What a colour catcher sheet does
Short answer: The sheet is filled with fibres and a substance that binds loose dye in the water. The colour settles in the sheet instead of in the clothes next to it. It helps with accidents, but it does not replace sorting your laundry.
It catches the colour in the water
When dye is released from a garment, it drifts around in the wash water until it finds something to settle on. The sheet has a surface that attracts exactly that type of molecule, and it catches them before they reach other clothes. It works as a kind of trap for the colour that has come loose.
How a sheet is built
A colour catcher sheet is a small piece of fibre treated with a substance that binds loose dye. It goes into the drum with the laundry, and the wash water flows through it. The sheet should float freely so it meets as much water as possible during the whole programme.
It works best after accidents
If a red item has ended up in a white wash, a sheet can save the situation. It does not replace sorting, but it softens the damage. If you only spot the accident after the wash, it is too late for the sheet, so add it before starting when in doubt. See also our bamboo hoodie dresses.
The limit of what it can do
A sheet cannot remove colour that has already bound in a fabric. It only works on what is free in the water. If white laundry has already turned pink, the sheet does not help, and the laundry should be rewashed at once. The faster you react, the greater the chance that the colour does not set.
Why sorting still works best
Sorting by colour needs nothing extra and prevents the problem before it starts. A sheet is a safeguard you can use when you mix colours, but it does not guarantee that all dye is caught. If you wash darks with darks and lights with lights, you rarely need a sheet. See women's bestsellers.
When a sheet makes sense
A sheet is useful when you have a mixed wash you cannot avoid, for example after a trip where everything ended up together in the suitcase. It also gives peace of mind with new, strongly coloured clothes that may release dye in the first washes. For everything else, sorting is the better choice.
The sheet is used only once
After one wash the sheet is saturated with dye and cannot take more. It should be thrown away, and a used sheet must not be reused in the next wash. Put it in again and it may release colour instead of absorbing it. So take a new sheet for every wash where you need one.
How to put it in
Put the sheet in the drum with the laundry, and do not fill the machine completely so that water can move around it. Follow the pack instructions on number and temperature, since brands can have different rules. Let the sheet lie free in the drum and not trapped between garments, where water hardly reaches it.
Other ways to avoid colour transfer
Wash new, strongly coloured clothes on their own for the first washes, keep the wash temperature low, and do not let wet clothes lie together in the basket. Rinse coloured clothes if you see the water turning coloured. All of this is free and works together with a sheet. See also our bamboo tops for women.
Frequently asked questions
Can a sheet be used several times
No. It is saturated after one wash and must be thrown away. If you put it in again, it may give colour to the clothes instead, so use a new sheet every time.
Does it replace sorting
No. Sorting by colour works better and costs nothing. A sheet is a supplement when you cannot avoid mixing colours, and it only catches dye that is free in the water.
Does it work on colour transfer that has already happened
No. Then the garment must be rewashed at once. If the colour has bound in the fabric, the sheet cannot remove it, and the longer you wait, the harder it gets.
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