Name: Karl
Message: Is there a chemical that can stop uv sunlight from fading dyed fabrics?

Maybe yes, maybe no, depending on the specific dye with which you are concerned. There are spray-on ultraviolet protectant coatings, but you must TEST to see whether they actually protect the dyes you are interested in. In testing, one of this type of coatings actually accelerated fading of one fiber reactive dye! The problem is that a product that absorbs ultraviolet energy might actually pass this energy on to a certain dye, thus degrading it even faster than usual. See the text on the page "Lightfastness of Different Types of Dyes".

There's a possibility that the best ultraviolet protection for dyes in clothing might be provided by a Ciba product called Tinosorb. Unlike the popular spray-on product called Quiltgard, Tinosorb actually stays in fabric for a number of launderings (at least twenty). I have purchased and used this product in the form of Rit Sun Guard dye. This colorless dye is sold for the purpose of increasing the SPF value of cotton clothing; unfortunately I have not tested to determine whether or not it also protects the other dyes that have been used on the same fabric. It does not, in my experience, change the color of even white fabric, and it does help prevent sunburn. It might be worthwhile to test whether or not this product will also help to protect the dyes in your fabrics. [Addendum: Karl tried it, and it did not help.]

Note that it is not only the ultraviolet light in sunlight that fades dyed fabrics. The same visible light that makes it possible for us to see the color of the dyes also causes fading. Compounds such as dyes are colored because they absorb part of the visible spectrum, but the energy of this absorbed light can serve to break chemical bonds. Dyes vary in their resistance to this fading, and some will be affected more my UV light, while others are affected more by visible light.

Name: Jenn

Message: I am in a wedding next year. The bride decided to go with a dark lilac color from a well-known bridal shop for bridesmaid's gowns. I just bought a gown there last year for another wedding I was in. The dress is a light lilac color. I believe it is satin underneath, with a chiffon layer on top. It also has a beadwork band around the waist.

Satin and chiffon are weaves of fabric which can be made from any fiber, cotton or rayon or polyester or silk. What fiber are you talking about, here? Dye choice depends utterly on what exact fiber is being dyed.

I was hoping that I could just get the gown I already own dyed to match the other girls. The bridal shop will not do this for me. They suggested I check the yellow pages but there aren't any dress dyers in my area. (Central PA). I was wondering your thoughts on the likeliness of me either finding someone to dye it for me or me dyeing it myself without completely ruining it. Where should I go from here?

Is it washable? Is it an easily dyeable material such as silk or cotton? I'll be very surprised if the answer to both of these questions is yes.

You cannot dye a dress that is not washable, period. Nobody will be willing to wash a dry-clean-only dress for you, either. Dyeing requires a great deal off washing.

There is never a local concern that will dye even a washable dress. There are a few dyers that will dye your dress if it is washable and made of an easily dyeable fiber, such as silk, rayon, or cotton, but you will certainly have to mail it to them, probably in another state. The only company I know about that is willing to dye a 100% polyester dress is Color Creek, in Alaska [update: unfortunately, Color Creek now appears to have gone out of business]. Other dyers that are willing to dye blends or natural fibers may be found listed on my Custom Dyers' Listing.

Doing it yourself is not a good idea except for machine washable 100% cotton and similarly easy-to-dye fibers. I strongly recommend you not even consider dyeing a polyester dress. See "Dyeing Polyester with Disperse Dyes".

You will probably need to buy another dress for this wedding. Sorry.

[links updated November 29, 2007]

I am doing a literature review about the detection methods of amylase in saliva and have been reading through journal articles mainly from the 1970s about such methods. One particular method involved a reagent called "Procion Red MX2B-amylopectin". From papers i have been reading it appears as though this method was discontinued although i cannot find a reason as to why. I was wondering if you have any information on "Procion Red MX2B-amylopectin", and if you can tell me is it still in production, or if not, the reasons why it was no longer manufactured.

When I was in graduate school, in the nineteen-eighties, reagents such as this were not necessarily manufactured. The researcher often had to prepare the reagent for him or herself, following instructions that had to be obtained from the author of the paper that reported the use of the assay.

My guess would be that the assay may have fallen by the wayside if an easier assay became available, or even commercially available. Or, it may be a perfectly good assay, and you just need to determine, by contacting the authors of the relevant papers, exactly how to prepare this reagent for yourself. Presumably, the preparation involves allowing the purified dye to react with the amylopectin under carefully controlled conditions. Dichlorotriazine dyes will react with both carbohydrates and proteins, given the right pH and temperatures.

There are many different dichlorotriazine dyes, which are what the Procion MX name refers to. It is the name under which the dyes were patented, though the patent has long since expired. I do not know of a commercial source for small quantities of Procion red MX-2B, which bears the Colour Index name of reactive red #1, and the Colour Index number of 18158, but it is apparently still being manufactured; do a web search for "reactive red 1". It is listed among dyes being sold, in larger quantities, by Classic Dyestuffs. It seems likely that many other dichlorotriazine dyes would be equally well suited to the procedure.

