How To Set Tie Dye With Salt

Tie-dye is a fun way to express your inventiveness and have some fun. And if y'all're like most people, y'all desire your necktie-dye t-shirts to stay bright and vibrant for years to come. In this blog post, I'll teach yous how to ready tie-dye the right way then that information technology doesn't fade in the wash. I'll likewise share some helpful tips and tricks that I've learned over the years so that you become the all-time results.

Summertime is the perfect time to larn how to necktie-dye and have some fun! And after spending all that fourth dimension perfecting your tie-dye folding patterns, you'll want your tie-dye shirts to stay bright, bold, and cute.

How to Keep Necktie Dye From Fading

The key to getting vibrant colors is setting the dye properly. If you don't gear up the dye correctly, your colors will fade over time, and your shirt will look quondam and tired.

So, how exercise you fix tie-dye?

Spoiler alert: vinegar is not the respond! Some people recommend setting tie-dye with white vinegar or salt to proceed colors bright, merely that's but not necessary.

To help you go the all-time results, I've put together a few tips on how to make certain your tie-dye looks corking wash after wash.

Cull the right fabric dye
Cull the right fabric
Follow the proper procedure
Allow the tie-dye gear up long plenty
Rinse and wash the dyed items correctly

Read on to learn the best ways to ready tie-dye and continue your shirts looking vibrant for years to come!

Choose the Right Type of Dye

The almost important thing you lot can do to make certain your necktie-dye doesn't fade is to select high-quality dyes that won't wash out and fade over time.

The best type of necktie-dye to employ on cotton fabric is cobweb reactive dye. Cobweb-reactive dyes react with cotton fiber and other establish fibers to grade a permanent chemic bond.

If you apply them correctly, fiber-reactive dyes are permanent – they won't fade, even after repeated washings. In general, if you are using quality fiber reactive dyes for your projects, they will remain bright and beautiful, and you lot shouldn't have a trouble with fading.

Best Types of Cobweb Reactive Dyes

Hither are the types of cobweb-reactive dyes that I recommend.

Procion MX dyes. This is the most pop type of dye for tie-dye enthusiasts and professionals. Procion MX dyes are colorfast, non-toxic, and very easy to utilize. Plus, they come in a huge range of colors. Y'all tin can find Procion dye kits from suppliers like Jacquard or Dharma Trading Co.

Annotation: When yous're working with Procion MX dyes, you'll need to pre-soak your cloth in a soda ash solution before dying.

Tulip I-Step dyes. These necktie-dye kits are super easy to use, so they're an fantabulous choice for the occasional necktie-dyer, younger kids, and tie-dye parties. The Tulip dyes are formulated with soda ash already in the dye pulverisation, so all you have to do is add water, shake and employ. This eliminates the need to pre-soak fabrics in a soda ash solution.

Don't utilize all-purpose dyes.

If you want bright, vibrant cotton fiber shirts that won't fade in the launder, you should ever use cobweb-reactive dyes rather than all-purpose dyes.

All-purpose dyes, such as Rit and other brands, do not piece of work on cotton or other cellulose fibers at room temperature.

The cold-water, squirt-bottle tie-dye technique only works with cobweb-reactive dyes. If you try it with all-purpose dyes, the colors volition pale and launder out over time.

Choose the Right Fabric

The second virtually important step to getting brilliant necktie-dye that won't fade is using the correct fabric.

For example, the all-time type of fabric to use with fiber-reactive dye is 100% cotton or other cellulose fiber similar rayon, linen, Tencel, or hemp. If you can't notice 100% cotton fiber, look for at least a 70% cotton blend.

Yous tin can try using a l% cotton 50% polyester blend, just the colors volition be much paler. (It volition give yous a nice pastel tie-dye look, though, if that's what you're going for!)

Synthetic fibers like polyester crave a different type of dye birthday. If y'all try to tie-dye 100% constructed cobweb with fiber-reactive dyes, yous won't become skilful results.

photo collage showing the steps to fold a white t-shirt into a rainbow spiral design

Follow the Tie Dye Process

Here's a quick guide to tie-dying a t-shirt and so that the colors stay bright and don't fade. For complete instructions, read this step-by-step guide to necktie-dye. And after that, you'll want to check out this list of 17 ways to fold tie-dye.

Instructions

Hither is how to tie-dye cotton wool cloth with fiber-reactive dyes (and optional soda ash pre-wash):

Prewash your cloth.
Wearing eye protection and a mask, prepare a soda ash solution of i cup soda ash in i gallon of warm water. Pre-soak your fabric in a soda ash solution for at least 15 minutes.
Wearing rubber gloves, wring out the fabric until it's but clammy. Tie or demark the material as desired.
Fix the dye as instructed on the package. Utilize the dye as desired.
Place the dyed material in a plastic bag, or wrap it in plastic wrap to continue it from drying out. Let the fabric set in a warm room for at least 8 hours or overnight.
Remove the textile from the plastic, and remove the rubber bands or ties. Rinse the cloth in common cold water several times until the water runs clear.
Wash the dyed fabric in hot water in your washing machine with Synthrapol or another laundry detergent, and hang dry out.

