Asked on Jan 05, 2017

What should I do about bleach damage?

Deanna E
by Deanna E
I was excited to receive my 1000 TC ((I've never owned a high thread count before)) Duvet, matching pillow cases and several Large sham covers. The color was/is Steel. It matched my brand new bedroom,bedding and window treatments. The main color is a Dark Purple- nearly Chocolate and then the "Steel"/Silver/Gray are the small details of Fleurs de fleur........lol
I put them in the washer added my Liquid Tide and I added Bleach. I have no idea what I was thinking, I must not have been. Anyhow, I now have a DUVET and 2 king pillow cases all marked up badly with bleach. The shams weren't in the wash. What would you do? I know about RIT DYE but I've never used it before especially on a huge King duvet with so much thickness. How do you ever get a good color. Its been in the cabinet:((( Thanks.
  6 answers
  • William William on Jan 06, 2017

    White Vinegar. Before you do this, make sure that you’ve rinsed the bleach out of the fabric. Combining vinegar and bleach (or bleach and almost any acid) results in the release of a toxin, chlorine gas. Go get yourself some Heinz white vinegar or even the generic stuff; it doesn’t matter which. Soak a clean white cloth with the vinegar and start dabbing/blotting the stain. Keep doing this until the fabric won’t hold anymore vinegar in the immediate vicinity of the bleach stain. Rinse with cold water and repeat. Vinegar has been used traditionally as a color restoration solution for a very long time. Acids in vinegar (acetic acid) will help to dissolve or peel away any damaged fabric that may be causing a bleach stain to stand out. Vinegar will eventually damage cotton fabrics with enough exposure, so use white vinegar conservatively when treating bleach stains. ***** If vinegar isn't getting rid of your bleach stain you should consider Marvy Fabric Markers to cover up the discoloration. The alternative to the Marvy Fabric Marker is the Sharpie permanent marker; really, both options are just as effective at covering up the bleach stain. You can find Marvy Fabric Markers in almost any craft store or fabric store, and they’re made in a variety of colors. If you’re lucky you may just find the color that works for whatever it is you’ve bleached. Fabric Markers are usually safe to wash, but I wouldn’t use a bleaching agent on that fabric again–if you get my meaning. Test the marker on a clean white rag before applying it to your fabric, to make sure it’s the right shade for your needs. Oh, Crayola makes fabric markers too! You can find Marvy Fabric Markers on Amazon.

    • Deanna E Deanna E on Jan 07, 2017

      William, Wow you know a lot about the details!! I'll remember this in case..... but my duvet is on a King size problem. huge bleach stains across the fabric. Thank you you've helped others I'm sure

  • Maynard Maynard on Jan 06, 2017

    Contact a good dry cleaner in you area and explain what happened. ask them if they can dye it back to or close to original. if they say no, try another cleaner and keep trying until you find someone who says yes. i would not suggest trying to remedy this yourself, you will not be satisfied with the results any marker would provide. I don't know how big Coos Bay is, you may have to try a larger community, like Eugene or even Portland. You may have to send it, but its the right way to go.

  • Lindy Lindy on Jan 07, 2017

    Honestly? I would search for a new duvet. Markers are great if you get a bleach spot on your black jeans, but if you have a King sized duvet you will curse the stains every time you make your bed. Search on line for the manufacturer and you may be surprised at how little the cost will be by comparing it to if you got it professionally dyed at a cleaner plus postage back and forth if necessary. If you send me the info about the duvet I will even go so far as to help you search. Why? Because I've done some stunts like that so I feel your pain.

  • Deanna E Deanna E on Jan 07, 2017

    Lindy, Thank you SO much! Yes I would continue to scold myself for the bleach. My budget has me so tight and far under I can't send it out to anyone but your post gave me an idea. Forget about trying to match this one up to the bedroom bedding and maybe do something different like.........Tie Dye? or at least try my best for a nice color. I do see a lot a lovely duvets not very expensive. I don't know why I though I wanted such an expensive duvet anyway. Thank you for your kind offer to help.

  • Lindy Lindy on Jan 08, 2017

    I've felt that tight budget squeeze many times so know your pain on that one. Here is an idea--look for a king sized flat sheet close to the color-brownish purple, then sew it on top of the duvet we will name Spot. I know I have seen that color before from your description. Look in all discount stores like Marshalls, tjMaxx, even Target. As for wanting such an expensive duvet, you deserve it and there is no reason you shouldn't want it if it makes you feel good when you tuck in at night or when you look at your pretty bed every day. If it threw you a thousand dollars into debt I may revise that statement.

  • Jjj12803723 Jjj12803723 on Jan 17, 2017

    Sorry this happened to your pretty linens. I buy and sell vintage linens and I second what others have said, kiss your divet goodbye unless you can over dye it.


    Bleach ruins fabric and takes out dyes, I don't keep it in house (however Tide with bleach alternative original scent is an enzyme cleaner which is not usually harmful to fabrics).


    ONLY USE BIZ an enzyme cleaner in powdered form as stain remover ( Oxyclean is a no no too, its a non chlorine bleach will not hurt all fabrics but some fibers get eaten right up (wool, real linen fabric, silk sometimes). Biz is safe for every fabric. Just fill bucket/plastic bin with warm water, scoop of Biz, stir and add your stained item. When stains disappear (even a day or two), rinse well and if white, dry outside in the sun.