Originally Posted by bearisgray
Just curious - seems like it would be kind of 'handy' to be able to combine the steps, Of if one can't remember which product does what - just dump them both in the water before adding the fabric and be done with it!
Bear, I tried to reply to each of your points, but I got lost.
What it boils down to is this. There is absolutely no reason at all to use them in the same washload, ever.
If your running fabric is still in one piece, you can use Retayne to set the loose dyes and stop the running permanently. After that, there is no need for Synthrapol, period, ever.
If your running fabric has been made into something, you can use Synthrapol each time you wash the item to suspend the loose dyes and flush them away with the waste water. If you use Retayne at this point, it will set the floating dyes on whatever fabric they are touching at the time. You may get lucky, you may not.
I agree that commercial fabrics should not run. However, it's a fact of life...and manufacturing. Each color of dye has a different chemical composition and can react differently to the fibers in the fabric that is being dyed. Additionally, there are inevitable human errors and mechanical blips that figure into the whole process. Bleeding dye is probably the most common manufacturing defect affecting fabrics. All we can do is deal with it in the way that suits each of us best.
Some avoid buying a whole brand of fabric, some throw runners away, some test for and treat runners before using them, and some just take their chances. The choice is purely an individual one.