Call back: You only need to use the soda-ash presoak if y'all're using the Procion MX dyes. If you're using the Tulip kits, yous don't need to do the presoak.

Permit'due south talk almost a few of these steps in a lilliputian more detail – particularly how to set the tie-dye to prevent the dye from fading.

How to Fix Necktie Dye

Once you take finished applying the dye, yous need to let it set, or "process." The dye needs three things to react with the fabric and create a permanent chemic bond: time, water, and heat.

How long does necktie-dye need to sit?

Permit the dye set on the fabric for a few hours – at least viii hours, merely preferably overnight. Longer setting times will effect in brighter, stronger colors. The amount of time required will depend on the ambient temperature.

How to speed up the setting process?

Let the tie-dye fabric ready at temperatures over 70°F (21°C) for the best results. The dye reaction takes longer at cooler temperatures. Then if your room is likewise cold and y'all don't wait long enough, you may become stake, faded colors.

How to continue the dye from drying out?

For the reaction to have place, the fabric must stay moisture. To keep the fabric from drying out, you can place it in a zip-peak plastic bag or wrap it in plastic wrap. (I always put my wrapped shirts in a bucket, just in case they baste or leak.)

Some Color Rinsing Out is Normal

Even if you're using loftier-quality dyes, you might encounter some dye rinsing out of your tie-dyed fabrics for the get-go couple washes. This is normal. Near dyes need at least one long rinse in cool water (without detergent) followed by two washes in hot water (with detergent) to remove excess dye. This is just the extra dye leaving the fabric.

The Right Way to Launder Tie Dye

After you rinse the tie-dyed garment in cool h2o, you can run it through a wash cycle in your washing automobile. Information technology's a adept idea to use a special detergent, chosen Synthrapol, to wash out excess dye and prevent the dye colors from mixing. (Synthrapol doesn't assistance set the dye – it just helps launder out the extra dye.)

You may demand to wash the tie-dyed garments separately for the first few washes. But later that, you'll be prophylactic to wash them with your regular laundry.

Using Commercial Dye Fixative

In most cases, following the instructions above should exist plenty to set the necktie-dye, go on it colorfast, and prevent it from fading in the wash.

That said, some commercial dye fixatives can be used to ready tie-dye. Retayne is a ordinarily used dye fixative that volition foreclose color bleeding during washing. You lot can find Retayne in stores similar Dharma Trading Company. Brand sure to follow the instructions on the package.

close up photo of a rainbow crumpled tie dye fabric

Other Tricks to Gear up Necktie Dye

You may have seen some other ideas near setting tie-dye with vinegar, baking soda, or common salt. Let'south talk nearly them.

Does vinegar help set tie-dye?

No, vinegar will not assist to set fiber-reactive dye on cotton cloth. Nor will non make the dye more resistant to fading.

Contrary to pop belief, you do non need vinegar to set tie-dye on cotton fiber. Unless your tie-dye kit specifically tells you to use vinegar, y'all don't need it.

Notation: Vinegar tin aid gear up some acid dyes on animal fibers like silk or wool – only it's non necessary to set dye on cotton fabrics.

Does salt help set tie-dye?

No, washing tie-dyed items with table common salt volition non help the dye set up better. Salt is not a dye fixative and won't make the dye more than permanent or colorfast.

What nigh baking soda?

Baking soda is sometimes recommended as a substitute for soda ash; however, its effects are much weaker.

What will really assist fix the necktie-dye?

The best fashion to set tie-dye is to permit it process in a warm, moist environment for eight-24 hours.

The Best Way to Continue Necktie Dye From Fading

And then, what do you need to foreclose dye from fading? Let'due south sum up.

Offset, make sure to apply the right type of necktie-dye for your fabric. To do the cold-water, squirt-canteen style tie-dye, you'll want to use cobweb-reactive dyes like Tulip or Procion MX dyes.
Second, utilise the right kind of fabric. For the brightest, most vibrant results, employ cotton wool fabric.
Then, follow the right tie-dye process. Read the dye instructions to know if you demand to pre-soak the fabric in a soda ash solution.
Next, let the tie-dye ready long enough! Proceed your tied-dyed fabric wet and warm for at to the lowest degree eight hours – or up to 24 hours – for the strongest colors.
Finally, rinse and wash the dyed items correctly. Some dye rinsing out is expected – just if y'all follow the steps, you should still get a colorfast upshot.

What'southward Next?

Pivot this post: Save this tutorial to your Pinterest boards then that you tin can come up back to information technology later.

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pin image for how to set tie dye with a background of a rainbow spiral tie dye shirt

Sarah Stearns has helped thousands of makers find their next craft project with free patterns and step-by-step tutorials on her blog, sarahmaker.com. Read more.

Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Scientific American, Proficient Housekeeping, Vocalization, Flat Therapy, Lifehacker, and more.

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