Caring for your dyed fiber:
1. Rinse.
2. Wash in GDW Fiber Wash/Orvus, dishwashing liquid (without bleach or perfumes), or similar gentle product (NOT detergent) in tepid water. Work fiber, especially wool, 20 minutes to remove unattached dye & chemicals.
3. Final rinse: Rinse until water runs clear & soap is removed.
4. Neutralize: When satisfied, neutralize fiber in 1/2 c white vinegar to 1 G water for 20 minutes or overnight. Rinse really, really well, then rinse it again!
Indigo crocks (rubs off!) – this is natural but you can help by washing the fiber in very hot to boiling water with fiber wash.
Indigo needs the alkali in soap to not only set the color but to keep the color from turning an odd pinkish around the edges.
Synthrapol is not as much help as you might think since it was designed for commercial dyes, not natural dyes. However, any (bleach and perfume-free) dishwashing liquid will do if you don’t have our Griffin Dyeworks Fiber Wash or Orvus. Just do NOT use detergent. All detergents are designed to remove stains — such as natural dyes.
If the indigo still crocks (rubs) off, wash it in soapy water again, then soak it overnight or several days in plain water. That often helps. But indigo is just naturally a dye that crocks off. Original blue jeans that were dyed with
real indigo left whitish areas where the indigo is rubbed off.