Name: Tracey

Message: I have a RED wool pea coat that I just LOVE but just taking it out of the plastic it was packaged in caused my fingers to turn pink. What is the best idea for trying to set the dye or stop this "bleeding"? Can I wash a wool coat?? (The local dry cleaner didn't want to touch it.)

What does the care label say? If it does not say that you can wash it, then there is nothing you can do. You will have to return it where you bought it. Good luck in finding the same style again from a better manufacturer. 

If the coat is washable, then you can try washing it until the excess color comes out. Do NOT use vinegar or another acid, as this will encourage some types of wool dye to wash out even if they are properly attached. The only way that you can solve crocking is by removing the loose dye. Use a neutral detergent such as Synthrapol or any detergent marketed for use specifically on wool. Soak the coat for several hours or overnight, if a single washing proves insufficient. Unless the label says otherwise, use only cool water, so that you do not cause the coat to shrink. Hot water works better at removing dye, but there's no point in solving the dye problem if the coat is too small or mishapen afterwards to wear.

Crocking is the name for dye rubbing off of a dry garment. It is different from the problem of non-washfast dye, which rubs off only when damp. Do not wear a garment that crocks dye, because it will ruin other fabrics, such as furniture or the other clothing you wear with it. (The transferred dye can usually be removed by washing in HOT water, but this is often not an option, such as in the case of upholstered furniture, or non-washable shoes, or clothing that can be washed only in cool water.)

The problem of poor washfastness, which you might also have, can be solved only after enough of the excess dye is removed that crocking no longer occurs from the dry fabric. If you have succeeded in that, then you can  apply a cationic dye fixative, such as Retayne, but only if the garment can be washed in HOT water, which is very unlikely for a wool coat; it will probably shrink badly. Retayne will solve poor washfastness, which is what happens when a garment bleeds when it gets wet. Retayne will not solve crocking. Retayne is applied in a washing machine full of hot water. It will not work on vat dyes, such as the indigo used to dye denim, but it will work on most acid dyes and reactive dyes. The only problem is that the hot water you have to use to apply it is probably strongly contraindicated for a wool coat.

When wool has been properly dyed, no dye will rub off of it when it is dry. The washfastness of wool dyes vary dramatically: Lanaset dyes will not wash off even in hot 140°F water, while Kiton dyes, similar to the dyes found in all-purpose dyes such as Rit, will tend to fade and bleed in water over 105°F, so clothing dyed with them should be hand-washed in cool water only. No properly applied dyes will crock off of the fabric when dry, though; the fact that the dye in your coat rubs off indicates that the manufacturer used defective practices, or at least failed to do the required washing-out after dyeing.

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