We’ve all been victim to the stray red sock. There’s nothing quite like that sinking feeling when you pull a pink shirt out of the washing machine. Despite all of our best efforts, it will eventually happen to all of us. So what’s the best remedy?
In this article, we’ll look at inexpensive cures for laundry colour runs. Assuming you haven’t washed the item at a very high temperature, you may still be able to save it.
Off-the-Shelf Products
Dr Beckmann makes a colour run remover that really does work. It’s bleach free and requires nothing more than a soak. The remover comes in a pack of two sachets so that you can repeat the process if the first soak doesn’t work.
We’ve had good results from Dr Beckmann products, although anything that says ‘colour safe’ should be taken with a pinch of salt. It has removed dye from areas we didn’t particularly intend to treat, therefore changing the colour of the garment.
Dylon also makes a very good colour run remover, and there is a product called Colour Catcher that can be placed in the washing machine to absorb colours in the wash.
All of these products work best if the garment is treated immediately and is not allowed to dry. If you can’t do this immediately, keep the garment wet until you have time to do something with it, but don’t wash it again.
Many products claim to remove colour runs, but it’s worth remembering that there may be adverse effects. Colour run removers might alter the look of the garment or spoil it. However, if the dye has already run, you may feel you have nothing to lose.
Alternative Solutions
Before the days of colour run removers, people used to soak white clothes in bleach. This still works well, but you must check the label for a triangle symbol which means that the clothes can be bleached.
Make sure that you rinse your whites thoroughly before wearing them again, and you must use thin bleach with clothes that are 100 per cent cotton. In addition, ensure that the solution is really weak.
You will have to soak the item overnight to give the bleach chance to work.
Some other products can be used to remove dye, such as Vanish or Oxiclean. These aren’t as cheap as bleach, but might be worth trying if all else fails. Ecover make a type of laundry bleach that is kinder to the environment than regular household bleach. It’s also less likely to corrode the fabric and can be used with coloured clothes.
Many cleaners in Cheam swear by Stardrops as something of a miracle product, and it’s incredibly inexpensive. If you already have a bottle, try rubbing it into the stain with a cloth. (If you don’t have a bottle, buy one: it always comes in handy.)
As a last resort option, you could overdye the item with black dye. However, make sure that you fix the dye properly – follow the packet instructions. Otherwise, you could end up right back where you began.
