I use regular laundry soap when prewashing fabrics. You would use Retayne only in the case that your fabric is "bleeding". I've never used Retayne myself, but I do test my fabric, particularly very deep or vibrant colors. Red is very prone to bleed. If any of your fabric's bleed, they need to be treated -- I use another product that I discovered online, which works great. In any event, if you are gifting a quilt, I would suggest that you provide a few Color Catchers, and washing instructions with the quilt!