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Steering Clear Of Dye Migration: How The Wet-White-Cloth Fabric Test Works
No advice matters more to a new doll owner than this, yet barely any gets ignored as often. Permanent from the moment it occurs, dye migration is the transfer of colour from dark fabric onto the doll's skin. You can't remove a stain that's been absorbed into TPE, whatever cleaning product, method or scrubbing you throw at it. Only prevention defends against it, and prevention starts with a simple test: two minutes of your time and nothing in cost.
 
Pale Dolls Show It Worst
Why does it occur? Chemistry. Picture a sponge taking in water: that's the dye migrating from the fabric into the TPE, helped along by TPE being oil-based and dark dyes being normally oil-soluble. Leave a doll in a dark dress for a few hours in a warm room and that's enough to cause a permanent stain, as the process starts immediately on contact. You can't miss dark marks on a pale doll, which makes it particularly visible there, but every skin tone gets it to some degree.
 
Step by Step: Testing Fabric for Dye
Nothing fancy is needed for the test itself. Cut off a small piece of fabric (an inside seam where nobody will see is ideal) and get it thoroughly wet with clean water. White cloth, cotton bud or kitchen paper: pick one, and scrub the wet fabric firmly across it for about thirty seconds. Don't put the fabric on her if any colour transfers to the white cloth, because it will stain your doll. When the white cloth stays clean, the fabric is safe to use, without worry.
 
Moisture Is the Trigger
Why water? It simulates the moisture that's naturally present on the doll's skin, which is what activates the dye transfer. You want a worst-case situation, and testing with water gives you one, because wet fabric on damp skin transfers more dye than dry fabric on dry skin. Pass the water test and the fabric is safe for normal use. A failed fabric will stain, and there's no way around that.
 
Last Year's Safe Fabric Might Not Be Safe Now
A brand you've used before doesn't get you out of it; the test is repeated for every new piece of clothing. Safe last year doesn't mean safe this year, with manufacturing processes changing and dye batches varying. The test takes two minutes, and it's the difference between a doll that looks great for years and a doll with permanent dark marks on her thighs. No excuse exists for skipping it; purchasers who learn this the hard way end up purchasing replacement dolls.
 
Costly Clothing Is Often Safer
The types of fabric that are most likely to fail the test are dark colours, cheap dyes, and anything that feels slightly waxy or coated. If you want to know the worst offenders, it's black, dark red, dark blue and dark purple, because of their concentrated, oil-soluble dyes. The large amounts of pigment in bright neon colours make them hazardous too. With cheaply dyed fabric more likely to bleed than properly dyed fabric, costly clothing is often the safer bet, even though the difference isn't guaranteed.
 
Cotton and Linen Hold Dye Better
If you want the safest types of fabric, go for light colours, natural fibres, and anything that's been pre-washed. Because there's not enough pigment to cause apparent staining, white, cream, beige and pale pastels are nearly consistently safe. Natural fibres like cotton and linen grip dye more firmly than synthetics tend to, so they're less likely to bleed. Fabric that's been pre-washed isn't carrying as much excess dye, having already released most of it, and so is less likely to transfer onto the doll. Whenever you're in doubt, pre-wash new clothing before putting it on the doll.
 
Setting the Dye to Reduce Bleeding
If a fabric fails the test, there are a few things you can try before giving up on it. Hot water and a small amount of white vinegar, applied over a number of washes, can help set the dye and minimise bleeding. Attempt leaving the fabric in a saltwater solution overnight: salt acts as a mordant, which binds the dye to the fibres. They don't invariably work. Some fabrics will bleed no matter what you do. Still, they're worth trying for a particular piece of clothing you truly want to use.
 
Lining the Inside With Light Fabric
Safest by far is to not use a fabric that still fails after washing. Replacing a piece of clothing costs far less than a new doll, and a stain on a doll is permanent.Some owners get attached to the fabric and want to use it regardless, and for them there are a few mitigation strategies. Something light-coloured on the inside, a lining, stops the dark dye reaching the doll's skin, since it creates a barrier. Or use the clothing for short durations only, and remove it immediately after use. Neither of them is foolproof, although they do reduce the risk.
 
