Can I use "iDye Poly" to dye cotton?

Name: Lauren

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Dye polyester and poly/cotton blends

Country or region: Australia

Message: Hello, I have bought some iDye Poly, not realising it's for Polester, and I am wanting to tie dye some 100% Cotton. Can i still use the iDye Poly and add salt? I have never dyed anything before. This is my 1st attempt, so I'm not really sure what I am doing. I have read about adding salt to natural fibes. I dont live close to anywhere where I can get more dye, so will it still work? Thank you so much =)

No, you absolutely cannot use iDye Poly on natural fibers. Save it for when you have synthetic fibers to dye; don't even open the package now. iDye Poly contains a type of dye called disperse dye, so it works on polyester, acetate, acrylic, and nylon. It washes right out of cotton and other natural fibers, as well as rayon. There is no fixative that will make iDye Poly permanent on cotton. Commercial dye fixatives will not work on disperse dye.

Salt has no special magic when it comes to dyeing. While salt has important uses in dyeing, it will not act to fix dyes and make them permanent.

Since you don't live near a place that sells dye, you should buy your dyes online by mail-order. In Australia, good mail-order sources include Kraftkolour, The Thread Studio, Silksational, and Batik Oetoro. See my page, "Sources for Dyeing Supplies Around the World" for contact information and links for these and other dye suppliers; scroll down to the section on Australia & New Zealand. Some serious dyers in Australia order their dyes from suppliers in the US, either Dharma Trading Company or PRO Chemical & Dye, because their prices are lower, but this works out only if you call on the phone to request a slower and more economical form of shipping than is available when ordering through the websites. Regular fast overseas shipping costs are very expensive.

Plain iDye, sold by the same shops as iDye Poly, will work on natural fibers such as cotton, but it's not the best choice. It contains direct dye, a type of dye that tends to wash out of fabric, and bleeds badly in the laundry, though of course it's far better on cotton than iDye Poly. You will get better, much longer-lasting results on cotton if you buy a fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX dye or Drimarene K dye. Tintex Dye Manufacturers of Australia sells a Tintex Low Temperature Dye which contains fiber reactive dye, so it is a good choice, too, unlike the Tintex Dye in North America which contains direct dye.

For tie-dyeing, you really don't want to use a direct dye, such as iDye, or an all-purpose dye, such as Rit. Both require immersing your garment in boiling hot water, and neither allows you to easily dye it more than one color. Cool water fiber reactive dyes can be squirted onto the fabric and allowed to bond to it at room temperature, using soda ash to set the dye. Most tie-dyeing kits, and all the good ones, contain fiber reactive dye such as Procion MX dye or Drimarene K dye. Good brands of tie-dyeing kits include the Dylon tie-dye kit and the Jacquard tie-dye kit; avoid the Rit tie-dye kit, if you happen to see it. The Rainbow Dyes brand tie-dye kit contains no dyes at all, only fabric paint; the results are not as good as those from good Procion dyes, and wear off more quickly, but it's a good idea for use in areas of severe drought, since real dyeing requires a lot of washing.

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Posted: Wednesday - May 25, 2011 at 06:40 AM All About Hand Dyeing Q&A Previous Next

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