Name: noodles

Message: Hi,
I have new black velvet pants (90% nylon, 10% lycra).  Within minutes of wearing them my legs, hands and anything else they touch are stained black.  They are dry clean only.
Can I do anything to stop the dye running?
I can't really wear them like that, and it's a shame because they're ace!
Please help!!!
:)

Return them to the store from which you purchased them! That amount of dry crocking (rubbing off of dye)is entirely unacceptable and shows that the dye was fixed improperly.

If you are not willing to do this, the only option is to clean them repeatedly, hoping that you will be able to remove all of the excess dye. Unfortunately, dry cleaning may not be as effective as washing in water. However, it may not be healthy to expose your skin to large amounts of the loose dye. The dye has very probably never been tested for safety under those conditions.

Commercial dye fixatives such as Retayne and Raycafix will help to stop dyes from bleeding when wet, but they may be less effective of dye that comes off even when it is dry. Also, they cannot be applied unless you can launder the garment.

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