You don’t need to search far and wide when it comes to supplies for dyeing clothes. Removing color from clothes, however, is the real challenge for many.
Of course, there’s very effective bleach, but the chlorine in it is toxic and damaging to fabrics. The only other little-known option is color remover.
What are the best color removers for cloth? The best color removers for cloth are easy to use, won’t leave yellow stains on your clothes, and are strong enough to remove all the color without leaving dye behind. You will also need to consider whether the color remover you choose is compatible with your specific fabric.
Unfortunately, there’s little information available on color removers, which makes accessing the right product hard. If this has been your experience, welcome aboard.
This article is a helpful buying guide that highlights the process of choosing a color remover. We will also give you a head-start on the best products available to buy online!
Choosing A Color Remover
Shopping for a color remover is like buying any other kind of treatment for clothing. You must consider certain things to ensure you are getting the right product. Here’s what to look for.
1. Fabric Compatibility
The first thing you want to check on when it comes to color remover for clothes is the fabric compatibility. Some color removers are quite picky. They may only work with natural fabrics like cotton and rayon but remain non-reactive with synthetics like polyester, or even damage them.
Therefore, depending on the clothes you want to remove the color from, you must ensure that the fabric is among those listed for use with the product. Failure to check this small detail could lead to failed color removal attempts and even torn, weakened, and otherwise damaged fabric.
2. Colors That Don’t Work With Remover
Next, you want to consider the colors that work and don’t work with the color remover. Just like fabric, when it comes to colors, some products will discriminate light from dark colors.
A color remover may not react with specific colors. This has something to do with the type of dye and dye mixing. Some colors are pure, and others are a blend of two or more dyes.
If a color remover does not work on specific colors, it will often be indicated. Make sure the remover you choose works with your dye.
3. Ease Of Use
You probably desire good performance but also a hassle-free color removal solution. Each color removal brand has its own preparation procedure.
The first thing to check is the availability of instructions. If available, that’s perfect. Now, are they easy to follow? Is heat involved? Do you need a stovetop? Can the product go in a washing machine, or does it need hand washing? Do you need special mixing tubs like stainless steel or ceramic?
You must consider all these details to ensure the steps are clear and everything you need is readily available and convenient for you.
4. Strength
Color removers have different strengths. One may strip off color in one wash, while another may just lighten it. Some color removers are only meant for minor stains.
It would help if you were keen on the details of what the color remover is designed to do. This way, you can pick the one which will execute the task you want and produce the results you’re looking for.
5. Liquid Vs Powder
You’ll find color removers in two forms: liquid or powder. The choice here is totally up to your preference.
However, they each have their pros and cons. The powder can be pretty messy during use and may have additional mixing steps. On the other hand, it’s easy to store and has a longer shelf life.
Liquid color removers are most often ready to use out of the bottle and easy to measure too. On the flip side, they can’t sit for too long without separating or evaporating.
They are also prone to accidental spillage.Unlike powder, which you can sometimes scoop back up and use, once the liquid is poured, it is unsalvageable.
With these considerations, you probably now have a sense of direction when choosing a color remover for clothes. Let’s now move over to the exciting part where we reveal the best products.
Best Color Removers For Clothes
There are a good number of color removers for clothes in the market. But trust us, only a few will work to your satisfaction. Here are the top 5 picks as recommended by experts.
| Rank | Product | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Rit Color Remover | Vegan, non-toxic, eco-friendly, powder |
| 2. | Nakoma Rit Proline Color Remover Powder | Bleach free, works with synthetics, powder |
| 3. | Jacquard Discharge Paste | Bleach-free, paste, for natural fibers |
| 4. | Carbona Color Run Color Remover | For natural fibers, washing-machine use |
| 5. | Tintex Brand Colour Remover | For natural fibers |
1. Rit Color Remover
Rit color remover is one of the most effective color removers out there. You just have to follow the instructions to the letter, and the product will work like magic.