You may benefit from reading a book edited by Victor B. Ivanov, entitled Reactive Dyes in Biology. (ISBN 3-7186-0235-0. Originally published 1982; English translation 1987. Harwood Academic Publishers, PO Box 786, Cooper Station, New York, NY 10276.) This book is too expensive for most students to purchase, but my institution's medical library has a copy; perhaps you can find a copy at a medical library near you.

Name: bri
Message: hey! i'm trying to dye my curtains and they're 50% cotton and 50% polyester, but i want to dye the polyester too not just the cotton. also i would like your opinion on what technique you think i should use, my curtains are just simple rectangle panels. thanks very much!

No dye will do a good job on polyester except for disperse dye, but I would not want to bother with this process for most curtains. It's a lot of trouble, and requires the use of a good large cooking pot which should never again be used for food, an expensive sacrifice if you do not dye often. See "Dyeing Polyester with Disperse Dyes".

It's a lot less trouble to dye only the cotton in this blend, even though the colors will be half as bright (or dark) as they would be if you were to dye 100% cotton. The best dye for cotton is fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX dye; it is vastly superior to all-purpose dye, which tends to run in the laundry forever. See "How can I dye clothing or fabric in the washing machine?".

Name: Carol
Message: I'm looking for some pointers for dyeing fabric that is a silk/hemp blend with low water immersion or tie-dye type techniques. Not so much single solid colours, but bright colours vs pastel heathered effects are the goal. I have Procion MX, but it is about 6 yrs old. I'm happy to go out and get more dye, but if it's not necessary, that'd be even better. 8-) Thanks for a fantastically useful site (and blog)!

Dyeing hemp is very much like dyeing cotton, as both are cellulose type fibers. Silk is a very interesting fiber. It can be dyed like wool with acid dyes, but, unlike wool, it can also be used with the same soda ash recipe that is used for cotton. You will do fine, with this blend, if you just follow the usual cotton recipes for tie-dyeing, LWI, or other ways of applying fiber reactive dye to cotton.

Your Procion MX dye may be too old. You might want to order some fresh dye. I have successfully used Procion MX type dye that is several years old, but it does go bad with time. If some but not all of the dye has gone bad, you can use a larger amount of dye, and be sure to give the dye plenty of time to react (leave it overnight). Then wash out in cool water before washing in hot water. If the dye is too far gone, it will almost all wash out, and you will get pale colors which need to be overdyed.

Old MX dye can be used with an acid dyeing recipe, with vinegar and heat, to dye silk, but the acid recipe will not dye the hemp at all well.

I think that the initial cool water washing, after dyeing, is especially vital with old dye. If your initial washing is in hot water, it may encourage the unattached dye to act like the direct dye in an all-purpose dye mixture, gradually washing out over the course of many washings, rather than washing out efficiently.

Name: Annie

Message: I need to know how to remove red dye from white clothes. My white clothes have red spots on them from being placed on top of wet red clothes. I have tried washing them twice with Clorox Stain Out and some of the red came out but not all.

Use hot water to wash, the hotter the better. That will probably do the job, because dye that is only looosely attached to fabric, as in this case, is much less inclined to stick to the fabric when it's hot. If that doesn't quite do it, try soaking in hot water.

If soaking in hot water is not enough, then try using Rit Color Remover. You can purchase this next to the displays of Rit all-purpose dye which are found in many grocery stores and pharmacies. (Click on the picture of the box of Rit Color Remover, to the left, to buy through Amazon.) A large washing machine load may require several boxes of this product to be used at once.

Rit Color Remover works in a different manner than Clorox Stain Out and may give you better results. No guarantees, though, unfortunately. It has worked well for me in a similar situation. It is less damaging to the fabric than chlorine bleach.

The red clothing which ran can be rendered more safe for the laundry in the future by the use of a product called Retayne, which can be purchased from many dye suppliers (see my list of other dye suppliers around the world). I'd still be wary about placing them next to whites when damp, however.

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

[Updated June 8, 2008.]

Name: CORSINI
Message: Dear webmaster,

I want to thank you for helpfull informations on this site and your blog.
I will be pleased if you can help me for this questions or send me a link that can help.

Is there any comparative study of deep water fabric dyeing versus inkjet fabric printing?

I have googled this without serious help

I don't know of any comparative study. I am ignorant of the processes currently being used in the textile industry, and can comment only on those processes which are used by artists and small-scale crafters. Perhaps I can give you some alternative terms with which to search further, though.

'Deep water fabric dyeing' is known in English as vat dyeing or as immersion dyeing. (In small-scale craft uses, immersion dyeing can be done with a high water ratio for solid colors, or a low water ratio for mottled colors; the latter is frequently referred to as low water immersion dyeing, or LWI.)

I don't know much about the use of inkjet printers in the printing of commercial fabrics. Any sort of dye can be used in an inkjet printer, in theory, and often pigments are used instead. To compare this process to immersion-dyed fabric, you must find out exactly what is in the inks that are used. You may find more information on the different types of dyes that exist on "About Dyes". Any of them could be used in one form of printing or another.

