How to remove color bleeding from colored clothes
Due to color fading and glaring stains, a small bright red dish towel can damage all of your white and light-colored items. These stains can be removed by first treating them with liquid detergent and then removing them with bleach on white clothing and hydrogen peroxide or white vinegar on colored clothing. Although it is not recommended to wash dark garments with light clothing, accidents can occur. You can end up with stains on your pretty clothes no matter how hard you try to follow this approach.
In this guide, I will show you exactly how to remove colored blood stains from clothing.
Pre-treat colored blood stains with liquid detergent
One of the reasons you need to pretreat blood stains before moving on to clothing is that color stains that have dried are the most difficult and nearly impossible to remove.
Follow these steps to pre-treat bleed stains and prevent them from becoming stubborn stains.
- Separate colored fabrics from white fabrics and remove items with a bleeding color stain.
- Mix 2 tablespoons of heavy-duty liquid detergent in a bucket with one gallon of warm water.
- Soak the discoloured garment for 10 to 15 minutes in the solution.
- Rinse with clean water when time has passed to remove any residue of dye.
- Wash as usual with your favorite laundry detergent once you have cleared the affected area.
- The discoloration should disappear completely after normal washing, but if it persists, repeat the procedure.
- Hang your clothing to dry after the stain is no longer visible.
Remove color stains from white garments by bleaching them
If you accidentally throw a pair of red socks in a pile of white clothes, you might be surprised to find that all of your white clothes have turned pink or have pink spots. Fortunately, bleach can restore the color of your favorite white shirt and remove stains easily thanks to its cleaning power and ability to remove color.
Hydrogen peroxide for colored clothing
Colored clothing can also have colored stains, and you can treat these stubborn stains with hydrogen peroxide. It is a good stain remover for dye transfer or color bleed stains that is also affordable. Even if it is light bleach, it is best to test it in a hidden area of your clothing to make sure it does not fade. You can do this by dipping a cotton swab in the chemical and rubbing it over the fabric. If the cotton swab absorbs the color, don’t continue, but if it doesn’t, you should try this method.
Follow these steps to remove blood stains from colored clothing
- Prepare a color-safe bleach solution by mixing 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide and 3 cups of clean water in a clean container.
- Fill a large tub with water and add 1 cup of the color safe bleaching solution.
- Soak stained clothing in solution for 8 hours to allow stain to wash out of colored clothing.
- Rinse clothes with clean water after 8 hours. The stain should no longer be visible at this stage.
- Once the stain is gone, wash your garments as usual to remove any remaining color-safe solution.
- Let your clothes air dry.
Here is a list of things you need to help you:
- Liquid detergent
- Bleach
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Vinegar
- Clean clothes
- Access to water
- A lot of patience
Once you’ve gathered everything we’ve listed above, you’re ready to start putting your clothes away. Use liquid detergent to pre-treat stains.
As we have said, prevention is much better than cure. Therefore, the best way to remove colored spots is to pre-treat them. This is especially important if you are washing items that have already suffered color bleed, because it is almost impossible to remove color bleed from previously bleed places. To begin pretreating your clothing, divide it into three categories: colours, whites, and apparel with past bleeds. Next, take your liquid detergent and a bucket, and combine 2 tablespoons of detergent with a gallon of warm water in the bucket.
Then, you should start taking the stained clothes, one by one, and submerging them in the bucket of water. Leave them in the solution for about 15 minutes and then remove them. Once you’ve removed them from the bucket, rinse each garment with cold water to remove all residue.
This process may not completely remove the color bleed, but it should lighten the stain significantly. You can then wash the items as usual in your washing machine. After they’ve gone through the wash, the stain should have diminished so much that it’s completely unnoticeable. Let your clothes dry and repeat if necessary.
Remove dye transfer from colored clothing with vinegar
If you are not very interested in soaking your clothes in detergent or if your clothes are pale pink in color, then soaking them in white vinegar is a better option.
- Fill a tub with one gallon of water.
- Add 1 cup of white vinegar.
- Soak for 30 minutes.
- Check to determine if the colour bleed has disappeared.
- Rewash the garments.
Tip
- Never use chlorine bleach on colored clothing of any kind. It should also not be used on synthetic materials such as nylon or polyester.
- Colored stained clothing should be separated from intact clothing. Save all items that are not damaged. Examine the area for bright-hued items that may have caused the color to bleed. Separate it from other clothes to prevent color fading.
For best stain removal, treat colored stained clothing as soon as possible after observing color bleed. Better safe than sorry, knowing and following proper laundry procedures will save you the hassle of reversing color stains.
