Name: cheryl
Message: Hello,
 My Girl Scout troop wants to do a reverse tye dye for a camping trip can you tell me how to do it.

Is this something you want to do in order to have reverse-tie-dyed shirts to wear on your campout, or are you planning this as an activity to do on your campout?

I have to caution you first that hypochlorite bleach (which we call chlorine bleach) is a very toxic chemical. It is not suitable for use by children, and it is certainly not suitable for camp-out conditions.  An alternative chemical, sodium hydrosulfite (one good brand is Rit Color Remover), is somewhat less toxic, but is still not suitable for use by children; I would not use it myself except in a washing machine or a workshop with excellent washing facilities. (From the MSDS: "Skin contact may produce irritation and possible skin burns....Contact with the eyes may produce severe irritation, burns, and possible permanent eye damage." See materials safety data sheets for 5% sodium hypochlorite and Rit Color Remover.) It would be okay to use opaque fabric paint on a camp-out, as a substitute, but only if you have good handwashing facilities available.

If you use chlorine bleach, you must have a washing machine or washtub full of water prepared with Anti-chlor solution before you even apply the bleach to your shirts, because it is essential to be able to stop the caustic action of the bleach on the fabric immediately, as soon as the color has lightened sufficiently. Without Anti-chlor or a substitute, the bleach will continue eating away at your fabric even after you wash it. You must not use vinegar for this purpose, as people who are ignorant about safety sometimes advise doing, because acid plus bleach creates even more caustic chemical compounds. The most economical bleach stop agent, by far, is Anti-chlor as purchased from PRO Chemical & Dye, but if you are willing to go to greater expense, you can manage with 3% hydrogen peroxide solution, which is commonly sold as an antiseptic. Chemicals which can be used as bleach stop include sodium metabisulfite, sodium sulfite, sodium thiosulfate (Dharma's 'Bleach-Stop').

For more information and instructions for three different methods of reverse tie-dyeing, please look at my web page on "How to Tie Dye on Dark Fabric."

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