I have always washed intense reds and blues -- I usually did the glass test to see if the color would bleed. However, I had a piece of red with cream stars that I washed and it bled when I starched and ironed it. I washed it again with a white towel (vinegar is my go to fabric softener so everything gets a rinse with it), and the towel came out pink. I reluctantly pitched the fabric (all 3 yards) -- I had it too long to try to get the manufacturer to do something. Now I prewash everything. I have washed home dec fabrics (I make sure I know what the fabric content is) and they do shrink a bunch -- many of the home dec fabrics say not to wash so I expect bad things to happen (shrinking or bleeding) when I do.