. I machine washed it last week and when I was ironing it today I realized that the blue color had bled in some spots. While it is not overtly noticeable, I was wondering if there was anything that I could do to get rid of this.

 

[Egdon Heath]

Probably not. Sorry. The hotter the water the more the chances are of a bleed-through. But you probably know that. Less known is the bleeding (more like smudging) that occurs when the shirt is wrung but still wet and dark parts of the shirt touch light. Hanger drying usually prevents this.

 

[MrGimpy]

I've seen this happen with fine knit sweaters before and was told that it's the result of using too much detergent in the wash.

The good news is that the fix is an easy one: re-wash the shirt using half of the recommended amount of detergent.

Let me know if this works for you.

 

[cheessus]

I just machine washed it again (on hand wash mode) and it did not work. The bleeds are still there. Do you think that a real hand wash with spot treatment would work? I've also have Oxyclean. I would like to know the chances of removing these spots before I go out and buy some spot cleaner. Any recommendations? Thanks.

 

[Septavius]

It won't exactly help this time, but it may help in the future: I use Shout Color Catcher sheets to help catch loose dyes in the wash to prevent them from getting on other clothes. Works well, I think.

 

[MrGimpy]

Sounds like my re-wash advice is only good for wool.

I've seen recommendations for this product but it may not be suitable for clothing that's not all white.

It seems that you may be out of luck this time. To prevent colour bleed in the past, I've soaked clothing in salt water before washing the first time. Vinegar and water is also said to help set the dyes before washing. And washing in cold or warm water with little detergent will both prolong the life of your clothes and save energy and detergent.

 

[Eagle]

Is it still possible to return it to the store you bought it from? Do the laundering instructions came with the shirt caution about potential bleeding? If so you may be stuck with it and if not, try to take it back!

 

[cheessus]

Nah, can't return it; I bought it from an SF member. I followed the wash instructions on the tag. It's weird because none of my other shirts got stained with the blue dye. It seems to have just bled on that shirt when it was all wrinkled in the wash. I guess next time I'll just have to manually hand wash it and hang dry it right away.

I might still wear it though because it isn't too bad. Such a waste for a beautiful shirt.