Name: Barry
Message: I'm trying to dye coveralls for my job. I bought a set at Sears, which were blue, and tried to dye them black.  I thought bleaching them first would help, but after dying them, the coveralls are a dark brown.  I'm using RIT, salt and my washer with hot water. I need black to work because I'm in printing and constantly around black toner and developer.  I bought 2 more pairs of coveralls both white this time.  They are 65/35 polyester-cotton.  Can it work?  I read that polyester may not dye wellfrom this website, but maybe you have a trick up your sleeve?  And don't say "Buy Black Coveralls", nobody sells them !!! Unbelievable, right?  Thank you.

All-purpose dye does not yield the best results on cotton, and does not work at all on polyester. I cannot recommend its use, except for dyeing wool and nylon. It will bleed in the laundry forever, and will not stay dark for long. You will be much happier using cool water fiber reactive dye, but unfortunately this type of dye does not work on polyester, only on cotton and other natural fibers.

65% polyester is difficult to dye. It is possible to dye polyester by boiling it with disperse dye, which you can buy by mail-order from PRO Chemical & Dye. Unfortunately, you cannot use disperse dye without extremely high heat. It is used either by boiling with a carrier chemical, or by ironing on after first painting or coloring it on to paper. It is difficult to get a solid color effect with the iron-on technique, however.

If what you want is black, there's no need to bleach out the existing color. To dye black, it is best to start with as dark a color as you can get. Bleaching tends to damage polyester badly, turning it permanently yellow and possibly changing its hand (the way it feels to the touch).

Fabric paint can be used to 'pigment dye' polyester. However, I am not sure how dark you will be able to get it. For example, see the description of Dharma Trading Company's pigment 'dyes'.

Perhaps this web site is new since you did your searching: http://www.coverallsale.com. Apparently they sell several different styles of cotton coveralls (and they might actually have black poly/cotton overalls!) There may be other possible sources, as well. Cotton coveralls would be very easy to dye with ordinary fiber reactive dyes. The thread will stay the original color, but cotton fabric is easy to dye, if it is not treated with a permanent press or stain resistant finish. I recommend that you purchase Procion MX dye from any of the dye suppliers around the world listed on my Sources for Dyeing Supplies page. Any sort of fiber reactive dye would be suitable, including Dylon Cold Water Dye. 

One last point: when dyeing black, use two to four times as much dye as the package suggests. Black requires more dye than other colors do.

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