Name: Cassie
Message: After you have done your Tie Dying do you wash it?  If so how?
Thanks so much,

Yes, we wash out our tie dyed items once in cool water without detergent (or only with the special dyeing detergent called Synthrapol). Then we wash it two or three times in the hottest available water, with detergent, to remove all excess unattached dye.

This is the proper method for washing out after dyeing with a good fiber reactive dye, such as Jacquard Procion MX dye. However, if you used a poorer quality all-purpose dye, the dye will itself wash out if you use anything but gentle hand washing in cool water. 

I hope that you used good dye. All-purpose dye produces poor quality tie-dyes which do not withstand ordinary laundering at all well.

If you did use all-purpose dye, wait to wash it until you can mail-order a special fixative agent such as Retayne. This product greatly improves the washfastness of all-purpose dyes. You can buy it from your local quilting supply store, or from most of the dye suppliers around the world listed on my Sources for Dyeing Supplies page.

(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)