Stain on white thread

[Kimberly]

While travelling back from the US in March, I had some nice pink liquid handsoap from Victoria's Secret spill over onto a large amount of white Aunt Lydia's thread. I've tried washing it out (its soap - it should wash) but it has stubbornly remained a light pink.

Does anyone know how I should go about trying to get this stain out? Is it a lost cause? Is it possible to dye the thread a different color?

Merci beaucoup!

[jaclim]

Hi Kimberly! So sorry to hear about what happened to your thread. Why don't you try a mild bleach? Not sure if Aunt Lydia's thread is made of cotton but if it is, using bleach will whiten it. :-)

[Kimberly]

Will bleach not break down the fibers and make it deteriorate? I was hoping to make a summery scarf out of this, but would not want to go through the effort if it is going to wear out faster

[diamond]

Have you dried it or anything like that? If not, try Peroxide on it! Peroxide will break up the lotion ingredients and lift them without damaging the fibers like bleach will. My sister who manages 6 dental offices told me this tip. She says they keep Peroxide around for blood and other spills. The lifting power is incredible. I use it now on my husband's fishing t-shirts. There is nothing tougher than fish blood and Peroxide works magic on them. Won't hurt to give it a try. I would lay the thread out on a towel and pour the Peroxide over it, let it soak in for about 10 minutes then wash the thread in a pillowcase or small lingerie bag. Then let it sit out in the sun to air dry and let the sun help bring back it's normal color.

[crochetrae]

Oxi-Clean will work. I used it on some garage sale thread that was in awful shape and it all turned out beautifully white. It won't break down the fibers the way bleach will.

 

Susan Rae

[celestialkiddy]

So it was soap not lotion? Or was it lotion? I'm afriad to moisturize before crocheting in fear of coloring my stuff funny colors! I usually lotion up beforehand so my hands dont crack and the the lotions on my hands would make my items smell really pretty. But if theres a chance that it could stain!

[vernzap]

I also think Oxi-Clean should work. It shouldn't damage the fiber, and it might work even if you've dried the thread.

[Janie]

I vote for Oxi-Clean, too. I love the stuff! I would let it soak, though, overnight, if you can. I've had it take out stain on lightly colored fabrics and yarn that I thought would never come clean.

 

If it doesn't work, then I think using a very mild bleach and water solution would be perfectly ok to do. I have used bleach/water solutions on some older doilies, (I'm talkin 30, 40, 50 yrs old, no kidding) and they are fine. The trick is not to use too much bleach. I wish I were better and recommending measurements, but unfortunately, I'm one of those people who doesn't measure very much. I would check Clorox website and either email them the question of how much or call a toll free #, they must have one. Good Luck

[Kimberly]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions - I am not sure which one I am going to try yet (I don't think that I can buy Oxi-Clean over here and bringing back on the airplane might be a no-no???) Will let you know how it turns out! I might sacrifice a bit of the thread for the greater good and cut out a few peices to try a few different methods/solutions to see what works best.....my apartment will look like a science labratory by the time I'm done trying everything!

[klouised]

One time, I dumped my whole cup of coffee with cream and sugar on a nice, brand new roll of white thread. It was also my last roll of thread, and I couldn't get to a store anytime soon to get more. Oh! I was in such a panic attack to get that clean. I had to end up cutting out a bunch of little spots throughout the whole roll, making for a lot of ends in my work. Yuck.

[CatsCradleCreations]

I'm glad to hear OxiClean works well on crochet thread. A FreeCycler just gave me about 5 pounds (yes, pounds) of white crochet cotton that will have to be washed well to get some stains out. Unfortunately, the thread is coned, so I'm going to have to work with it dirty then wash the finished piece. Ah, such is life!