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Housekeeping

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Original poster

Colour catchers?

22 replies

VFVF · 11/10/2011 19:22

has anyone ever used them?

I have a massive amount of baby clothes in the loft which need re-washing in preparation for the arrival of DC2. Although it's mostly pink, there are a few others and I'd really rather bung them all in as they are currently sorted by size and I'd like to keep it that way. I don't want to risk ruining the clothes (especially as their are loads there belonging to a kind friend who may well need them back one week after me!)

Do they actually work?

TIA!

OP posts:

muslimah28 · 11/10/2011 21:46

Watching with interest...(sorry I'm of no actual help!)

Fuzzywuzzywozabear · 11/10/2011 22:56

I use them all the time - yes they work

GoresHairKnickers · 11/10/2011 22:58

Yes they do! I love them as they save doing small loads and wasting ~ well, everything!

Ps the cheap ones work equally well (Poundland etc).

CrumblyMumbly · 11/10/2011 23:03

Only had one failure when got cocky and bunged my jeans in with some whites - think jeans were a bit too new. Had to buy some colour run stuff to fix.

GoresHairKnickers · 11/10/2011 23:26

Btw, if the colour catcher comes out quite light ie, not heavily stained, I reuse them and occasionally, I put two previously used ones in if I'm not certain that one will be enough.

Original poster

VFVF · 12/10/2011 09:36

Thanks for the tips! Heading out to shops now so will have a look in poundland!

OP posts:

GiraffesCantDoTheTango · 12/10/2011 11:20

I use them all the time, they're brilliant, they also work just as effectively if you cut each one in half (or even into three depending on how frugal you are feeling - I cut mine into three ) and then they go twice as far. Ignore the bollocks on the packet that says to use two for heavily dyed articles, they just want you to spend more money.

In fact I may even start cutting mine in to quarters!

GoresHairKnickers · 12/10/2011 11:37

Some of them are smaller than others though Giraffes and I don't think you'd have much left if you cut those into 3 or 4

LakeFlyPie · 12/10/2011 12:06

Could you clarify for a colour catcher virgin, does this mean I can bung all washing in together with a quarter of colour catching square and my whites will stay white (I'll settle for whitish even)?

BertieBotts · 12/10/2011 12:09

Just put them in together, unless you're washing at 60 or higher, or something brand new and very dark, the colours aren't going to run anyway.

BertieBotts · 12/10/2011 12:11

Colour catchers don't even work anyway. And they can break your machine. My landlord has forbidden them (Luckily I found out they were useless before moving here.)

GoresHairKnickers · 12/10/2011 12:58

They certainly do work bertie.I put my Dd's red top in with a load of white school shirts yesterday and the catcher came out dark pink and the whites came out white!

I would advise using a whole one though LFP until you gain confidence

caughtinanet · 12/10/2011 13:01

They do work Bertie.

I don't know about breaking the machine but they certainly soak up any dye that's run from darks.

Fuzzywuzzywozabear · 12/10/2011 13:03

I still wouldn't mix whites with dark colours but sometimes something runs that you don't expect so they are a real saver didn't think of cutting in half! Thanks!

GoresHairKnickers · 12/10/2011 13:25

I doubt they would do any more damage than a tiny baby sock which you wouldn't think twice about throwing in the machine tbh.

CMOTdibbler · 12/10/2011 13:31

They def work - I always use them for rugby shirts or anything striped.

I do put them in a net bag to make sure they don't go down the water outlet though

BertieBotts · 12/10/2011 13:36

Hmm suppose. The one time I used one (free in Bounty pack or something?) things seemed to run anyway. And I find that if washing at 40 nothing runs anyway unless it's very dark and hasn't been washed many times yet. I've always washed DS' clothes all together and the only thing that ever ran (I think this might have been the colour catcher failure actually) was a Liverpool FC top which XP bought him. He looked very fetching in his pink vests!

Haven't actually had experience of one breaking the machine but landlord was very adamant. Possibly the previous tenant told him it was a colour catcher but was actually something else which broke the machine?

Everything used to run in our old house, but that was because the water supply to the washing machine was dodgy, so it would always wash things really hot.

HattyTiggins · 13/10/2011 11:46

I am so glad I came across this. I have seen the adverts and wondered if they worked and it seems most people have had good experiences with it.

Thanks for the info :)

LibbyB63 · 30/03/2016 09:22

Hi All. I have washed my nurses uniform with other garments that have run into it. Will a colour catcher remove this from the uniform after it has been washed and dried? Is it as simple as putting the uniform back in the wash with a colour catcher and this awful colour that has covered my uniform and bring it back to its original pale blue? Waiting hopefully......:O)

dreamingofholidays · 31/03/2016 13:03

No that won't work. I tried it myself after stupidly washing a floral top with brand new jeans with a colour catcher. Flowers on blouse all blue now. I put the blouse in straight away on its own with a new colour catcher and it didn't help. Think you can buy colour run stuff though but I haven't tried it.

willhazboz · 01/04/2016 11:26

Tesco colour run sachets are by far the best I've tried (dh put white bedding in with dark purple cushion covers at 90 (!!!)) and I used various different ones and they worked straight away. But I have used them on a white and navy dress of dd and it unfortunately stripped the navy as well.

Gingefringe · 01/04/2016 17:39

I use the this Lakeland colour grabber - i've used them for years and they are brilliant. It's a cloth that can be used up to 30 times.

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