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!

It is my understanding that Synthrapol and Retayne were developed for hand/home dyers of fabrics? AND that they are NOT interchangeable.

(I HAVE read that if I were hand dying something - it is my understanding that I would use Retayne first in an attempt to maintain/set the dye/color of the fabric. (Don't remember if one does this next or not - would one dry the fabric and then heat set it with a hot iron? It would seem logical to me, but I know little about dying) Then Synthropol is used to keep the excess dye afloat in the water)

I've heard that some compounds become more volatile when combined - such as bleach and ammonia - I"m willing to 'believe' that without personally checking it out.

So I was also just wondering - I don't/won't use either on a commercially dyed fabric.

I'm of the mindset that commercially dyed fabrics should NOT need further attention from the end user to make the dyes permanent.

I can 'sort of' understand excess/unattached/loose dye - and the need for washing it out -

This is one of those topics that comes up often - with the same results -

Some do, some don't - use the products.

I suppose one could remember to use them alphabetically - r before s

Retayne before cutting
Sythropol after sewing

Paper Princess you have explained it perfectly!!

You need hot water (140degrees) for Retayne and I think for Synthropol also. This would make a difference in washing a completed quilt. I would not want to wash it in how water.

This thread has been very educational! I've used Retayne (once) and use color catchers a LOT but never used Synthropol because I wasn't quite sure how to use it. Now I have a much better idea. :)

I've used Retayne on finished quilts - it works like a charm.

:rolleyes:Thanks for posting this thread as I have 2 projects I need help with and they are gifts so I can't mess up! I purchased some batiks that have an ombré effect going from dark to very pale (dark green to light etc) they are green, red, light orange and brown. So I prewash with Retayne? Do I put a color catcher in also? Do I wash them together or each separate? I also have hand dyed fabrics ranging from dark brown to a light mocha for a wall hanging for my son and a focus fabric of dark brown and metallic gold put on top of blues/greens batik ( brown and gold do not show on the wrong side). I would prefer not to prewash these, but down the road when it needs to be cleaned from hanging what is the procedure- dry cleaning? Hand washing? I'm sorry I have so many questions in one post, but I don't want to ruin anything! Bought fabrics at the Raleigh Quilt show and they would be very hard to replace.

Bear, I tried to reply to each of your points, but I got lost. :o 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.

First off, test your fabrics to see if they bleed. There's no reason to use either Retayne or Synthrapol if they don't. You can test it as easily as rubbing a corner of each one separately with a wet Q-tip to see if it picks up any color. You'll probably find most do not run.

Dry cleaning is not actually dry, it just uses chemicals instead of water, so colors will still run. Hand washing in warm water (with a few color catchers added if it has runners) is a great way to clean wall quilts. Block it after washing and let it air dry for the best results.

Thanks ghost rider! If I do pick up color do you wash each separately in Retayne or together with a color catcher also? Okay read thread again and you don't use the two together, so I need to wash separately?

I would prewash each runner separately with Retayne, no Color Catcher. If they are small-ish pieces, 2-3 yards or so, it might be easier by hand. I've done it on the stove in an old canning pot where I could watch the water temp. Good luck! :o