Name: Feby

Message: I began tie dyeing about 6 months ago, I have some questions. Why is my tie dye result not always the same, even though the mixed dyes are the same? If I have hard water, will it really affect the results?

The biggest cause of differences in results is the material itself that you are dyeing. Some items are much easier to dye than others. Mercerized cotton will dye much more intensely than unmercerized cotton. Fabric that has been treated with a stain-resistant or water-resistant finish will dye poorly. Permanent press clothing will not dye as well as untreated clothing. Even ordinary fabric sizing and the oils and lubricants used in spinning, weaving, and knitting will make a huge difference in how well something dyes. 

Some sizings can be removed by washing your garment (or yardage, or yarn, or whatever it is that you are dyeing) in hot water, 60°C (140°F) or higher, with a detergent such as Synthrapol plus some added soda ash for extra cleaning power. This step is called pre-scouring, and it is very important. Always pre-wash your material to be dyed in the hottest water that it can tolerate. Some items cannot dye well because the sizings or other finishes cannot be removed, even by careful pre-scouring. For best results, purchase PFD fabric or clothing, or PFP (the abbreviation "PFD" stands for "Prepared For dyeing", while "PFP" stands for "Prepared For Printing").

Sometimes dyeing problems occur because the fiber itself is not dyeable. Of course, an item that is a blend of 50% cotton and 50% polyester will not dye nearly as well as one that is 100% cotton. Sometimes, though rarely, an item will be labeled as 100% cotton when it is really 50% polyester, or as 100% silk when it is really 100% polyester.

Hard water can cause real problems in dyeing; even if you dye successfully with hard water, you will find that the washing-out step, to remove unattached excess dye, is much more difficult with hard water, if you do not use a water softener. Water that is softened by a household system that replaces the minerals with sodium can be used for dyeing, though the presence of salt may make minor differences in how the dye takes. I strongly recommend the use of a phosphate-containing water softener, sodium hexametaphosphate, which is sometimes sold under the names Metaphos or Calgon T. I do not recommend the liquid Calgon-brand water softener that contains polycarboylates, as they are said to interfere with dye uptake. Add  water softener to all of your dye mixtures, and also, if your water is very hard, to your washing and rinsing water. See "Dyeing with hard water: water softeners, distilled water, and spring water".

Another cause of differences in dyeing success is the temperature of your dye reactions. If you are using a fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX, Remazol, or Drimarene K, you will get much better results if your room is warm than if your room is cold. For Procion MX dye, the best results are at about 30°C; for Drimarene K, the ideal temperature is about 40°C; and for Remazol dyes, the ideal temperature is around 40°C to 60°C. See "What is the effect of temperature?".

If you are using fiber reactive dyes that used to work well but no longer do, in spite of being careful to supply sufficient warmth when you dye, it is possible that they have gone bad. Fiber reactive dyes will gradually react with the moisture in the air, so that they can no longer react with your fabric. Their shelf life is usually at least one to two years, but just a few hours in a hot car may be enough to make them go bad. Procion MX dyes go bad more quickly than Remazol or Drimarene K dyes, because they are more reactive. Once you mix Procion MX dye powder with water, it will become noticeably weaker within a couple of weeks, unless you store it in the refrigerator; even in the refrigerator, Procion MX dyes mixed with water will go bad after a couple of months.

For the greatest reproducibility in dyeing, always measure your dyes by weight, using a small reliable scale, instead of using teaspoons to measure volume. Using a spoon is faster and more convenient, but different jars of the same dye will have different densities. The strength of the dye is standardized by the weight of the dye powder, not by its volume.

These are the main factors that can influence your dyeing to work better at one time than another. See my FAQ on dyes & dyeing, in particular the question "My colors are not very bright. What did I do wrong?", for more possibilities.

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