How to Wash a Quilt Without the Colors Bleeding

My favorite cozy quilt to snuggle up in is a washed one. Very few things are better than curling up in a leather chair with a cozy quilt and a good book. Countless hours go into cutting, sewing, and quilting a quilt. The most stressful part of the entire quilting process is that first wash. Will the colors bleed? Will the entire manly quilt come out of the wash a lovely hue of soft pink? Will it look tie-dyed with reds and blues?

Machine quilted quilts are uncomfortably stiff. The fabric needs softening, the quilt needs to be broken in. Therefore, washing and drying any quilt will break it in quicker than years of use. I don’t always prewash my fabric. Although, I will if I have yards of fabric, but not the scraps. Those beautiful vibrant reds will bleed. Teals and dark blues are notorious for bleeding. Using a color catcher in the wash EVERY time will prevent the reds and blues from bleeding and ruining the quilt.

Do you know what happens to a quilt with red and blue fabric? Red + Blue = Purple. Do you notice the Shout Color Catchers below? Purple! Can you envision the quilt above with salmon and fishing flies covered in a lovely lavender? I had a nightmare about it — I’m incredibly grateful it was only a dream. In reality, the Shout Color Catchers did there job and trapped all the loose dye like a sponge.

Wash the quilt in a regular washing machine

1. Use cold water. Always use cold water and
2. Use a Shout Color Catcher. In the picture above, the Shout Color Catchers did their job because red and blue make purple. I use two color catchers every time I wash this quilt until they no longer come out of the wash with any dye on them. Shout Color Catchers trap any loose dye floating in the wash water like a sponge, and prevent the dye from bleeding onto other fabric.
3. Tumble dry on low.

If you didn’t know, or didn’t follow the instructions above, how do you rescue your quilt from fabric bleeds?

If you forget… and wash anyway without the color catchers, inspect it carefully!

1. DO NOT DRY IT! Heat will set the dye.
2. Tub time. Clean your bath tub to prepare to soak the quilt. Fill the tub with cold water and add about half a cup of Synthrapol dye remover or Dawn Ultra Pure dish soap. Swish the water to make sure the soap is mixed in. SUBMERGE your quilt. It needs to be entirely under water or the dye at the water line may re-set on a different part of your quilt. Walk away and let it soak for 12 hours. The soap’s job is to keep the dye suspended in the water and not on your quilt.
3. Rinse and repeat. Rinse in cold water and repeat until the water stays clear. Wrap the heavy quilt in a towel and wash in cold water in the washing machine with Shout Color Catchers.
4. Tumble dry on low. Once you are certain that no dye is where it isn’t supposed to be, you can tumble dry the quilt on low.

I give a box of Shout Color Catchers with every baby quilt that I gift. Baby quilts need to be washed regularly. The color catchers save mama from any worry of ruining a new quilt.

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