MAY/JUNE 2018 35 BULLE TIN NO. 489 Dye Transfer In Shirts What Is The Problem? After commercial laundering and/or pressing, multi-colored shirts show dye transfer from the darker yarns into the lighter areas. What Does It Look Like? When a darker-colored fabric panel or stripe or plaid design yarn bleeds during washing or pressing, the dye can transfer and stain lighter areas of the shirt. The lighter fabric areas of the shirt now appear discolored or splotchy. There may also be objectionable color loss noticed in the darker dyed areas. What Caused It? This type of dye fading and migration during laundering is due to water-soluble dye used in the darker design yarns or fabric panels. In some instances, dye bleeding and transfer is further aggravated by the heat of commercial pressing, making the discoloration more noticeable after finishing. Can It Be Prevented? There is no method of predicting if a particular dye is non- colorfast to washing; therefore, the launderer has no means of prevention. The only viable means of prevention is by the use of more colorfast dyes and better methods of application during shirt manufacturing. Who Is Responsible? It is the responsibility of the manufacturer to have better quality control during dyeing of colored shirt fabric and de- sign yarns so the shirt will withstand the standard professional laundering process without dye bleeding. Is There A Remedy? In some cases, no improvement of the dye migration is pos- sible. However, several re-washing and machine drying processes will sometimes reduce or remove the transferred dye. If this method fails, then soaking the shirt in a warm water bath with a dye reducing agent may be effective. By Jim Kirby, DLI Textile Analyst TABS T E X T I L E A N A LY S I S B U L L E T I N S E R V I C E The blue stripes on this shirt bled in washing. The black trim fabric dye on this shirt migrated to the nearby white fabric in laundering. The slow drying double-thick seams on this shirt bled from the heat of commercial pressing and drying.