It successfully removes secondary colors from white. If you accidentally mixed colored and white clothes and the dye ran into the white, Rit color remover will whiten the whites as good as new.
It is also powerful enough both to fade colors and reduce them altogether too. Saturation and timing are critical.
The color remover is heat-activated, so ensure you have a stovetop, or you could also use a hot cycle washing machine. There’s plenty of information and instructions on their website.
And if you are new to Rit products, you must know that they are vegan, non-toxic, and eco-friendly. Unfortunately, the color remover will only work with cotton and other natural fiber clothes.
2. Nakoma Rit Proline Color Remover Powder
The Nakoma Rit Proline is designed to give you a professional color removal experience. It eliminates natural cloth dyes as well as everyday stains from food and beverages.
Whether it’s a failed tie-dye, spilled coffee, or curry stains, Proline takes care of it. Depending on the dosage, it can discharge all colors or lighten it and whiten whites.
The natural formula is bleach and chlorine-free, hence fiber friendly. It works with natural and synthetic fabrics like cotton, linen, silk, wool, acrylic, rayon, nylon, and polyester.
Proline color remover is powdered and comes ready with a handy measuring scoop. Instructions are legibly printed at the back of the pack, so you don’t struggle thinking about how to use it.
3. Jacquard Discharge Paste
From Jacquard, a renowned dye manufacturer, discharge paste is a chlorine-free non-bleaching color remover that pulls off color from clothing.
It is heat-activated and, once applied, needs to be ironed to remove the color from that particular area. Its paste consistency helps with precision, so it doesn’t go where it is not needed to remove color.
These key features make it perfect for stamping or stencil printing on colored clothes like tee shirts. You can also do batik or reverse tie-dye, or simply remove stains and color transfer from other clothes.
And the best part is that if you mess up the design during application, you just wash it off and start over. It will not remove color before the introduction of heat. It is gentle enough to not eat through fabric and works with only natural fibers: cotton, silk, wool, and linen.
The stink in this product is the biggest bummer. All color removers have an offensive smell, but for this product, the smell is hard to ignore, probably due to the formaldehyde.
So ensure you have plenty of air flow, are donning gloves, and are wearing a mask while preparing it.
4. Carbona Color Run Color Remover
Carbona is a color remover that has been around for the longest time. Over the years, it has amassed a multitude of loyal customers because of its effectiveness.
It removes secondary dye stains like accidental color runs, bleeds, and transfers from the dye of other clothing. It will also lighten or strip a cloth white if the original color is not colorfast and brighten dingy whites too.
Most color removers have a problem with washing machines, but not Carbona. It is compatible with anything; front loaders, top loaders, and even hand washing in a tub.
Unfortunately, it is picky when it comes to fabric. The good news is that common ones like cotton, wool, and rayon are covered.
However, silk, synthetic fabrics, denim, leather, suede, and khaki are not. So if your clothes fall in this category, you’ll have to search elsewhere.
You also get very little product in a pack. You definitely need a couple of them for a bigger load, repeat decoloring, or higher concentration.
5. Tintex Brand Colour Remover
Lastly is the Tintex brand of color remover. We love that it can be used in a washing machine and also by hand.
The little box comes with instructions printed at the back, so the process is pretty straightforward.
The product produces the best results with all-natural and natural blend fabric clothes only.
You can remove stains on whites and lighten dark colors. Timing is everything to pull out your clothes just when the desired shade is reached.
Hopefully, you now feel much better knowing there are options to reverse those silly laundry mistakes or dye accidents.
Keep in mind that although we strive to recommend the best color remover for clothes, the results may be unexpected. The outcome heavily depends on the original dye used by the manufacturer and not just the color remover.
Most importantly, stay safe by wearing a mask as nearly all color removers produce fumes. Good luck beating that unwanted color.
Up Next: Bleach Color Chart For Clothes
