Name: Steve
Message: I have been told by someone in the US to source Rite clothing dye. They say that it is commonly found in the supermarket etc. Iasked them in return if they mean Rit dye. to which they said no. it is Rite. Can you tell me if Rit and Rite dye are one and the same or if there are two products readily available in the US of similar name? Please help.


I have heard of most dyes, but I have never heard of a dye being sold under the brand name of Rite. I think someone has made an error. The only references I can find to "Rite" dye online are clearly errors actually referring to Rit® AllPurpose Dye. Another common mangling of the Rit name is "Ritz". There is no Ritz dye, however, only Rit.

Rit® is a brand of all-purpose dye which is very commonly used simply because it is nearly ubiquitous here in the US. Nearly every grocery store or pharmacy carries it. All-purpose dye is a mixture of a type of dye called direct dye, which dyes cotton, though not with any great degree of colorfastness, and acid dye, which works well on wool and on nylon (though not on other synthetics).

Fiber reactive dyes, such as Procion MX dye, are often much easier to use than all-purpose dye, because they do not require hot water for permanence, and they tend to give much more satisfactory results on cotton. Clothing dyed with ll-purpose dye fades quickly in the laundry, and should be washed only in cold water, by hand, separately from other garments, but clothes dyed with Procion dyes will stay bright for years even when washed in hot water.

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[Updated July 11, 2008]