Red socks plus whites wash equals pink shirts. But not for much longer if an idea from Procter & Gamble of Ohio pays off. The company thinks it can tackle the age-old problem of colour bleeding using molecules of polymeric amines, which it has found mop up “fugitive dyes” (US 2003/0158075).
The molecules are insoluble and so remove the dye from the wash. P&G plans to impregnate loose-weave towels with the molecules. Added to a wash, the towels would soak up any rogue dyes. The user discards them when they change colour.
