Message: I want to dye my cotton dark blue printed curtain to light cream colour. I understand I will have to bleach them first, how can i bleach them properly? Can I do that in washing machine?do I need to use bleach which is for domestic bleeching purposes and soak the curtains in bleach for 10-12 hours and then dye them in washing machine with light cream colour dye? I will highly appreciate your reply. thanks n happy new year----.

It's unpredictable whether or not you will be able to remove enough of the dye to turn dark blue to light cream. In any case, at least some trace of the print will remain.

If the curtains are 100% cotton, then you can use bleach, but if the fiber content includes any synthetic fiber, such as nylon, polyester, or spandex, household bleach (which contains hypochlorite) will destroy it. Hypochlorite bleach makes holes in nylon or spandex, and it creates a permanent ugly yellow color on polyester. Animal-type fibers such as silk or wool will also be eaten to holes by bleach.

Even cotton and other sturdy plant fibers will be eaten to holes by bleach if you use too much of it, or if the bleach is too warm when you use it, or if you leave the fabric in the bleach for too long. Do not use straight undiluted bleach, and don't leave it soaking even in diluted bleach without checking on it regularly, so that you can remove the fabric from the bleach as soon as it has lightened sufficiently in color. Another point is that frequent stirring is required if you want smooth, even, solid-color results. Leaving the cotton in bleach without agitation will result in a tie-dye effect, assuming that the dye in your cotton is affected at all. Using the washing machine is in excellent idea. Be careful what clothing you wear while working with bleach, as it is easy for a stray spatter to ruin what you are wearing.

Many commercial dyes are highly resistant to bleach. One set of curtains will decolorize wonderfully in bleach, while another loses no color at all, or changes to a weird color that you don't want. It is unusual to obtain a bright white or light cream from bleaching a dark color such as navy. You are more likely to obtain some sort of brown color. It is impossible to predict what color you will get, or whether it will be light or dark, until you try it.

After using hypochlorite bleach, you should rinse or wash the bleach out quickly, then submerge the fabric in a bleach stop or anti chlor solution, to prevent the bleach from continuing to act and eat holes in your fabric even after you have rinsed it. See "How can I neutralize the damaging effects of chlorine bleach?".

Household bleach is not the only chemical you can use to remove dye. Another group of products removes dye in a completely different way, and may work well on a few dyes that completely resist chlorine bleach. (Always wash your curtains well in between using the two steps!) Look for Rit Color Remover, or Jacquard Color Remover, or Dylon Fabric Colour Stripper. All of these products contain sulfur-based dye reducing chemicals. They are gentler to the fabric than chlorine bleach, and safer for the user, as well. I prefer them to the use of bleach in most cases. However, they do require some case, since the sulfur dioxide they produce can be hazardous to people with asthma. I recommend the use of a respirator with acid gas cartridges whenever you are using either hypochlorite bleach or any other color-removing chemical. See "What chemicals can be used to remove dye?".

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