Removing Dye Run

A quick post this week, and gosh, a topic that is about as interesting as watching paint dry. Or ink, in this case. But it led to learning something new! And something I hope I'll never need to do again.

I had a minor laundry accident with some items that were newly acquired for bub by my mother. I normally separate out lights, darks and reds, and mistakenly thought that a white dress with a blue trim would safely count as 'lights'.

It wasn't pretty. And it affected several other recently acquired items as well[1]. This was the worst hit. They were thrift shop items so it wasn't financially a terrible loss, but what a waste, you know? I also felt bad that they were picked out by mum, so I had to try to rescue them.

Searches online suggest a wide variety of solutions for removing dye run, and the one I find seems to help the least in these sorts of situations is Napisan. Bleach wasn't an option (though I've also not really had much success with it for whites with dye run either), and I just don't understand how any vinegar based solution actually helps. But, one source suggested using hand sanitiser. It was an interesting proposal, and as it gets rid of Sharpie, it seemed like a viable solution.

Well the proof is in the pudding, folks:

Worked on all the other affected items as well. Just apply and lightly work it through the weave. Not too roughly that you'll damage the fabric, just a little light agitation. It took a while, but now I don't have to tell mum I had to ditch the stuff she just gave me. *whew*

These photos were taken while the items were still wet, but another launder (with colours properly separated) and they're ready to go.

So there you go. Hand sanitiser to get dye run out of clothes. A proven solution.

[1] The white part of the dress with the blue trim wasn't affected at all. How does that even work?