Name: jackie
Message: My son wants dark green shoelaces - we can't find the exact color so are considering dyeing some. What type of shoe lace would take dye the best, cotton or nylon? What type of dye should I use? My experience of dying usually ends up with a much lighter shade then expected, any suggestions?

Pale shades in dyeing are usually the result of using the wrong kind of dye, or of dyeing polyester blends.

Both cotton and nylon can be dyed pretty easily. However, most shoelaces are not labeled with their fiber content, and it is not uncommon for shoelaces to be made of polyester, which is quite difficult to dye. Furthermore, cotton shoelaces cannot be dyed with nylon dyes, and nylon shoelaces cannot be dyed with cotton dye. One of the few sources of shoelaces that are known to be 100% cotton is Dharma Trading Company.

Cotton is easier to dye than nylon, because you can use cool-water fiber reactive dye, which can be used without heating. It is rare to find good fiber reactive dye at a nearby store, if you live in the US. Dylon Cold Water dye is acceptable, but Dylon Multi purpose dye is not. Procion MX dye is the best, but only superior crafts stores carry it. Usually it is best to buy dye by mail order, from any of the companies listed on my Sources for Supplies page. The all-purpose dye that you can find in many local stores is quite inferior for dyeing cotton. You will get much better results with fiber reactive dye.

If you use all-purpose dye, you must cook the shoelaces in the dyebath; the biggest drawback is that the cooking pot used for this should never be used for cooking food again, as textile dyes are not safe for use in food preparation utensils. Another problem is that you cannot use an inexpensive aluminum pot, as aluminum can interfere significantly in the dyeing process. The one good thing about all-purpose dye is that it will work on nylon shoelaces, though never on polyester.

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