How do I avoid patchy colour loss?
These days, colour and liquid detergents provide outstanding cleaning and because they do not contain bleach, are ideal for washing your coloureds. We recommend you try the Ariel with Actilift™ Colour and Style range or alternatively any of our liquid products: Ariel, Bold or Daz Liquid. You can use these products for both your whites and coloured laundry.
Our experience has shown that accidental contact with strong bleach is the most common cause of colour loss. Household products containing bleach can be accidentally spilled or splashed onto fabrics and then go undetected. The bleach then reacts with dye in the fabric causing permanent colour loss. The following household products typically contain strong bleaching agents:
- Hard surface cleaners (bathroom, kitchen etc).
- Chlorine based bleach.
- Toilet bowl cleaners.
- Scouring powders.
- Antiseptics.
If you suspect a household product has caused colour loss, you may want to apply a small amount of it to an inconspicuous area of your garment. If the same type of colour loss occurs, you have found the culprit. This will confirm the source of the problem and help you prevent future colour loss.
Some toiletries (hair mousses, shampoos, creams, bath oils and shower gels) contain ingredients that if accidentally allowed to come into contact with absorbent fabric, can become firmly locked into their fibres. Whilst most of these products do not contain bleach they contain other ingredients, which chemically change the dye causing a colour change. Acne treatments do contain bleach and will cause colour loss if allowed to come into contact with garments.
Many toiletry products can be essentially invisible when they come into contact with such fabrics. So it’s a good idea to always rinse hands, body or hair thoroughly to remove any toiletry residues before drying with a towel. This should help prevent any such problem occurring in the future. Again, if you suspect a toiletry product has caused colour loss, you may want to apply a small amount of it to an inconspicuous area. If the same type of colour loss occurs, you have found the culprit.
It’s very rare that bleach containing detergents cause patchy colour loss but it can happen with any bleach containing detergent under certain conditions. The most frequent cause is fabric coming into prolonged contact with un-dissolved detergent, usually at the beginning of the wash. Heavy wash loads in combination with delicate wash cycles are most likely to cause a problem. Some fabrics/dyes are also more sensitive than others, so it’s always a good idea to read and follow the instructions on the garment care label before washing. If you suspect your detergent has caused colour loss please continue to submit your question to us.