Retayne vs. Synthrapol
 

Quick question: I foolishly failed to prewash the fabric for a red and blue quilt for my grandson. I fear that the colors will "run" some, even though it's "good fabric". Which product would be better to use for washing the quilt after I complete the project...retayne or synthrapol? The more I read past QB posts and manufacturers' comments and directions, the more confused I seem to become over the role each product plays in the process of setting the colors. Thanks in advance for your help!

This is the information I received when I bought Retayne and Synthrapol. Synthrapol is used to suspend and carry excess dye from cotton fiber. It removed any unfixed or unreacted dye to keep it from redepositing dye onto areas of the fabric that you don't want to be stained. It is recommended for use as a pre wash to remove excess dye (especially in reds and blues), sizing, dirt and oils.

Please note" It only works on fibre reactives dyes, which is generally what is used in quilting fabric. If you have clothing that has run,i t may be a direct dye which will not respond to Synthrapol.

Retayne is used to set dye. For example, if you printed a text message on fabric, you can use retayne to set it. If you have a piece of fabric you know will fade, you can use retayne to keep fading to a minimum. What about vinegar? Vinegar (and other acids) used to be used to fix the dye on protein based fibers such as wool. It was never effective on cotton, although it "does" remove soap scum and other residue, thus giving the illusion of brightening the fabric. Vinegar will also remove some stains (soak full strength) and odors.

This paper also had the following "We were delighted to receive this note from a customer in Australia: I'm thrilled to be able to tell you that the synthrapol which I ordered arrived today and SAVED MY QUILT! The dues which had run all washed out and the quilt is like new. I cannot recommend it highly enough and only wish it was available in Australia where no one has heard of it."

Hope this answers your questions about the products. I always prewash with Synthrapol.

The way I remember it?---"R" (retayne) comes before "S" (synthropol) so use retayne beforehand to prewash fabric, use synthropol after quilt is all done.

Definitely synthrapol. But do a Google search. Someone did a test and found that Dawn original worked as well without the color fading that synthrapol causes. I will post the link I'm talking about if I find it. I suspect that Palmolive original would work similarly.

The idea is to wash with SOAP and not laundry detergent. The main ingredient in powdered laundry detergent is soda ash. Soda ash helps colors ADHERE to fibers, and technically it could set any stain. Definitely don't wash in laundry detergent until you know the colors won't run or are finished running.


My own experience...as long as I didn't dry in the dryer or wash in hot water, if the color bled, the bleeding would come out.

When colors bled, I treated the area of bleeding and the offending fabric with synthrapol, let sit for a few minutes, then wash in synthrapol. Sometimes I had to do this more than once, but I didn't dry until I was sure there were no bleeders and all the bloody mess had come out.


I've had terrible bleeders even in the realm of "good fabric". As far as I'm concerned, you can't trust any manufacturer to not have bleeding fabric.

Oh, BTW, people also swear by those Shout color catchers, so definitely get some of those to wash with your red quilt.

Here's the blog article I was talking about, regarding how Dawn works as well as Synthrapol. Wish I'd read it before I bought a ton of Synthrapol!

http://vickiwelsh.typepad.com/field_...read-this.html

Nammie, Sandra, and Teresa....Thank You all for the great information and hints ("R before S") you gave me! I think I actually understand the purpose of both products now. The most interesting info I read (or saw) was the result(s) of Vicki Welsh's tests using different soaps/detergents and dye catching sheets..that as an eye opener! Thanks again!

Before i discovered quilting, i did a lot of hand dying. Retayne does what it is named, it helps the fabric retain the dye. It is generally used before the finally washing and drying of the fabric during the dying process.

Synthrapol is used to suspend excess color in the water so that it won't reattach itself to the fibers. Preventing bleeding and running. I suspect that those shout color catchers are just sheets that are treated with synthrapol but i have yet to see a box in a store in my area to find out.

I say skip buying the retayne. Use the synthrapol in the pre-wash and if you are worried use it again in the final wash.

I used Dawn detergent on a bed sheet that had been used for many years and was washed many many times. I was blown away by how red the rinse water was.

During the dying process, red is the most difficult color to set so it requires much more color and longer dying times. This makes it more difficult to rinse in the end.

I know everyone says Synthrapol is too expensive, but my last bottle has lasted me 5 years. A cap-full is all that is needed. I did tie-dye for years before quilting, and have always been amazed by the effectiveness of this product.