Cheaper Clothing, Higher Risk
Clothing for a doll is safest purchased from a seller who grasps dye migration and has tested their fabrics. Doll-specific clothing brands tend to know about the issue and select their fabrics accordingly, which makes their clothing more costly but also more reliable. The cheaper the clothing, the higher the risk, and generic clothing from high street shops is a gamble. Buying generic? Always test it before use.
 
Wash Several Times Before Use
There's a seasonal factor as well that's worth knowing about. Warm weather makes dye migration worse, since heat accelerates the process. A fabric that passes the test in winter might fail in summer, especially if the doll is stored in a warm room. New clothing bought in summer needs more thorough testing, and you should consider washing it a number of times before use. A warm room has the same effect when you're storing a doll, because the heat will cause any residual dye to migrate faster.
 
The Stain Spreads and Deepens
Worth understanding is the stain itself, if it takes place. You'll normally find dye migration stains diffuse rather than sharp, the dye having spread through the material rather than sat on the surface. No crisp fabric outline appears; the area just darkens or discolours generally. Spotting it early is harder; over time it becomes more apparent as the stain spreads and deepens. Set stains stay put, and all you can do is hide them under clothing or accept them as part of the doll's history.
 
Test Wet, Not Dry
Testing approach matters every bit as much as the test. Thirty seconds can feel long, but a quick rub can miss a slow bleed, so don't skimp. Mild won't do. The fabric will be pressed against the doll's skin with genuine pressure, so rub firmly, as though you're trying to remove a stain. A stained patch from a previous test would muddy things and give a false result, so each test needs a fresh section of the white cloth. Dye transfer needs water to activate it, which is why you test the fabric wet rather than dry.
 
Fabrics With Multiple Colours
If you're testing a fabric with multiple colours, test the darkest section first. What will stain the doll are the dark sections, and a fabric might pass on the light ones but fail on the dark ones. Watch fabrics with dark patterns on a light background especially closely; the dark parts bleed. When unsure, test each colour separately.
 
Contact Time and Staining Risk
There's the matter of how long a fabric needs to be in contact with the doll before it stains. How long? That varies massively with the fabric, the temperature and the pressure. Within an hour some fabrics will stain, whereas others take days or weeks. A failed fabric is a future stain, as far as the safest approach goes, so avoid it totally. Don't look for a safe exposure time with a fabric that bleeds; the bleed is cumulative and irreversible.
 
Checking a Used Doll for Dye Stains
Before purchase, dye migration is worth checking if you're buying a used doll. Staining is most common on the thighs, back and buttocks, so look there for dark patches. A doll with evident dye stains is worth less than one without, because the stains are permanent and influence the doll's appearance. What it costs to cover the stains, with clothing or a new body, is part of the price of a used doll with stains; full cost for a soiled doll is too much.
 
One Test, Every Time
Of all the maintenance habits a doll owner can develop, the wet-white-cloth test is the single most major. No cost, two minutes, and the most typical cause of permanent damage is prevented. Don't let a hurry stop you; every new piece of clothing gets tested, and it becomes part of your routine. The five minutes saved by skipping the test could end up costing you a doll. More info at this rosslink. Also check out  get the facts (https://punbb.skynettechnologies.us/viewtopic.php?pid=1033788) not to mention  useful site (http://delebutik.dk/index.php?topic=51672.new) and don't forget  informative post (https://thesolowargamer.com/showthread.php?tid=7736) alongside all  read more (http://forum.golf-club.org.ua/viewtopic.php?t=94202) as well as  click this link (https://gelsenkirchen1904.de/thread-1473.html) not to mention  click site (http://ahtop.top/showthread.php?tid=355) on top of  my link (https://kollaboratsia.com.ua/index.php?topic=426.new) on top of  next (https://forum.drapinballleague.com/showthread.php?tid=1732) together with  check these guys out (https://forum.drapinballleague.com/showthread.php?tid=1622) and  visit this site (https://codeplugs.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=1565) for more.