How to Remove Dyed Clothes

Even if your beautiful shirt is stained with dye, you don’t have to throw it away. Although some stains are difficult to remove, you can try rubbing alcohol, bleach, or bleach to save your precious item. You always have a good chance of success, as long as you don’t dry the stain.

Table of Contents

Clean stains with rubbing alcohol

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Buy rubbing alcohol. Isopropyl alcohol is available at all drugstores. You can use alcohol on all types of clothes, including those that don’t last long and bleed a lot when washed. You can test the color fastness by spraying water on a corner of the fabric and pressing it with a white towel to see if the color comes out. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Other products with a high alcohol content such as hairspray or hand sanitizer can also treat dye stains.
For leather clothing, you can use a soap made for leather.

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Dab alcohol on the stain. You will need an absorbent material such as a clean rag, paper towel, or cotton ball. Pour a little rubbing alcohol on the rag and dab it on the stain. The dye will gradually transfer to the absorbent material. You will have to soak the alcohol several times to remove the stain.

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Rub laundry soap on the stain. Leave the alcohol on the clothes and pour some laundry soap on top. Use a small amount of soap to rub a thin layer over the stain.

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Use a toothbrush to gently scrub the stain. Rub gently to avoid damaging the fabric. An old toothbrush is a great tool, but you can also use your fingers if you don’t have a brush. Rub soap on the stained area and rub into the fibers of the fabric. ^{[2] X Research Source}

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Rinse the garment with warm water. Wash clothes with clean water at a temperature of about 32 degrees Celsius to remove alcohol and soap. This step also washes away the dye that the alcohol has dissolved.

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Wash clothes. Take the clothes out of the washing machine and wash them as usual. Once the stain has been removed, you can dry the garment. If rubbing alcohol doesn’t work, you’ll need to try stronger methods, such as bleach.

Wash off the dye

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Fill the sink with warm water. Store 15 quarts of water in a basin, sink, or other container. Water with a temperature of 32 degrees Celsius is safe for most fabrics and will still help the dye dissolve. You can use a thermometer to measure the temperature of the water or wash it in the washing machine instead of a basin.

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Use cold water when washing delicate fabrics such as silk and lace. Cold water at 27 degrees Celsius or below will help prevent the fibers from being damaged. You should also use cold water to wash dark or heavily colored clothes as they will discolor in warm water.

Check clothing labels or go online to find out what type of material the garment is made of to see what the maximum temperature water should be.
You can put your clothes in the washing machine instead of washing them by hand.

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Use dye bleach. This product is a powder detergent, available in the laundry product section. Follow the instructions on the back of the package. Usually, you will need to pour a packet into the water and wait for the bleach to dissolve. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Dye remover products can remove too much dye, so read the instructions carefully. Make sure the product is diluted or completely dissolved in water.

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Soak the garment in water until the dye dissolves. Submerge the stained garment in water mixed with bleach, stirring occasionally. You should wear gloves or use certain kitchen utensils to avoid staining your hands. Soak clothes in bleach water for up to 2 hours. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Make sure the original color of the clothes does not fade. If so, you must remove the clothing from the water immediately.

Use bleach

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Mix bleach with cold water. Fill the sink or wash basin with cold water. Mix ¼ cup of bleach per 4 quarts of water. You can use chlorine bleach to bleach cotton or cotton blended ppyester clothes. For other fabrics, you’ll use an oxygen bleach or bleach for all fabrics. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Bleach is very strong, so you should always dilute it with water instead of pouring it directly onto your clothes.
Avoid mixing cleaning chemicals other than chlorine bleach, as this can cause the bleach to release toxic gases.

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Soak clothes for 5 minutes. Bleach can quickly wear clothes, so don’t soak them for long. Immerse dye-stained clothes in bleach water and soak for 5 minutes, then remove clothes. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

If you use bleach for all fabrics, you can soak your clothes for 30 minutes.
You won’t burn your hands if the bleach has been diluted with water. Wear gloves or avoid getting your hands in the water and wash your hands after handling bleach.

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Rinse clothes with clean water. Hopefully the dye starts to fade right away. No matter what happens, you need to flush out the bleach right away. Use warm water for normal fabrics and cold water for delicate fabrics. Be sure to rinse your shirt thoroughly to make sure all of the bleach is removed.

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Wash clothes. Put the treated clothes in the washing machine. Now you can wash your clothes as usual. Regular laundry soap is safe and works to disinfect and remove stains.

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Repeat the bleaching process if the clothes are still stained. Dyes are often difficult to remove, so one bleaching session may not be enough. Go back to the sink, fill it with water and make a bleach solution. Soak the clothes, then rinse and wash again. Once you have completed all the above steps, you can continue to work until the stain disappears.

If this method doesn’t work, perhaps a stronger dye will be your last resort. Look for a formula that is formulated to treat fabrics before dyeing. Unless you want to completely fade the color of your clothes, you should use this product for bleaching white clothes.

Advice

For best results, treat stain as soon as possible.

Warning

Avoid drying clothes that have dye stains on them. Drying clothes with heat will cause stains to stick, so you should only use the dryer after you have removed the stain.

Things you need

Wash off the dye

Dye remover powder
Water
Washing machine or washing basin
Laundry soap

Use bleach

Water
Chlorine bleach or bleach for all fabrics
Wash basin or sink
Washing machine
Soap

Clean stains with rubbing alcohol

Cleaning alcohol
Rags, tissues or cotton balls
Soap
Old toothbrush
Water
Washing machine

Steps

Clean stains with rubbing alcohol

Wash off the dye

Use bleach

Advice

Warning

Things you need

Wash off the dye

Use bleach

Clean stains with rubbing alcohol

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