Quilt artists commonly use ordinary paper printers to print on fabric that has been specially prepared with a product that allows printer ink, whether made from dyes or pigments, to stick to the fabric so permanently that the fabric may be laundered. The product most commonly used for this purpose in the US is called Bubble Jet Set. It seems to me that commercial processes would be more likely to use true dyes, which attach directly to the fabric without the use of such a binder.

It is interesting to note that the dyes in inkjet inks can be made from disperse dyes, so that prints made from them on paper can be sublimated onto synthetic fibers such as polyester, using a heat-transfer process. Some inkjets are used to print with food-safe dyes in order to make designs to be placed directly onto food. In this case, only a limited number of dyes can be used, since only a few dyes have been approved for use in food. Food dyes are acid dyes and actually work fairly well to dye protein fibers such as wool, but heat setting is required.

Name: Whitney
Message: i would really appreciate id you could help me to understand how to dye 100% silk and 100% sheer chiffon materials to create the same colour? as they are to be put together to create a dress. i would also need to know the dye class and the methodology. thankyou very much and i must say it is quite urgent as it relates to my year 12 major textiles project.

What fiber do you intend for the chiffon to be woven from? It will be trivial to get the two fabrics to match if they are both silk. Silk chiffon is a lovely fabric.

(100% chiffon is a meaningless quantification, since chiffon is a weave, not a fiber. If you are studying textiles, you really should become more conversant with the distinction between the terms used for the different weaves of fabric and those used to specify the fiber content.)

Chiffon can be woven from synthetic fibers as well, however. The dyeing of polyester chiffon is not a project that I recommend; see "Dyeing Polyester with Disperse Dyes". Chiffon can also be woven from cotton or rayon, which dye differently than silk.

Silk is usually dyed with acid dyes. See under "About Dyes".

Name: Kait
Message: Why does the dye not keep longer than a week? What happens if you use 'old' dye? Why is it necessary to pre-soak the material and rinse it after? Rinsing after seems to lessen the color. Thank you

Fiber reactive dye ideally reacts directly with the fiber, given the fiber, the right pH, and the right temperature. Unfortunately, it will also react with water. Procion MX dyes are the most reactive of reactive dyes, that is, they react the most quickly, so they go bad after a week or two in solution, at room temperature. (They last much longer if refrigerated, but you must allow the dye to return to room temperature before using it.) Cibacron F dyes are very similar to Procion MX dyes, but they are less reactive and stay good much longer in water. Drimarene K dyes are less reactive still and can actually be purchased in liquid form, and yet they are reactive enough to be used like Procion MX dyes, if you make sure that they are warm enough (preferably above 95 degrees F) while they react with the fiber.

There are other reactive dyes, such as Procion H, which are even less reactive, and thus are commonly purchased already dissolved. They require steaming to fix to the fiber, however.

What happens if you use 'old' dye? It will just wash out of the fabric. Once reactive dye has reacted with water, it cannot react with fabric, and thus is no use at all as a reactive dye. It cannot be fixed to cotton or linen. However, it can still be used as an acid dye, with vinegar, on protein fibers such as wool. For a recipe, see PRO Chemical & Dye's "Direct Application on Wool using PRO MX Reactive Dyes".

Rinsing lessens the color only because the useless unreacted dye is being washed away. Just use a little more dye, and also be sure that you use the right pH (the right amount of soda ash) and proper reaction temperatures (typically 70 degrees F. or high for 24 hours). If your colors are not bright enough after rinsing, then you are doing it wrong. See "Why did my tie-dyes come out too pale?", or "FAQ: My colors are not very bright. What did I do wrong?".

Pre-soaking is just one of several ways in which you can add soda ash to the reaction, allowing the pH to be high enough that the fiber reactive dye can react with the cellulose in the fiber. See "What is soda ash, and what's it for?"

Name: ann
Message: Hi can i and how can i, dye my big wool jumper have tryed to dye it dark blue but did not take the jumer is cream with dark blue stripe around the middle of the juumper,when i dyed it the cream part of the came out very light blue have tryed twice useing coldwater drye.

The problem is that you cannot apply cold-water dyes, using the cold-water recipe, to wool, and still have it work the way that it does on cotton.

Typically wool is dyed using hot-water dye, which is gradually heated with the wool, in a cooking pot, and then held at the boil for an hour before cooling gradually. (Sudden temperature changes can turn wool to felt.) Unfortunately, heat will shrink wool, so this procedure is not likely to leave your jumper its original size.

PRO Chemical & Dye has a recipe for using cold-water dye on wool without having to spoil a cooking pot. (You must never use a cooking pot for food after you have used it for dyeing in!) It is necessary to use a mild acid, such as vinegar, in the right quantity, and to add heat, in this case by leaving the garment in a black plastic garbage bag in the sunlight.

