Hi Joan,

Unfortunately, the word aniline, when applied to dyes, tells you nothing about what kind of dye it is, except that it's not a natural dye; it really only tells you that the dyes are synthetic, which can be a problem if the dyer did not understand the correct application procedure for the particular sort of dye that was used. Synthetic dyes can be excellent if they are applied correctly, or horrible if they are not.

Color rubbing off when the fabric is dry is called crocking. It's a far more dire situation than color that rubs off when wet. Crocking is caused by loose dye on the outside of the fibers, dye which has not been set, so that it is not bound to the fiber in any way. For best results, dye must be set during the dyeing process, not afterwards.

If you use a rug whose dye crocks, the dye will likely permanently stain the floor underneath the rug. This can happen with carpeting, with a wood floor, or even, especially, with vinyl flooring. There is no good solution when that has happened. It's very important not to put the rug on the floor if its dye is crocking.

The first thing to try is to wash it repeatedly in hot water, or soak it in hot water and then wash it. This often helps with loose indigo dye, the dye that is used to color jeans, if the manufacturers fail to use correct dyeing procedures. Obviously, this could ruin the pattern of the rug if the color runs. On the other hand, even if the lighter regions become stained pink with red dye that runs, some of the pattern will still show through, and it will probably still be beautiful. This is the best solution, in my opinion, though it does not always work.

A dye fixative such as Retayne will not work if the dyes are vat dyes, which are the type of dye most often responsible for crocking dye. It will also not work for basic dyes. It will work well for acid dyes and direct dyes, but vat dyes lack the negative charge of the other types of dyes, so it does not cling to them; basic dyes have a positive charge, so it doesn't work for them, either. Vat dyes are synthetic dyes (aside from natural indigo and the ancient Tyrian purple); they can be quite permanent if applied correctly, but sometimes manufacturers take short cuts that prevent the proper fixation of the dye. Dye fixatives like Retayne are applied in hot water, so they are no use if the dyes will run unacceptably and ruin the design during even the first immersion. Raycafix is a product similar to Retayne, but its sellers, G&S Dye in Toronto, say that it sometimes works on vat dyes, as well. You could call or email them and ask them how well they think it will work on your rug. (See "Commercial Dye Fixatives".)

A good solution might be to hang the rug on the wall, with a sheet behind it to protect the paint (or just plan on repainting). Rugs can make beautiful wall coverings. While a rug protector on the floor under the rug cannot be relied upon, as the rug shifts when it is stepped on, it's easier to tack a rug in place on the wall.

Finally, you can consider painting the rug with a colorless fabric paint binder, such as Neopaque Colorless Extender, which is sold for diluting Neopaque and Lumiere fabric paints. This product, if painted on, will fix the loose dye into place. It should work equally well for vat dyes and basic dyes, because it does not work chemically, but rather physically, by placing a clear acrylic layer on top of them. However, like pigmented fabric paint, it will make the surface of the fabric a very little bit more scratchy, a little less soft, and it will eventually wear off, possibly very quickly if subjected to a lot of foot traffic. It can also be expensive, since it will probably take quite a bit to cover both surfaces of your rug, depending on how big it is.

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