Name: Pamela

Message: Hi, I recently washed a dry clean only garment in the washing machine. The dress is 100% silk, the top half cream silk and the bottom black; now there is some running of the black dye into the cream. I thought if I used Retayne on the black half of the dress it would stop further spreading of the dye? Would you advise this solution?

I don't know that it would be possible to apply the Retayne to the black without getting it on the cream. Retayne is normally applied in the washing machine, in hot water with agitation, not painted on. Is there still any black dye in the cream-colored section of the dress? Retayne will help to make that permanent, too. 

There is no treatment that I can think of that will not encourage even more of the black dye to run. Anything you do that involves immersion in water will allow more movement of the improperly fixed black dye. Is it possible to use a hand steamer, or careful hand-washing, to clean just the cream-colored section of the dress? If so, you will find the the hottest water, up to 185°F, is the best for washing out unwanted dye. Use a small amount of a pH-balanced detergent, such as Synthrapol, Eucalan, or Orvus Paste, or, in a pinch, a conditioner-free shampoo; don't use ordinary high-pH laundry detergent.

It's unfortunate when manufacturers use the "dry clean only" label as a substitute for proper fixing of dyes or the use of high quality dyes. It would have been so much better if the manufacturer has used Retayne or an equivalent on the black silk, before ever assembling that dress. In many cases, there is no reason why one should have to continually use dry cleaning, as expensive, inconvenient, toxic, and bad for the environment as dry cleaning is. The use of non-washfast dyes makes dry cleaning necessary, however.

If you can wash the dress until the black dye stops running further, then there are a couple of options. If the cream-colored portion of the dress is still discolored, perhaps you can overdye the entire dress, in either a deep solid black or a mottled low water immersion pattern that will help to cover the inconsistency in color. If the dress still fits well, I recommend that you try one of these. 

Not all black dyes are equal in quality, for covering up problems like this. A black all-purpose dye very often gives only shades of grey, and is prone to bleeding in the laundry, because the acid dye in all-purpose dyes is the relatively non-washfast acid leveling type of acid dye. All-purpose dye is unlikely to cover well. The very best available black dye for silk is called Lanaset Jet Black and can be mail-ordered from several sources in the US. (See About Lanaset Dyes and Who sells Lanaset dyes?.)  The next best available black dye for silk is ProChem's Washfast Jet Black WF672, which can be mail-ordered from PRO Chemical & Dye, and costs half as much as the Lanaset black. Another alternative is the premetalized acid dye sold by Kraftkolour in Australia. Jacquard Acid Jet Black is mixed from several dark colors of dye, designed, like the other acid dyes, for silk and wool; I am not sure how it compares to the Washfast Acid black. You must use up to three ounces (85 grams) of the Jacquard Acid Black for every 16 ounces of fabric to be dyed, in order to get a true black; the Lanaset Jet Black dye and Washfast Acid Jet Black each require 25 grams of dye, or a little less than one ounce, per pound of fabric to be dyed.

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