Name: nancy george
Message: i want to know what is chemical dyeing is it different categorey in dyeing from other dyeing like reactive , pigment, acid and are these dyes also called chemical due to chemicals used in these dyes?

This question does not actually make sense. All dyeing uses chemicals.

Perhaps you heard someone distinguish between "chemical" and "natural" dyeing, but this is a meaningless distinction. It would make more sense to distinguish between *synthetic* and *plant-derived* chemicals.

Of course, natural dyeing relies on chemicals no less than dyeing with synthetic dyes does. Synthetic indigo is used in exactly the same way as indigo that is derived from plants. Plant fibers are made of a chemical called cellulose, while animal fibers are made of a chemical called protein. Some dye chemicals are made synthetically from oil or natural gas, while other dye chemicals are produced naturally by plants. Natural dyes usually require the use of chemicals called mordants, which are commonly metal ions, such as aluminum, iron, copper, or chromium. They are all chemicals.

Some natural dyes are actually acid dyes, but there are also many synthetic acid dyes. Acid dyes are not in themselves acidic at all, but which are used with a mild acid such as vinegar, which aids in the formation of hydrogen bonding between the dye and a protein fiber such as wool.

There are no plant-derived reactive dyes. Reactive dyes are the most versatile in color and longest lasting of all dyes that can be used on cotton or linen.

Pigment "dyes" are actually not dyes at all, but insoluble colorings that must be bound to the fabric using a gluelike binder. Thus, they are actually fabric paints, and not dyes at all.

For more information on all sorts of dyes, see "About Dyes" on my website.

Name: reggie
Message: Which dye would a use on dungarees? I have a light black pair and want to make dark black. I also have a light blue pair I would also like to make black.

What fiber are they made of? The best way to dye cotton is with the use of cool water fiber reactive dyes, such as Procion MX dye. The results are much brighter, more permanent, and easy to apply than all-purpose dyes can ever be. Fiber reactive dye works wonderfully on cotton, rayon, linen, and hemp.

If the fiber is synthetic, I do not advise you to dye them at all. See "Dyeing Polyester with Disperse Dyes ".

Name: Jim
Message: I purchase several Batiks in Taipei, Taiwan about 35 years ago. Very well done but have become very faded. I remember one of the artisit mentioning a method to reinvigorate the colors usinf an iron and wet towel but do not remember the details - think I might not remember all the details - can you help?

Sorry, but I can't imagine any way to brighten the dyes in cloth, years after it was dyed. They will temporarily appear darker when damp, but that won't last. The only way in which ironing with a wet towel might brighten the colors would be if the dye were truly not fixed at all in the fabric, if it were never washed at all, in which case the colors might migrate within the cloth when dampened.

It is so sad when dyes fade in the light. Not only ultraviolet light fades dyes; even visible light will do this. Some dyes are more vulnerable to light damage than others.

Are the back sides of the batiks equally damaged? The design in batik typically goes all the way through the fabric, but the back sides of the fabric should be less faded than the sides which have been exposed to light. Perhaps you could just turn them around, unstitching and reversing any hems or seams to the other side.

Name: Bev
Message: I have a dress and want to wash it, but the color runs. Any suggestions to stop the material from running? Thanks.

Return it to the manufacturer or retailer! Properly dyed clothing does not run in the wash.

If you are not willing to do this, you can either just wash the dress until all of the excess dye has been removed, and always washthe dress separately from other clothing, or you can try a special commercial dye fixative called Retayne. See "How can I set the dye in the clothes I just bought?".

Name: Jennifer
Message: I apologize if this is posted somewhere but I didnt see it. I bought a shirt in Mexico recently that is made of a gauze fabric. It is dyed a bright mustart yellow. I wore the shirt for about 2 hours with a pair of tan khaki cotton/nylon capris and they were BRIGHT yellow when I got back home, as were my son's linen shorts where I was holding him on my hip. Do you have any suggestions as to what I can use to wash out the dye from the khakis and shorts? I have washed but not dryed, spot treated, and tried oxy clean but nothing has worked, nor can I seem to set the dye in the top. I have rinsed and rinsed with cold water to no avail. Any suggestions? Thanks

This is a difficult problem. The best answer with improperly dyed items such as this is to return it to the manufacturer or retailer, but that is probably impractical for you.

If the dye is transferring after becoming slightly dampened, then just washing should help, followed perhaps by a dye fixative such as Retayne on the offending garment. However, dye rubbing off even when completely dry is called crocking, and the problem is less likely to have any solution at all. I would advise you to wash your capris and your son's shorts several times in hot water, if they can survive this treatment. Hot water is best for removing excess dye. Hot water would also be more effective than warm water for removing dye from the offending yellow shirt.

The best answer when hot water does not remove dye that has transferred to another garment is usually Rit brand Color Remover, which is an excellent product, better than Rit brand all-purpose dye. Color Remover may also remove the original color of a garment, but it is probably worth taking this risk. Better to have lighter-colored pants and shorts that are all one color, rather than the original color that has bright yellow on one side.

