r/dyeing • u/Kind_Age2059 • 12h ago

General question How to remove red dye from pants

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The power went out when my clothes were in the middle of being washed, so they sat in the washer for a few hours while soaking wet. This caused some of the dye from a pair of red socks to bleed into my pants (100% cotton) and I ran them through the dryer before I realized. how can I remove the dye?

1 Upvotes

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5

u/Odd-Worth7752 12h ago

You might try dye remover but you might not be able to get it out. Why were you washing red socks with light colors to begin with?

1

u/Kind_Age2059 11h ago

Normally I don’t have any issues with colors bleeding when I wash my clothes. I’ve washed those socks with light clothes many times before and have never had a problem.

3

u/Odd-Worth7752 3h ago

the spots make me wonder if it was possible that there was a pen in there that leaked? the localized spot isn't really what you would get from dye transfer. could it have happened before the wash?

1

u/Kind_Age2059 1h ago

I bought the pants yesterday and they had no stains, so it definitely happened in the wash. I assume the stain was from the socks since they’re the only red thing that was washed but idk.

2

u/draftgirl24 1h ago

Yeah, this really doesn’t look like dye transfer, especially if these were socks that had been washed many times. Could there have been a pen in the washer?

But as all things in life, stranger thanks happen every day.

Edit to add: maybe for kicks and giggles, try some hairspray on the stain. It won’t work if the stain is really dye, but it will work on ink.

2

u/this1weirdgirl 6h ago

Hear set, on tan? Probably not.

1

u/Aniki_Simpson 7h ago

"You've got red on you."

0

u/LankySandwich 9h ago

Its crazy how much dye came out and how vivid red it is, just from touching a red garment while wet for awhile. I've never seen that happen before. They might be cooked.