5-Minute Crafts
5-Minute Crafts

How to Remove Dye Stains From Clothes

It’s one of the worst things that could happen when it comes to doing the laundry: dye transfer. But even if it seems that the widespread stain will be there forever, there are a few ways to try cleaning it, both for white and colored clothes.

We at 5-Minute Crafts would like to give you a few tips on how to remove the transferred dye from your clothes.

What you’ll need

  • Non-chlorine bleach
  • Oxygen bleach, preferably powder
  • Laundry detergent
  • Hairspray (or rubbing alcohol)
  • White cloth

Step 1. Check the entire load.

  • Once you find the culprit, take it out from the washer and set it aside so that you can wash it later with similar colored clothes.
  • Now, check each piece of laundry carefully to see if others have stains or discoloration.
  • Those with no stains can be transferred to a clothesline or a dryer.

Step 2. Rewash the stained laundry.

  • Put the dyed clothes in the washing machine.
  • Rewash them, but this time use a powdered oxygen bleach combined with regular detergent.
  • Once done, check again, if the dye hasn’t been removed, it’s time for the next step.

Step 3. Remove dye stains.

From white clothes:

  • Fill a bathtub or a sink with cool water.
  • Add non-chlorine bleach, and let your clothes soak here for at least a few hours. However, make sure to use bleach carefully and always read the label before doing so.
  • After soaking, wash the laundry in the washing machine as usual.
  • If the dye is still there, repeat the process once more.

From colored clothes:

  • Dampen a clean white cloth with hairspray, rubbing alcohol, or other solvents that are 90% alcohol.
  • Dap the dye stain repeatedly. The dye should keep transferring from the clothes onto the cloth.
  • After this, rinse the clothes with warm water.
  • And lastly, wash in the washing machine.
  • If the stain persists, you can repeat the process.
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