I use 1 cup vinegar to each load - mine have never bled! Knock on wood.

I do this when washing new fabric also, and again when washing the finished quilt.

Vinegar is very cheap, I buy the 2 gallon bulk pack at Costco or Sams Club and they are about $3.

It's a waste of vinegar. Vinegar might help set some old fashioned organic or vegetable based dyes. Vinegar doesn't do anything for modern chemical dyes.

The best thing vinegar does is kill the detergent in your clothes so that it actually rinses out.

I did not know that!

I too have used vinegar to "set" the colors in fabric for years. Has always worked for me. crafty_linda_b

Thanks for the info.

Sensitivity to detergents on clothes is a big issue in my family. In spite of using most "free of scent" detergents, we still have issues.

I'll try the vinegar. It's cheap and worth a try.
Thank you

Is it better that the Color Catchers?

My Momma taught me to use White Vinegar and I will continue to use it.

I use vinegar in place of fabric softener. It is cheaper and does the job.

I know that there are lots of people who use vinegar because their mothers used it, their grandmothers used it, and it "has always worked". Vinegar does have its uses, including in the laundry to combat odor. The problem is that it doesn't set dyes in cotton fabrics. It's the washing that's getting rid of the excess dye, not the vinegar.

This article explains the principles involved:
http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/FAQ/settingdye.shtml

Yes, you can still find multiple sites on the internet that claim that vinegar works. It's an old wive's tale!

This reminds me of a story that Bob of Superior Threads tells, which can be found here: http://www.superiorthreads.com/educa...dition-or-myth


Just because it's always been done that way doesn't mean it's effective.