Can Synthrapol be used in a HE washing machine?
 

I washed my newly finished wall hanging with many color catchers in case the red bleeds, and unfortunately, I did get a little bit of bleeding on the border. I have heard about Synthrapol and bought some, but I have a HE washer.... can I still use it?

The small amount used in a load isn't enough to worry about.

I've used it in mine with absolutely no problems what-so-ever. I also have a mound system for the septic since we live in the country, and the waste guy said it won't cause problems with that, either.

My old bottle says no. Not enough water, however, if you go to the site below, they say they have a new formula for low water washers. Make sure you get the new stuff.
http://www.dharmatrading.com/chemica...detergent.html

My washer I can by pass the auto weight water level and select the water level I want so the older is fine if you can do that.

I don't use Synthrapol in my HE washer. My washer uses so little water (and no way to adjust that), it will not dilute a bad bleed enough. I take my quilts to the local laundromat for their first wash. I use the large front loader there (because front loaders are easier on a quilt than machines with central agitators). Their large one uses plenty of water so I have no fear of a bad bleed not getting diluted. Synthrapol can only do so much. It suspends unset dye particles in the water, but there needs to be enough water for it to work. I was not aware of the newer low-foaming Synthrapol that PaperPrincess mentioned and have not tried it. Maybe that would work in a domestic front loader (because you could use more of it without damaging the machine) but I would still be concerned about insufficient water for diluting a bad bleed.

Edit: I just want to mention that, for those quilters who have never had a problem using a domestic front-loader, this can be because no fabrics bled (or the bleeds were very mild). A heavily-bleeding fabric does not happen often but, when it does, you really want to have lots of water to dilute that bleed to ensure the dye particles do not transfer to other fabrics.

yes. i do it all the time . never had a problem.

I have a HE front loader and use Synthropol in it. I've never had any issues. I also use several color catchers in the load. My biggest bleeding problems happen when I forget to use the Synthropol.

Thanks for your question and all the replies. I bought a bottle of Synthrapol on line--the website didn't have all the label information--and I was disappointed to see I shouldn't use it in my HE machine. I wondered about increasing the water, and now I'll try it.

Ladies, I DON'T USE SYNTHRAPOL. I use a product made by Ritz (I have no interest in this company, except using the product successfully) The product is a Dye Setter and it permanently sets the dye in fabrics that would otherwise BLEED. I order it from Rit Dye online. I had a white, whole-cloth quilt made as a wedding gift for my nephew -- the borders were a very vibrant red, and after testing the fabric BEFORE USE, I discovered it was a BLEEDER. I researched and found the Rit Dye Setter online, ordered it and used it as directed. One thing I've found is that if you have multiple shades from less-vibrant colors, you can mix according to directions in a "stew pot" and simmer for 20 minutes on the range. By starting with the least-vibrant color, you can graduate to the more vibrant colors, by adding an additional tablespoon of the product from the bottle. ONE CAUTION: DO NOT "SAVE" THE DYE-SETTER AND WATER MIX -- i'VE NEVER TRIED TO, BUT i SUSPECT THE MIXTURE WOULD LOSE ITS EFFECTIVENESS. If you have any questions, please send me a pm. ALSO, I take extra precautionary steps -- I ALWAYS USE A COLORCATCHER WHEN I WASH QUILTS! A bleeding fabric in a quilt is a disaster!

Jeanette