The dye fixative Retayne will not help with the problem of dry crocking, though it is extremely helpful for dye that runs when it becomes wet. (See "How can I set the dye in the clothes I just bought?")

Name: paulette
Message: I have done many searchs and i need to fine a silk jacket to dye with ....help

Do you mean that you are looking for silk jacket blanks to dye?

You might try Heartway International.

Winter Silks sells washable silk jackets, but currently none that are white or natural in color.

Name: Cindy
Message: Hi!
I dyed a rubber-backed rug for my bathroom (navy blue). I ran the rug through the wash cycle again to get rid of any left over dye. It wasn't enough!!! I now have a large blue spot on my bathroom vinyl where the dye was absorbed into the flooring. I have tried straight bleach (left on for several hours)...no change. I asked a person who works for a flooring company and was told that vinyl has a poly topcoat, and that if the dye was accepted into the flooring, there is probably no way to get it out. This flooring is like new and has been well taken care of. Any ideas??? Thanks for your timely response!
Desperate in Alaska

What kind of dye did you use?

 Sorry! I used Rit Dye. Thanks!

I'm sorry, but I don't think I have good news for you. My best advice would be to contact the corporation that manufactures Rit brand dye. There is a toll-free number listed on their contact page: "call 866-794-0800, Monday - Friday, 8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m. EASTERN TIME."

If hours of exposure of the stain to straight chlorine bleach did not do the job, I'm afraid nothing else will, either. I have read of a suggestion to use rubbing alcohol (isopropanol), but hold no particular hope that it would help. The key in this case is probably the fact that vinyl flooring is highly susceptible to damage from chemicals in the rubber backing on rugs. Stains are the usual consequence, but a dangerously slippery spot is another possible result. Perhaps the chemicals from the rubber backing aided the excess dye in getting into the vinyl flooring.

Is your rug synthetic? If so, dyeing it was doomed from the start, because materials such as polyester and acrylic cannot be dyed without extensive boiling, which would destroy the backing. If it's cotton, you might have had better results with a superior sort of dye called fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX dye, instead of all-purpose dye. All-purpose dye is never very washfast, and is particularly prone to washing out if not applied in extremely hot water. Properly fixed and washed-out fiber reactive dye would not be able to come off the rug, and therefore would have been safe. It does require extensive washing-out afterwards, though, to get rid of excess dye. Fiber reactive dye might have caused problems just as bad if the excess dye were not properly washed out afterwards.

I know it is a combination of red, yellow and blue

There are many different browns, and yes, all of them are obtained by mixing all three primary colors together.

A good way to make brown is by starting with orange, or a rust orange, and adding a navy blue, drop by drop, until it is a suitable color. It's easier to mix a dull sort of color if you start with duller primaries. If you are using MX dyes, for example, you might mix the burnt orange known as brown MX-GRN with a small amount of blue MX-2G; both of these dyes are unmixed single-hue dyes which are available from many of the dye suppliers listed on my Sources for Supplies page, using the chart of pure unmixed MX dyes on my site to pick out the single-hue dyes for use as mixing primaries. You can, of course, prepare similarly hued mixtures using the printer's primaries of cyan, or turquoise MX-G, magenta, or red MX-5B, and yellow MX-8G. All dye suppliers carry these dyes, as well. It's often handy to keep on hand the duller colors for mixing purposes, though, as otherwise it can sometimes be quite difficult to get a truly dark color.

You can get more of a mahogany brown by starting with a dark red and adding green to it, but this is a less satisfactory approach in dyeing than in painting, since neither a pure dark red nor a pure green are available among the commonly-used types of fiber-reactive dye. You must mix your reds by adding orange or yellow to your magenta, and your greens by adding yellow to your navy. It all comes down to mixing all three primary colors, as always, when preparing browns.

What kind of a brown do you want? There are hundreds of different browns you can mix, using the twenty or so available MX dyes.

what kind of brown,
there are two that I would like
the first is the brown like in a box of crayons
the second is a cinnamon brown like the spice
thank you
you are a valuable resource

The one thing you need, beyond the advice already given, is to play with Olli Niemitalo's amazing Dye Mixer Applet . It allows you to get an idea as to what relative proportions of which MX dyes to use to get a certain color mixture.

One caveat is that the Dye Mixer Applet gives quantities by relative weight, rather than volume, so you cannot translate directly to teaspoons of dye, if that's how you usually measure your dye. Different dyelots are standardized to have a certain amount of the active ingredient by weight, not by volume, so this is the only way it can be done. Even if you are not going to be measuring by weight, though, the Dye Mixer Applet is an enormous help.

In order to determine which of the dyes in Olli Niemitalo's Dye Mixer are available to you, see my chart of pure unmixed MX dyes. Make a list of which of the dyes there you have in your possession, and select those dyes in the Dye Mixer. Note that there are several unavailable dyes in the dye mixer, such as Procion brown MX-2R and the various greens; there are no unmixed greens or blacks in the MX line.

