Old dyes running
02-05-2011, 06:35 PM
#11
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Originally Posted by Prism99
Synthrapol is designed to suspend unset dye particles in water so they are washed away. This is what you would want to use on this quilt, as it will work on lifting up the bleeds (which probably have not been chemically set or heat set at this point). It can take several washings with Synthrapol to remove all traces of a bleed, so be patient.
Be sure to use a washing machine that has plenty of water in it. A home front-loader, for example, will not supply enough water. You want enough water to make sure that dye particles lifted out by the Synthrapol are not too concentrated in the wash water; you want those particles dispersed as much as possible. It wouldn't hurt to throw dye catchers in with the Synthrapol too.
I don't know about the ice treatment. Might be worth a try on one spot to see what happens. I can't imagine ice would set a bleed.
Be sure to use a washing machine that has plenty of water in it. A home front-loader, for example, will not supply enough water. You want enough water to make sure that dye particles lifted out by the Synthrapol are not too concentrated in the wash water; you want those particles dispersed as much as possible. It wouldn't hurt to throw dye catchers in with the Synthrapol too.
I don't know about the ice treatment. Might be worth a try on one spot to see what happens. I can't imagine ice would set a bleed.
02-06-2011, 01:16 PM
#12
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Originally Posted by kacie
If she's not quite ready to try a washing machine -- 75-year-old fabric, you know -- has anyone tried using a solution of Synthrapol and water with a Q-tip to dab on the dye? A friend said she heard about someone doing that, but she didn't know anything about the steps taken beyond that.
If the quilt top survived being hand washed and quilted, I think it would survive the top-loader washing technique. ***You would never let the quilt be agitated by the washing machine!*** This is critical. Basically you fill the machine with the water and add Synthrapol, stop the machine, add the quilt, hand agitate the quilt by pressing down on it, advance the machine to the spin cycle, spin out the wash water, fill with rinse water, stop the machine and hand agitate, advance to spin, etc. What is hard on a quilt is machine agitation. Spinning out excess water is not a problem. You would want to lay the quilt out to dry (no machine drying) with a fan on it to speed drying (so no mold develops) and block the quilt as it dries.
02-06-2011, 01:29 PM
#13
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Originally Posted by Prism99
I don't think that would work, since Synthrapol suspends dye particles in water. Dabbing Synthrapol on with a Q-tip might loosen the unset dye particles but then they would have no place to go. Ordinarily they would be suspended in water and rinsed away. Synthrapol doesn't dissolve color the way oxyclean might dissolve a stain; it lifts unset dye particles out of the fabric, which means the dye particles still need some place to go.
If the quilt top survived being hand washed and quilted, I think it would survive the top-loader washing technique. ***You would never let the quilt be agitated by the washing machine!*** This is critical. Basically you fill the machine with the water and add Synthrapol, stop the machine, add the quilt, hand agitate the quilt by pressing down on it, advance the machine to the spin cycle, spin out the wash water, fill with rinse water, stop the machine and hand agitate, advance to spin, etc. What is hard on a quilt is machine agitation. Spinning out excess water is not a problem. You would want to lay the quilt out to dry (no machine drying) with a fan on it to speed drying (so no mold develops) and block the quilt as it dries.
If the quilt top survived being hand washed and quilted, I think it would survive the top-loader washing technique. ***You would never let the quilt be agitated by the washing machine!*** This is critical. Basically you fill the machine with the water and add Synthrapol, stop the machine, add the quilt, hand agitate the quilt by pressing down on it, advance the machine to the spin cycle, spin out the wash water, fill with rinse water, stop the machine and hand agitate, advance to spin, etc. What is hard on a quilt is machine agitation. Spinning out excess water is not a problem. You would want to lay the quilt out to dry (no machine drying) with a fan on it to speed drying (so no mold develops) and block the quilt as it dries.
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