How do you stop colors from bleeding?

[Deleted]

I have two dresses for my daughter made from 100% organic cotton. The issue is they both have a burgundy bow at the waist. I could take a stitch cutter (I think it's called a seam ripper here) to it and take the bows off but I love how the dresses look on her as is. The dresses are a soft cream color so the burgundy will definitely show if it bleeds. Amazon reviews say they do indeed bleed even after washing on cold. What to do?

I googled it and this one website suggested using one cup of vinegar or half a cup of salt while washing to keep the colors "trapped". A commenter then replied and said you should not do that for natural fibers like cotton. Rather to soak the fabric in something basic like baking soda for an entire day versus expose the garment to something to acidic like vinegar which will make it bleed like crazy.

I wanted to see if there were any tried and true methods before I possibly ruin a good dress or two.

[Maura]

I would take off the bows and wash the dresses delicately. You could put the bows back on with velcro or buttons.

Actually, you could remove one of the bows and soak it in warm water to see if it will bleed.

Usually, a fabric won't continue to bleed. You can let it soak in hot water, rinse, soak again until it stops bleeding, then sew back on.

[Deleted]

Often times saltwater does a great job

[feather]

I'd remove it, wash separately.

[farmchix]

Always wash in cold water. Also, there is a product called Retayne that we quilters use to keep colors from bleeding.

[Deleted]

I just got a seam ripper, needle and thread kit last night. I intended to take the bows off, wash them separately, then sew them back on. Now, I think I will try Retayne in a hot water soak first and see how that goes. Thank you for the suggestions!

[Deleted]

I ended up just taking the seam ripper to the bows and carefully took them off. It didn't make sense to buy clothing with eco-friendly, non-toxic dyes and organically grown cotton, only to soak it in chemicals to stop the tiny bows from bleeding lol.