I would like to tye dye a white shirt green and yellow in a spiral design (this shirt is for a school spirit presentation I am giving in Germany and green and yellow are my school colors). I've only tye dyed before at a girl scout weekend, so I am not experienced at all. I bought a yellow and green dye from Micheal's, so could you give me instuctions?

Michaels Arts and Crafts sells both good dye and bad dye. The instructions for using the two are very different. What exactly does the label on your dye say? What brand is it?

The yellow is [all-purpose] liquid dye, the green is labeled Rainbow Rock Fabric Dye.

Okay, since what you want to do is room-temperature tie-dyeing, the best thing to do with the all-purpose dye would be to throw it away. Seriously.

Either that, or put it in a cooking pot with water, and put your shirt into it, and cook them together for half an hour or longer, at a simmer (190 degrees Fahrenheit, or just under a boil, with little bubbles at the edges). Oh, but never use that cooking pot for food again, as all-purpose dye, like most dyes, is not safe for use in equipment used for food preparation!

You cannot use all-purpose dye in cool water. Hot tap water won't work at all well, either. It takes a lot of heat for an extended period of time to get the dye to attach to the cotton. Even then, it will still bleed in the laundry forever. It's horrible stuff.

In contrast, the Rainbow Rock dye is high quality stuff. It's fiber reactive dye. You can use it at room temperature. You can use the recipe given on my web site under "How to Tie Dye" and "How to Dye". Basically, you mix soda ash with water, pre-soak your shirt in it, wring it out, then squirt on your Rainbow Rock dye which has been dissolved in water. Leave it damp overnight, then wash it out, first in cool water and then in hot water. You'll end up with something that is brightly colored and that will last for years without fading.

I would advise you to go back to Michael's and buy some Rainbow Rock yellow dye, or mail-order some Procion MX dye (which is the same stuff) from any of the suppliers on my "Sources for Supplies" page. (For example, here is a direct link to yellow MX dye at Amazon.com.) The packages are slightly more expensive than the ones at Michael's, but they will typically dye five or ten times as much fabric, so they're a much better deal. Don't forget to get soda ash (also called dye activator) at the same time, and urea is a good idea, too, though optional.

Your shirts should be 100% cotton, and should not have any stain-resistant or permanent-press finishes, in order for it to accept dye readily.

name: jackieconner
message: i got a few bleach spots on my favorite shirt. i need support. thank you.

(I found your dyeing question located in an odd place on my web site, in the listing of Custom Dyers. I'll remove it from there, since presumably you are not advertising your willingness to custom dye garments for other people.)

The bleach spot question is answered in the FAQ section of my website, under "How can I fix the bleach spots on my favorite clothing? ". See if that helps.

Name: Christine
Message: I've been doing some basic, single-color dyeing with acid dyes on my wol yarn, and I'd love to try some hand-painted (space-dyed) yarns, but I've not been able to find much information on using the acid dyes for that. Can you recommend any good books or websites for yarn dyeing?

A good place to start would be with PRO Chemical & Dye's product instruction sheets. They sell many different types of dye, and provide instructions online for direct dye application on yarn and fleece. See the "Rainbow Dyeing" section for "PRO One Shot", "Rainbow Dyeing using Kiton Acid Dyes", "Rainbow Dyeing using WashFast Acid Dyes", and "Rainbow Dyeing using Sabraset/Lanaset Dyes".

Susan Druding has a good page on "A Simple Method of One-Pot, Multi-Color Dyeing with Acid Wool Dyes on Protein (Wool, Silk, Nylon) Fibers".

I dyed my khaki pants when i was young and they rubbed off all over my legs. i used the all purpose kind i think, i read why it happened on your site thanks for that information. I wanted to know are there dyes that are a sure thing, they don't rub off on anything? Thanks for your help.

What fiber is the corduroy made of? Is it washable?

You cannot dye it if you can't wash it, and you should just forget about dyeing polyester. However, 100% cotton is easy to dye, and if you use the right type of dye, the dye will not rub off. To dye cotton, you need to use fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX dye. You can buy this sort of dye by mail-order from any of the dye suppliers listed on my Sources for Supplies page, such as Blick Art Materials .
DON'T USE ALL-PURPOSE DYE! Using all-purpose dye has made many, many people very unhappy, because it fades quickly and bleeds badly in the laundry.

You will have to wash out all excess dye afterwards, but that's not difficult. Just run it through the washer once in cold water, then twice in hot water, or more times if the coat can be washed only in warm or cool water.

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Name: tristan
Message: is it possible to dye a nylon backed gortex membrane, ie coat that is blue to green or black say.

The Goretex® itself is a porous PTFE membrane, the same material as is in Teflon®. It cannot itself be dyed, but this is not an issue since the fragile membrane is always covered by another fiber, such as nylon in your case.

The problem is that, typically, the fabric surrounding the Goretex has been treated with a water-resistant finish, generally known as a DWR (Durable Water Repellent) coating. Why? The Goretex itself is water resistant, but it cannot let water vapor out with any degree of efficiency if the outside of the fabric is coated with water. In addition, the weight of the water that wets the fabric can be sufficient to be quite uncomfortable.

