(pronounced BLEED-ing)

We’re not talking about Medieval blood-letting here. No leeches in sight. This kind of bleeding has to do with colored dyes hemorrhaging into/onto one another. OK, enough with the macabre imagery here… Sometimes bleeding dye is a good thing – think tie-dyed t-shirts and Easter eggs – but most of the time it’s not. (Especially when it ruins your client’s favorite bolster or your brand new comforter.) But why does it even happen, you ask? One culprit could be the wrong cleaning methods – either physical or chemical – used on a fabric. Another cause could be because a manufacturer has used a substandard dye or an inappropriate dying process. Lastly, dyes could bleed because of the perfectly good dye’s exposure to long-term, not-so-perfect conditions – i.e., sun, smoke, food and drink, pet stains, and other chemicals.