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Although dark-wash jeans can be part of a fashionable girl's best little number, they can also do a number on the rest of her closet. Blue jeans are colored with indigo dye, which can come off the denim fibers if the jeans haven't been pre-washed enough times. If this happens in the wash cycle with your other clothes, you may have a few indigo stains to deal with. Don't get the blues over these blues just yet, however. Test out a few simple stain solutions to turn your clothes clean once more.
1.
Apply liquid detergent to the dye stain and let it sit for a few minutes, then rinse the detergent out of the garment.
2.
Mix up a solution of water and powdered bleach in the sink or in a bucket. Soak the garment in the solution for several minutes, then rinse the garment completely.
3.
Add 1/4 cup of borax to the washing machine and run your garment through the wash.
4.
Make your own cleaning solution by mixing equal parts water, dish soap and ammonia. Use a clear dish soap, or you may risk transferring more color to your garment. Add the solution to a spray bottle and coat the stain. Scrub the stain with an old toothbrush, then run the garment through the wash again.
5.
Make a 1:8 solution of liquid bleach and water, then soak your garment in the solution. If your garment is dark-colored, not white or light-colored, do not use liquid bleach or you'll end up with even more staining.
6.
Dye the garment a darker color to help hide the stain, if the stain cannot be completely removed. First bleach the entire garment with a color remover, then dye the whole garment, following your dye product's packaging tips.
To prevent dye stains, wash your new jeans with 1/4 cup of salt the first time. This will help to set the dye.
Do not dry the clothing before you are finished removing the stain. Heat will set the stain permanently.