Any coating which prevents dye from reaching fabric will cause your colors to come out pale and/or splotchy. This means that chances are not particularly good that you can successfully dye your jacket. Even old DWR coatings can often be revived by drying in a hot dryer, so it probably has not worn off enough to allow for good dyeing.

In cases in which the coatings are not too much of a problem, nylon can be dyed with acid dyes; see "Acid Dyes". The biggest drawback is the fact that acid dyes work best at high temperatures, best reached by simmering the dyebath on the stove. It's not easy to find a non-aluminum cooking pot that is large enough for dyeing a jacket, and it's extremely difficult to sacrifice such a pot to dye use only, and never cook with it again! However, Jacquard gives instructions for using a washing machine to dye using their acid dyes (one good source is Fiber-Arts.com).

If you were to succeed in dyeing your nylon/Goretex, you would need to replace the original DWR fabric coatings after you are done. An excellent product for this purpose is Nikwax TX Direct Wash-In.

Name: Samuel
Message: I'm a paramedic who desperately needs to dye black a pair of 65%polyester-35%cotton emt pants that are Dupont Teflon coated. What exactly should I use? They are $70 pants. Thank you for your time.

I'm sorry, but the Teflon coating, which is designed to repel stains, will also repel dye. It is very unlikely to be possible to dye your pants black. The Teflon will prevent any dye from achieving a solid dark color.

65% polyester/35% cotton pants cannot be dyed black, anyway. While the 35% of the fiber that is cotton is easy to dye black, or any other color, using cool water fiber reactive dyes such as Procion MX dye, dyeing only one-third of the fiber in a garment black can produce only an overall grey color, not black.

However, dyeing the 65% of the fiber that is polyester requires extensive boiling with a special kind of dye called disperse dye, plus a noxious carrier chemical. The boiling must be done in a non-aluminum cooking pot which is large enough for the pants to move freely in, or else the color will be uneven. A cooking pot that has been used for dyeing cannot be used for food again, however, and is likely to be quite expensive - more expensive than a new pair of pant! Furthermore, boiling any ready-made garment for an hour is likely to damage it. It's far more damaging to boil fabric than to wash it in hot water.

It is easy and fun to dye 100% cotton items that have not been treated with a dye-repellent coating, but articles such as your Teflon-coated pants are just not suitable for dyeing.

Body: Name: Drew
Message: I understand that reactive dyes contain heavey metals such as copper in blues and cadmium in reds. Once heavy metals are absorbed into the body they stay there. Is it not dangerious to use a product that contains heavy metals?

I'm afraid that you are drastically oversimplifying the situation. In addition, many, probably most, reactive dyes do not contain heavy metals, and none of the ones that I use contain cadmium.

A great deal depends on what you mean by 'use'. Any use of heavy metals which does not result in their being taken into the body, at any point, is safe. Eating dyes that contain toxic metals would obviously be dangerous, or even bathing in them, but who would do such a foolish thing? It is essential to obtain safety information for each chemical one uses, whether it is a dye or not, and follow appropriate safety rules for their use.

Fiber reactive dye forms a permanent covalent bond with the fiber, so it is certainly not absorbed into the body of the wearer. As a result, it is among the least irritating of all dyes to wear. The fiber reactive dyes are noted for their usefulness as a stain to distinguish living from dead cells (source: Reactive Dyes in Biology, edited by Victor B. Ivanov, ISBN 3-7186-0235-0), because they are absorbed by dead cells, but not by living cells, whose membranes are intact. Nevertheless, it is considered very important to avoid potential toxicity by taking all precautions needed to prevent breathing or consuming the dyes when applying them.

Another important point is that not all metals stay in the body, once absorbed, and not all metals are absorbed, even when consumed - not that we should EVER consume textile dyes! In cases when metals are absorbed, an important question is, how great a quantity is involved? The World Health Organization says that we must actually *eat* between one and three milligrams of copper every day to avoid a nutritional deficiency. Not all forms of copper can be absorbed from the gut; supplements containing copper oxide, for example, are said to be nearly nutritionally worthless, due to the failure of the body to absorb them. In each case, you must consider whether the heavy metal is actually absorbed by the body from a given type of exposure.

Cadmium does not appear to be an issue for the fiber reactive dyes that are commonly used in North America, at least. Cadmium is not found at all in the commonly used dichlorotriazine (Procion MX type) red dyes; their chemical structures are given on this site. A rare and hard-to-find red dye, rubine MX-B, does contain copper; however, red MX-5B and red MX-8B, the two red dyes that are commonly used for mixing and dyeing, contain no metal ions at all in their structure. Mixing blue (blue MX-R) contains no metals, but turquoise (turquoise MX-G) does contain a copper atom. The MSDS (Materials Safety Data Sheet) should list all metals that are found within each dye; your dye supplier should be able to give you one of these for each dye you buy. (If not, you should find another dye supplier.) The heavy metals most likely to be found in dyes, though not necessarily in reactive dyes, are chromium, nickel, cobalt, or copper, in quantities ranging from 2% to 5% of the dye.

