Is there an easy-to-get alternative to 'dye set' for tie-dyeing cotton t-shirts?

What kind of dye set are you looking for? The dye setting chemical used in good tie-dye kits and with Procion MX dye or Dylon Cold Dye is called soda ash. It is easy to find. You can buy it labeled as sodium carbonate, from the swimming pool supply section of the hardware store, or as washing soda from the grocery store (if you can find a brand that is free of dyes and perfumes, such as Arm & Hammer).

If you are looking for a dye set for Rit dye, don't bother with soda ash. Soda ash will not help set Rit dye at all. It works only for fiber reactive dyes such as Procion dyes, the type of dye used in all good tie-dye kits. To make Rit dye permanent, you have to buy a cationic dye fixative, such as Retayne. The company that makes Rit has recently introduced their own brand of Retayne which is called Rit Dye Fixative, but I have not yet seen it in local stores. You can find Retayne at your local quilting supply store, if you have a good one nearby, or you can mail-order Retayne from a good dye supplier. Household chemicals such as salt and vinegar cannot be used to set Rit dye. They don't work at all.

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