How to Check for Color Fastness

Not sure if your new clothing will run in the wash or not? Here is a quick and handy way to test it before a disaster occurs!

Steps

  1. Image titled WetCorner Step 1
    1
    Wet one corner of the garment or fabric item.
  2. Image titled LeaveFewMins Step 2
    2
    Leave it for a few minutes. Rest it over the laundry sink while you wait.
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  3. Image titled WhiteCloth Step 3
    3
    Get a white cloth or face washer. Press the wet part of the garment onto the white cloth. If any color comes off onto the white cloth, you know that the item is not colorfast and will run in the wash.
  4. Image titled ContinueWashing Step 4
    4
    Wash separately from other clothing until there is no more dye running from it.
  5. Image titled ColorFastness Intro
    5
    Finished.
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Things You'll Need

  • Original item of clothing or fabric
  • White cloth or face washer
  • Water

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About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 45,850 times.
26 votes - 85%
Co-authors: 3
Updated: February 6, 2020
Views: 45,850
Categories: Laundry
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