Name: Maureen

Message: I have a new, 100 % cotton, brown twill skirt [side zipper and button closure]. I carried a wash rag to the table that had bleach on it and my skirt has several dots of clorox on the front.  I need to redye this dark brown skirt.  How do I go about it? 

See "How can I fix the bleach spots on my favorite clothing?".

Also, I wear all cotton turtle necks.  The darker ones [despite cold water wash] fade and I would like to just keep them looking new and the same dark color - black, navy and brown.  What's a good method?  Thank you for such an outstanding website!

Unfortunately, the dyes used in the textile industry are not always as washfast as the fiber reactive dyes we like to use at home. If your shirts were dyed with direct dye and not then treated with a cationic fixative, they will fade quickly. Washing in cold water, as you have been doing, is helpful with these dyes. To fix the dyes that are in them now, use Retayne or another brand of cationic dye fixative, which you will probably have to buy by mail-order, unless your local fabric store carries it. See "Commercial Dye Fixatives". 

If the shirts have already faded too much for your taste, you can redye them using a good washfast fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX dye. For a single solid color, the easiest method is dyeing in the washing machine; see "How can I dye clothing or fabric in the washing machine?".

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