Soak your tie dye in cold water with vinegar. The vinegar helps the color stay and not fade. Wash it in cold water until it has been washed a few times. Use gentle, color-safe detergents.
- Fill the pot with water and bring it to a boil
- Add your shirts or material of choice. Make sure they are submerged in the boiling water before you turn off the heat!
- Let them sit for up to 30 minutes (do not let them dry out). Stir occasionally if needed. The more time, the darker dye will be on the fabric/shirt. Remove from saucepan when ready and cover with cold water until cool enough to handle comfortably
- Fill the sink with ice cubes and add salt so that clothes can soak without sticking together too much as well as help maintain their color faster than washes alone would do – about 20lbs is good but any amount will work
- Soak clothes, as long as possible (about 45 minutes is good)
- Rinse thoroughly with cold water and repeat until the color no longer appears to be fading. This may take up to three times for some colors!
- Add your choice of dye solution. You can use the same one that you used on a previous wash if it’s still looking pretty vibrant or mix things up by using another dye or even an acrylic paint/ink mixture from craft stores
Note about Dyeing With Acrylic Paints… these are typically very light in nature – more pastel than bright – so keep this in mind when mixing ingredients together. When adding paint over top of a darker shirt, start with a very light layer – if it looks too intense, add more paint to the mixture.
- Pour dye over the clothes and let them sit for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally so that all of your shirts or cloth are fully soaked with dye
Repeat until the desired color is reached! Remember: More coats equal darker colors (up to four) but only one coat will produce an interesting pastel appearance in most cases
- Rinse thoroughly in cold water after soaking as long as you can tolerate without being uncomfortable
- Hang dry and repeat the process every few weeks or when the fabric starts fading again. You can also use these same steps on any garment made from 100% cotton or other natural fibers such as silk, wool, and linen.
- a dark-colored cotton sweatshirt, or other garments
- household bleach
- a plastic bucket
- a pair of gloves
- several rubber bands
- spray bottle (optional)
- mild laundry detergent
If you are looking to save money on clothes then try dyeing your own at home instead of buying new ones from stores. It’s fun too!
Bleach is a gentler way to strip the color out of cotton. You can also use baking soda and vinegar for the same purpose but it won’t be as easy on your clothes or fabric as bleach would be.
When you’re dealing with polyester, nylon, or acrylic fabrics, make sure that you test first because these materials are more sensitive to chemicals than natural fibers are. If they don’t react well then avoid using them at all costs!
These items should not be exposed to chlorine bleach due to its high alkalinity content and ability to remove leather’s oils (leather dyes cannot penetrate through oil). Use oxalic acid or hydrogen peroxide instead.
The fabric’s natural protein fibers can react with the bleach and cause it to lose its strength, which could potentially result in a tear down the middle of your shirt! Some silk garments are pre-washed before shipping so if you know that this is true for yours then use cold water only when washing without any other additives (vinegar won’t help). If not sure – test first by pouring just one cupful on an inconspicuous spot to see how it reacts!
This material needs special care because the lanolin from wool will make clothes more susceptible to stretching out and fading as well as shrinking too much. Avoid using bleach altogether but do try soap flakes mixed with water as an alternative!
This material is rather delicate so it should be washed in cold water only and with a gentle soap or detergent. Avoid anything else, including bleach which could seep into the fibers and weaken them over time.
– White: bleach is usually what you want to use for this and it will produce a light pastel color.
*Note about Dyeing With Acrylic Paints… these are typically very light in nature – more pastel than bright – so keep this in mind when mixing ingredients together. When adding paint over top of a darker shirt, start with a very light layer – if it looks too intense, add more paint to the mixture.
– Pour dye over the clothes and let them sit for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally so that all of your shirts or cloth are fully soaked with dye
Repeat until the desired color is reached! Remember: More coats equal darker colors (up to four) but only one coat will produce an interesting pastel appearance in most cases
– Rinse thoroughly in cold water after soaking as long as you can tolerate without being uncomfortable
– Hang dry and repeat the process every few weeks or when the fabric starts fading again **You can also use these same steps on any garment made from 100% cotton or other natural fibers such as silk, wool, and linen.
Here are some important considerations when working with a strong chemical like bleach.
- Wear rubber gloves to protect your hands while you’re dying with bleach.
- Remember that bleach is a strong chemical, and its fumes can be dangerous. So work in a well-ventilated area, or outside if you can.
- Wear old clothes that you don’t mind getting bleach on.
- Toss in a few ounces of bleach, and stir with your hands to distribute.
- Add some food coloring or liquid watercolor if you want color too!
- Apply the dye mixture with a paintbrush all over your shirt (this is fun because it resembles painting)
Here are a few different ways to apply bleach.
Bucket Method: Fill a bucket with water and mix in the bleach. Submerge your shirt and soak it to cover as much of the fabric as possible (don’t forget about inside seams!)
Paintbrush Method: Use a paintbrush or sponge, dip it into the dye mixture then spread on your shirt. Be sure to avoid any spots that would be covered by other clothing, such as where pockets typically are. You can also use this technique for more unique patterns like stripes- just make sure you apply enough layers so everything is fully saturated before moving onto another area
Spray Bottle Method: Fill up an empty spray bottle with some cold water and add the bleach – now soak your clothes in small sections at a time until they have been fully covered.
Remember that bleach is a strong chemical, and its fumes can be dangerous. So work in a well-ventilated area or outside if you can.
If you’re using food coloring to dye your clothes then don’t let it sit for too long before washing! Mix the colors together until they are uniform and apply with a paintbrush onto sections of fabric – soak up as much liquid as possible but remember to leave the room so the color doesn’t seep out onto other articles of clothing (it’s okay to use rubber gloves). Let dry completely on top of newspaper or old towels before putting them into the washer and wash cycle. Rinse thoroughly after soaking for at least 30 minutes (longer is better).
- Bleach
- Rubber Gloves
- Spray Bottle
- Blank T-shirts
- Cardboard
– Lay your shirts on a flat surface, cardboard or plastic (whatever you have)
– Keep in mind that the design will always be reversed when it is finished. This means that if you want to put part of the design on the front and another section on the back, lay them with this side up/down configuration so they are facing outwards
– Make sure there’s space between each shirt for maximum coverage. You may need more than one tray depending on how many T-shirts you’re using
– If desired, use rubber bands around areas like sleeves to create different patterns or designs before applying dye mixture – these can also come in handy later during the drying process as well! If working with cotton-only colors, be sure to add a thick layer of salt in between each shirt as this will help the colors set more quickly.
– Put on your rubber gloves and fill up a spray bottle with cold water and bleach – shake well!
– Spray down one section at a time, working from top to bottom. For thicker sections like sleeves or pant legs you may need to apply it twice for maximum coverage
– Let dry completely (preferably outside) before washing off with cool water – do not use any soap! If using cotton only colors, soak clothes in warm salty water after they have dried
– Wash thoroughly afterward according to instructions provided by the manufacturer on the clothing label