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Diann asked: My couch is a maroon color. When we sit on it, the color comes off onto our clothes. What can I do?
It’s not uncommon for some upholstery colors, red in particular, to transfer to clothing. This does not lessen the aggravation of ruined clothes and other items that come in constant contact with your new upholstery. Though the manufacturer or store who made/sold the furniture, may be responsible for fixing the problem, there is something you can do. The following method may be time consuming, but if you see it through, you will be quite happy with the results.
You Will Need:
- Several white washcloths
- Scotchgard Fabric & Upholstery Cleaner
- Water
Steps to Stop the Dye Transfer:
- Start by moistening the washcloths so they are damp, but not dripping. Use clean, white rags or washcloths you don’t mind staining. Avoid colored cloths as they can add to the color transfer.
- Wipe the entire surface of the sofa down with the washcloths, turning the cloth frequently as the color transfers.
- Clean all areas and be sure to get both sides of any removable cushions. Rinse and remoisten the cloths as necessary. As you are wiping the surface, you will remove the excess dye that is transferring to your clothes, etc.
- After wiping down the entire piece, allow the fabric to dry completely.
- Repeat steps 1-3 until little or no color transfers onto the white cloths.
- Scotchgard provides another layer of protection for the fabric and for preventing future dye transfer. Follow the directions on the product packaging for application.
Additional Tips and Advice
- If color transfer happens with a new sofa, contact the store or manufacturer. They should be responsible for fixing and/or preventing the problem.
- If you are trying to remove the dye that has been transferred to another fabric piece, see our guide How to Fix Dye Transfer.
My red leather couch stains everything…clothing…throws…pillows…I have used best cream leather conditioner…no improvement. Help please.
Mdellinger,
Clean the couch thoroughly with a leather cleaner. You need to remove as much of the excess dye as possible. Once no more dye is transferring to the cleaning cloth, then use leather conditioner. Good luck!
I have reupholstered two wing chairs in a blue denium. When I was working with the fabric, it was perfect: no color was coming off. Since the client has received the chairs, her dog rubbed his nose on the chair and she wipped off with a wet rag and the blue is coming off onto the rag. What do we do now, is my question. Please help me as I don’t know what to do to help her. Thank you.
Debbie,
If the dye is only coming off the fabric when a wet cloth is used (rather than transferring to a dry surface when it too is dry), then it isn’t absolutely necessary to remove the excess dye; it would only pose a problem were someone sweaty to sit on it or other unlikely instances. However, if your client wants to remove the excess dye as a precaution, they can follow the steps in this guide. If they don’t want to remove the excess dye, rather they want to replace the dye that has been removed, they can instead try the methods in the guide How to Remove Bleach Stains from Fabrics. In this case, the alcohol method is the most likely to replace the dye the best. Good luck!