The risk of this happening is usually greater in pre-spotting as the full effect of our efforts is not revealed until the garment is removed from the machine.
When colour has been removed it may be possible to replace it locally using a suitable felt tip pen or water soluble dye pencils.
Dye pencils can be obtained from artist shops. Dipped in water they can be used to mask localised colour loss, but colours applied in this way are not normally fast to drycleaning or washing.
In cases where the colour loss is slight, a 3%-4% solution of liquid paraffin in perchloroethylene applied to the affected area will often develop the colour.
Cotton wool or a clean cloth can be moistened with the solution and any excess removed before the affected area is gently wiped to restore an even shade.
These methods have been used in the drycleaning industry for many years. At one time, dye pads were available specifically designed for restoring localised colour loss on silks, but these are no longer available.
Cleaners can develop the necessary skills by practising on uncollected stock.
Finally, even if you have not had an accident, you could remove colour applied by another cleaner who has made a mistake. This is often the explanation for those small areas of colour loss that mysteriously appear on garments that have not been spotted.
