Name: Jennifer
Message: I apologize if this is posted somewhere but I didnt see it. I bought a shirt in Mexico recently that is made of a gauze fabric. It is dyed a bright mustart yellow. I wore the shirt for about 2 hours with a pair of tan khaki cotton/nylon capris and they were BRIGHT yellow when I got back home, as were my son's linen shorts where I was holding him on my hip. Do you have any suggestions as to what I can use to wash out the dye from the khakis and shorts? I have washed but not dryed, spot treated, and tried oxy clean but nothing has worked, nor can I seem to set the dye in the top. I have rinsed and rinsed with cold water to no avail. Any suggestions? Thanks

This is a difficult problem. The best answer with improperly dyed items such as this is to return it to the manufacturer or retailer, but that is probably impractical for you.

If the dye is transferring after becoming slightly dampened, then just washing should help, followed perhaps by a dye fixative such as Retayne on the offending garment. However, dye rubbing off even when completely dry is called crocking, and the problem is less likely to have any solution at all. I would advise you to wash your capris and your son's shorts several times in hot water, if they can survive this treatment. Hot water is best for removing excess dye. Hot water would also be more effective than warm water for removing dye from the offending yellow shirt.

The best answer when hot water does not remove dye that has transferred to another garment is usually Rit brand Color Remover, which is an excellent product, better than Rit brand all-purpose dye. Color Remover may also remove the original color of a garment, but it is probably worth taking this risk. Better to have lighter-colored pants and shorts that are all one color, rather than the original color that has bright yellow on one side.

The dye fixative Retayne will not help with the problem of dry crocking, though it is extremely helpful for dye that runs when it becomes wet. (See "How can I set the dye in the clothes I just bought?")