<p>Depending upon where you live, you could put it out in the Summer sunshine.  Might take a while, but sunlight seems to fade everything that I expose to it, including the sunshade fabric which is specifically designed to resist UV fading.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-21T17:04:54.890Z
2019-08-21T17:04:54.890Z
Henry Taylor
<p>The material was soaked for 2 hours in a bleach solution that had been brought to the boiling point.</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/JNeu5.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/JNeu5.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-21T17:54:01.893Z
Did this work? It is not clear from your answer. It looks unchanged.
Joachim
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-21T23:35:43.830Z
It partially worked. The white area in the middle. Not sure why it is not uniformly white ?
fixit7
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-22T08:35:20.567Z
I thought that was residue :) It seems like the part that did get bleached was the top: was it maybe sticking out of the bleach for a while? Maybe the bleach needs to oxidize?
Joachim
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-22T17:29:13.783Z
@Joachim The part that got bleached was at the bottom of the bowl where the fabric was soaking. But Allison is right, I might as well buy new fabric in the color I want.
fixit7
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-21T16:56:38.633Z
2019-08-21T16:56:38.633Z
fixit7
<p>I am trying to fade the color of this cotton cloth:</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/aPR4A.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/aPR4A.jpg" alt="Photo of fabric"></a></p>

<p>I tried a hot solution of bleach, but very little color comes out.
I also tried paint thinner, xylene, a fairly strong HCL mixture (a.k.a. muriatic acid) solution, and IPA.</p>

<p>Is there something else I can try?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-30T23:13:57.327Z
What kind of fabric is it (cotton, synthetic, etc.)? Do you know how it was dyed (the thread or the whole fabric)? Please focus and provide details and we can reopen.
Erica
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-30T23:21:47.283Z
Cotton. I do not know how it was dyed as I bought it at a fabric store.
fixit7
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-31T00:49:03.913Z
Please edit it into the question. You've been an active StackExchange member for quite a while and the expectations for your questions are somewhat higher than for a new user.
Erica
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-31T11:01:48.287Z
I think it is clear enough. Vote to reopen. In addition, do you have any idea how the cotton was painted, what kind of pigment was used?
Joachim
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-31T12:20:43.830Z
@fixit7 another user added the cotton information. I encourage you to pay attention to details like that to help you get the most useful answers for your situation.
Erica
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-31T14:30:46.940Z
@Joachim I have no info on how the cotton was painted or dyed. The fabric was bought at a fabric store at least 5 years ago.
fixit7
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-20T20:58:34.580Z
sorry, voting to close. There is no way to answer this question. Depending on how the cotton was dyed it may be impossible to extract the color. Without knowing how it got there, there is no way to express how to get rid of it.
rebusB
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-21T11:07:23.783Z
Try soaking it in bleach for longer period, and keep on checking till you achieve the desired shade
Bella Swan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-21T11:48:53.403Z
Use color remover. A product exists for this purpose and is better than throwing completely random products at it for no reason other than you got some weird idea that beer would fade color.
Allison C
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-21T11:51:00.410Z
The question is likely answerable, but the bare minimum of research was not done. Color remover is not an obscure or hard to find product; I can find it in any big box store that sells dyes and stain removers.
Allison C
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-21T13:26:11.497Z
Color remover was tried and it too failed.
fixit7
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-22T11:54:08.770Z
Honestly, at this point, you're better off going and buying fabric that's already the color you want instead of continuing down this path. If you haven't already, you're probably close to sinking more money into this activity than you would into a new cut of fabric.
Allison C
<fabric>
Fade color in fabric
fixit7
# Fade color in fabric

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-07-30)

I am trying to fade the color of this cotton cloth:

[![Photo of fabric](https://i.sstatic.net/aPR4A.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/aPR4A.jpg)

I tried a hot solution of bleach, but very little color comes out.
I also tried paint thinner, xylene, a fairly strong HCL mixture (a.k.a. muriatic acid) solution, and IPA.

Is there something else I can try?

**Tags:** fabric

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: What kind of fabric is it (cotton, synthetic, etc.)? Do you know how it was dyed (the thread or the whole fabric)? Please focus and provide details and we can reopen.  
> **username_0**: Cotton. I do not know how it was dyed as I bought it at a fabric store.  
> **username_1**: Please edit it into the question. You've been an active StackExchange member for quite a while and the expectations for your questions are somewhat higher than for a new user.  
> **username_2**: I think it is clear enough. Vote to reopen. In addition, do you have any idea how the cotton was painted, what kind of pigment was used?  
> **username_1**: @username_0 another user added the cotton information. I encourage you to pay attention to details like that to help you get the most useful answers for your situation.  
> **username_0**: @username_2 I have no info on how the cotton was painted or dyed. The fabric was bought at a fabric store at least 5 years ago.  
> **username_3**: sorry, voting to close. There is no way to answer this question. Depending on how the cotton was dyed it may be impossible to extract the color. Without knowing how it got there, there is no way to express how to get rid of it.  
> **username_4**: Try soaking it in bleach for longer period, and keep on checking till you achieve the desired shade  
> **username_5**: Use color remover. A product exists for this purpose and is better than throwing completely random products at it for no reason other than you got some weird idea that beer would fade color.  
> **username_5**: The question is likely answerable, but the bare minimum of research was not done. Color remover is not an obscure or hard to find product; I can find it in any big box store that sells dyes and stain removers.  
> **username_0**: Color remover was tried and it too failed.  
> **username_5**: Honestly, at this point, you're better off going and buying fabric that's already the color you want instead of continuing down this path. If you haven't already, you're probably close to sinking more money into this activity than you would into a new cut of fabric.  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_6 on 2019-08-21. Score: 2

Depending upon where you live, you could put it out in the Summer sunshine. Might take a while, but sunlight seems to fade everything that I expose to it, including the sunshade fabric which is specifically designed to resist UV fading.


---

### Answer by username_0 on 2019-08-21. Score: 0

The material was soaked for 2 hours in a bleach solution that had been brought to the boiling point.

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/JNeu5.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/JNeu5.jpg)

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: Did this work? It is not clear from your answer. It looks unchanged.  
> **username_0**: It partially worked. The white area in the middle. Not sure why it is not uniformly white ?  
> **username_2**: I thought that was residue :) It seems like the part that did get bleached was the top: was it maybe sticking out of the bleach for a while? Maybe the bleach needs to oxidize?  
> **username_0**: @username_2 The part that got bleached was at the bottom of the bowl where the fabric was soaking. But username_5 is right, I might as well buy new fabric in the color I want.  

---

