danade

If you use a color catcher, how do you tell if it has worked enough so you won't have any more unacceptable bleeding--even if it seems to have gathered up all the bleeding from fabric, don't you have to go through a second wash with a new color catcher to see if the excess dye is really gone? I'm thinking especially of batiks.

Here's a resource about color catchers:

consumerreports.com/.....color catchers

They tested both the Shout and the Carbona color catchers and their opinion was that they didn't work as claimed. I'm confused.

Dana

kentuckyred

In each of the baby quilts I've finished, I wash them no less than 3 times with a fresh color catcher each time. Usually by 3 the color catcher has no more dye on them. I also put a cup of white vinegar in the first load because that helps set the color.

Tashana

I use color catchers all the time for my laundry and my quilts and they work great. Sometimes I put two just to be on the safe side. Also it is a second nature to me to pop one in with my laundry. It is a habit I suppose. I realized how well they work when I washed my 10 years old red sheets that were previously washed at least 1000 times and the color catcher came out as red as the sheets.

DebraK

I prefer synthrapol to the color catchers. Just takes a capful. My bottle has lasted me over a few years now.

ghostrider

The above link is bad, Try this instead.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/m...view/index.htm

I don't use color catchers; waste of money as far as I'm concerned, invented so people could wash all their colors together and not bother separating them. I'm not in that much of a hurry with regular laundry and I prewash all quilting fabrics (like colors together and never with regular laundry) until any excess dyes are gone. If they still bleed after two washes, they get treated with Retayne...end of problem.

I'm very surprised to hear Tashana's red sheets are still bleeding after being washed twice a week every week for 10 years! That has to be some kind of record.

Vinegar has NO effect on today's dyes. It will NOT set colors used to dye cotton. Salt will not do anything either.

Deborahlees

I beg to differ with you....vinegar works very well for me....I would rather use something 'natural' than a chemical.

ckcowl

(I beg to differ with you....vinegar works very well for me....I would rather use something 'natural' than a chemical.)

vinegar may soften & freshen your fabric---but it does not set today's dyes- the dyes were changed way back in the 70's by the EPA & what ever other agencies were involved- vinegar & salt has no effect on commercially dyed fabrics- now, if you dye your own fabrics with natural dyes they may help- but no effect on anything commercial-sorry

if you choose to use a color catcher you should re-wash with a new one until no more color is collected.
synthropol in the water will suspend any dyes in the water- keep them from getting on any other fabrics- Retayne (or Rit Dye Fixative) will set dyes- stop them from bleeding
batiks tend to have alot of (excess) dye- some hand dyes do to- they just were not rinsed well enough in the first place- once the excess dye has been rinsed away they will stop bleeding (or should) wash until no color is in the water....

VaQuiltgal

I often will throw in a half color catcher in the second rinse. If the whole color catcher has picked up a lot of the color in the wash & first rinse, the second rinse sheet often comes out white. Then I know the fabric won't bleed anymore. Sometimes the half sheet will pick up some color. Then I'll rinse again with another half sheet and hopefully that one will stay white. If not, then I have a big decision whether to use that fabric in a quilt.

sewmary

[QUOTE=ghostrider;5601974]The above link is bad, Try this instead.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/m...view/index.htm

I don't use color catchers; waste of money as far as I'm concerned, invented so people could wash all their colors together and not bother separating them. I'm not in that much of a hurry with regular laundry and I prewash all quilting fabrics (like colors together and never with regular laundry) until any excess dyes are gone. If they still bleed after two washes, they get treated with Retayne...



Oh I never could figure out those color catchers! And here I have been separating my wash like forever with no bleeding problems!! But I think I will continue to separate out my stuff and save money and chemicals on my clothes.

Deborahlees

I did not know that so many of the board members had a degree in chemistry !!!