Stripping Color

All of the information on this page was assembled in collaboration with the Facebook group Dyed Baby Carriers. If you have more questions regarding dyeing your baby carrier, join their group for assistance!

Safety Considerations

Color remover is designed for a single length of fabric or woven wrap. Do not use color remover on the following:

• Wool
• Bamboo
• Rayon
• Silk
• Structured/Seamed Carriers
• Stretchy Wraps
• Knit Fabrics

Although the reductive discharge chemicals are less toxic, in general, than chlorine bleach, they are particularly dangerous for people who have asthma and other more serious respiratory and neurologic issues. All agents that can strip color produce sulfur dioxide. Everyone should wear gloves and a respirator. Take care to avoid over exposure to vapors. Please obtain and abide by the MSDS for all chemicals you work with.

Safety Note: DO NOT USE color remover if you are currently pregnant or if small children are present.

Chemicals for Removing Color

Approved color removers:

• Dharma's Dyehouse Color Remover
• RIT Color Remover (requires 4-6 packets to achieve similar result to Dharma)
• Jacquard deColourant (can be used to spot-remove color)
• ProChem Thiox

Safety Note: NEVER use bleach on fabric intended for babywearing. It is impossible to measure the amount of damage done to the fibers by the bleaching process. Even when properly neutralized afterwards, it cannot be trusted to carry an infant or toddler's weight on a consistent basis

Materials Needed

• Protective Gloves
• Full-face respirator with the proper filters (Multi-Gas/P100 cartridges)
• Large pot (no longer food-safe after used for color removing)
• Stove
• Proper Ventilation (open windows, fan, etc)
• Spoon long & strong enough for moving around fabric
• Color Remover (approved color removers listed above)

For instructions, refer to the directions on the color remover's packaging or the supplier's website.

Although manufacturer instructions require cooking over a stovetop, some members in Dyed Baby Carriers have had some success with simply mixing the ingredients with boiling hot water and letting it soak for an hour instead of actively cooking (same as the cooler method when scouring.)

If you'd like to ask more about this method, join the Dyed Baby Carrier group and tag Astrid Turner and Valene Hoover in your post - both of these members have experimented with this method.

Outside Links

For more information:

• Paula Burch - Chemicals for Removing Dye
• Paula Burch - Discharge Agents for Removing Dye

Expected Results

Stripping color can be an unpredictable process, in which some colors may be removed completely, others may be lightened, and still others may completely change or be left untouched.

The following commercial wraps have been tested by members of Dyed Baby Carriers.

Alyssa Leonard - 2017-02-17