How to get color that has run out of wool sweater

I found a nice older multi color Norwegian sweater but the bright red wool must not have been completely color fast and has bled a little onto the lighter wool in a few places. So is the best plan just to have it dry cleaned or do I try to soak it out? I do have Orvus soap as one option.

Any thoughts?

 

This is the area where it has the most problem though probably doesn't show well in the photo.

 

EEEK! Did that happen when you handwashed it in cold water?

I have set some natural dyes using a cold water mixture with salt and vinegar, but not after the fact.

I hope someone will know, it looks like even the tan has run..?

 

I'm a sucker for Norwegian sweaters so I just brought it home from a thrift and haven't touched it yet. I think it's just the red that has run and it's just in a couple areas but it does have some spots and stains that will have to be addressed if the bleeding can be reversed. I thought it was worth a try.

 

Orvus is nothing but plain detergent, no brighteners, etc. Not gonna do a blessed thing, and if you've got hard water, it'll never rinse out.

Sorry to say there is nothing you can do to fix this, including dry cleaning. You could however overdye it, which might be interesting.

 

Hmmm well that's a thought. I suppose I will have to wash or clean it just to remove the other spots first. Oh well not much in it so not much to lose.

 

What if you bleached it? Just went in with some bleach on an old toothbrush and very carefully and selectively did little areas? Just supposing. Really don't have a clue.

 

That dye's been in there a while. It might be better to use this as a piece to mess with. If you wash it early and often it might lighten up, or it might just shrink the sweater. Then again...felted wool is great for crafters. One of them might want it as is.

 

If you feel you have nothing to lose . . .
http://laundry.about.com/u/sty/laun...to-Remove-Color-Bleeding-Stains-From-Wool.htm

 

Or...you could always use it as a cushion cover...or on a chair.

 

Hi,
It appears that some one washed it in warm water instead of cold. I would wash it in cold water just do not let it soak. If the other stains come out then I would wash it in cold water with just a splash of bleach. I saved some wool curtains in the church doing that. The water from the firemans hoses made the red run into the white since it soaked for several weeks.
I would only recommend doing that on something that looks like it is a goner.
greg

 

I'll cogitate a bit I think. It does occur to me that since it's a portion of the collar that has the bleeding I wonder if it was someone's wet hair or maybe heavy hairspray that caused it. (no idea if that would)

 

Somehow, I suspect there's a larger story there.

 

Hi moreotherstuff,
I spent three years overseeing the restoration of a historic church in Brooklyn that had a bad fire. The curtains were appoximately 75 years old when the fire happened. The were white with a lot of red trimming and got trampled into a pile when the windows smashed. I thought they were ruined so I decided it could not make them worse to try the washing
to clean them which it did but the red dye had run on a lot of it. Washed them again in cold water with bleach and it made them look better, not new but usable. the really valuable textiles were professionally done and covered by insurance, the other stuff was either cleaned or discarded. Thank goodness I had the help and advice from the conservationists of the Met in NY and a host of helping hands.
greg

 

Sounds like a good deal of work. Well done.

 

Chlorine bleach will destroy protein fibers like wool and silk. You can, however, use peroxide + ammonia, just like you do to bleach hair. Seriously not worth the trouble here, though.

 

Why not just hand wash it in Woolite to get the spots/dirt out and wear it as is? It doesn't look that bad

 

Might try that, actually even though it looks like a vintage sweater it doesn't really look like it's been worn much and doesn't really look washed. It's mostly that collar area that is an issue and so far I've given just the collar a brief wash in cold water (no change) and set in what sun there is (also no change yet). I'm doing a tiny spot test with peroxide to see if that has any affect.

For now it's just a project but I'll have to see if it fits. (I'll put that off until I see if I can shift some of the weight I picked up when I couldn't walk for months from a broken foot).

 

"It's mostly that collar area that is an issue"

Uh-oh, I'm showing one of "lazy stripes" by saying this but . . . what about wearing the sweater with a coordinating/complementary color of winter scarf/muffler to hide the collar area?

 

Rit makes a product that captures color that has run (not color remover, but the one for removing color run). I used it once (on something I could part with, and mostly out of curiosity) with good results, but it may have required hot water ( read the instructions). Also keep in mind that what you're dealing with is chemicals, not 'color'. What works depends soley on what chemicals were in the dye which can vary greatly, and how they react to the chemical you use to remove it. All of which require testing to determine. Red is the most fugitive color ( love that textile term) so efforts to make it more color fast have resulted in dying to achieve red shades with many different chemicals over time. There are a couple absolutes though - bleach being one of them. It's harsh and caustic and will turn fabrics gray or yellow. I vote with 6 rivets on the suggestion of peroxide instead. With wool, which like hair, is a protein fiber, you're safer experimenting with chemicals designed for hair salons than those designed for 'textiles', a term that can mean animal, mineral or vegetable.