Name: Shirl
Message: I already used all purpose dye - some of these were for children.  Is that a serious problem?   Thanks!

I don't think that all-purpose dye is unsafe, but the results will probably not last as long in the laundry as you like. If you used cool water to dye with all-purpose dye, the dye may wash out immediately! All-purpose dye is a hot water dye and works best when the clothing is heated in the dyebath for half an hour or longer at a temperature just below boiling.

If you give the dyed items as gifts, be sure to include a label with care instructions: "hand wash separately in cool water". Hot water will remove all-purpose dye more quickly than cool water will. Washing separately will prevent laundry disasters in which the all-purpose dye bleeds onto other clothing and ruins it. Never sell a garment whose dye is not completely fixed.

To improve washfastness, you can use a commercial dye fixative, such as Retayne. You will probably have to mail-order it, but your local fabric store might carry it. You cannot fix all-purpose dye with simpler chemicals such as salt, soda ash, or vinegar. See "Commercial Dye Fixatives".

In the future, if you are dyeing cotton clothing, you will want to use fiber reactive dye. Good tie-dye kits, made by Jacquard Products, Rainbow Rock, Tulip, Dritz, and Dylon, can sometimes be found in your local crafts store, or, for a much lower price per shirt and a better range of color choices, you can buy your dyes by mail-order. Look for Procion MX dyes. I maintain a list of places to buy dyeing supplies around the world.


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