Cadmium is much more of an issue for painters, because it is found in many pigments used in oil paints and artists' acrylics, and artists are notorious for eating and smoking while using even the most obviously toxic of paints, and not washing their hands after using them. One of my favorite websites is "Pigments through the ages", which explains the chemical composition of the pigments used in many artists' paints, often involving vastly greater amounts of heavy metals than any dyes do. However, I am personally more concerned with the effects of misuse of solvents; an art professor at my university was said to be near death as the result of a disease caused by exposure to solvents, when I was there, and housepainters have long been reputed to have brain damage due to exposure to the solvents used for their paints. Recent improvements in regulations of the contents of house paints are very welcome, in my opinion. From my own personal observations, there is more of a culture of caution among hand-dyers, who in many cases seem much more aware of proper technique in working with non-food chemicals.

Natural dyes are sometimes used with chromium to make them permanent and also brighter in color, and certain types of acid dyes, which are used in dyeing protein fibers, such as wool and silk, and nylon, are 'premetalized' with chromium. I believe that the question of chromium toxicity is much more relevant to the dyer than any question of potential copper overdose or cadmium toxicity. However, natural dyers all seem to agree that their use of chromium is quite safe if appropriate safety precautions are taken. This is an important issue to investigate yourself before taking up the use of chromium in dyeing.

Heavy metal toxicity is not the health problem that is of greatest concern with respect to dyes. If you scan the medical literature, other classes of dyes have more frequent reports of problems than reactive dyes. Most people who present with dye-related sensitivities have problems with either the Disperse dyes used on polyester and acetate, or the Basic dyes that are commonly used in acrylics. There are a few known or suspected carcinogens among both the Acid dyes and the Basic dyes. The hazard most commonly associated with industrial use of reactive dyes is the development of allergies and resulting occupational asthma. It is important to avoid breathing the dust from dye powders to avoid the development of this problem, though it must be noted that there is quite a difference between occasional hobby exposure and daily industrial exposure to large quantities.

In summary, reactive dyes do not necessarily contain heavy metals; the metals that are found in reactive dyes, when used correctly, are not likely to be absorbed into the body where they can do harm; and there are other hazards to be considered in dye safety.

Name: darlene
Message: I have a baby's crib bedding set in pale pink that I would like to dye to baby blue. The material is 65% cotton and 35% polyester. The set consists of a quilt, bumper, fitted sheet, dust ruffle, diaper stacker, valance and lamp shade. Do you think I can dye this successfully? I was trying to save money by dying what I already have, but I don't want to ruin the set. I could bring it to a consignment shop and just buy something inexpensive. Thank you for your help.

It is easy to safely dye any washable 65% cotton to make it a different color, if you use a good dye, and strictly avoid all-purpose dye (which runs in the wash). The colors will not be as intense as in 100% cotton, but they can be quite pleasant. The only requirement is that everything you wish to dye must be washable, and contain more than 50% cotton or other dyeable fiber. You will not be able to dye anything that is not washable, and the polyester fraction of the fiber will not dye.

The one problem is that pink cannot be dyed to make baby blue. Dye is transparent, so the earlier color will mix with the dye color to produce the final result. Baby blue is such a boring color, anyway, though. Why not dye the sheets a different color? The most important factor here, I suspect, is probably just making the sheets look less 'girly' for a baby boy. A boy does not have to be surrounded by baby blue, however; babies like lots of different bright colors.

There are many different colors that you could dye your sheets. The only case in which the pale pink will have a major impact on your final color is if you are dyeing pale pastels. Adding a pale blue will create lavender, not blue, but adding a dark blue will make a dark blue. Adding a pale yellow will create apricot; adding a bright yellow will make a golden yellow. Bright orange or red will completely hide the pink. Royal blue will work fine, too.

The most important thing is to use good cool-water dye, not all-purpose dye. It is easy to mail-order good fiber reactive dye from a company such as Tie-dyed.com for a wide range of colors of this type of dye, or see my list of other dye supplier companies around the world; look for Procion MX, or just MX, as the name of the dye. Just pick your favorite shade, buy a two-ounce jar of it, and get some soda ash, too. (It's the same as the active ingredient in washing soda.) You can buy several boxes of salt at the grocery store, and then you'll have everything you'll need - dye, salt, soda ash, and cotton clothing. You will want to do your dyeing in the washing machine, as this is much easier than dyeing in a bucket. See my page on how to dye in the washing machine.

What if I just use the RIT dye with cold water?

Rit, or any other all-purpose dye such as Tintex Hot Water Dye or Dylon Multi Purpose Dye, will not bond to the fiber if applied in cold water. It will just wash out miserably within a few washings. That's not dyeing, just a temporary stain. It is suitable only for a costume that will not be worn more than once or twice, not for real clothing.

If you want to use all-purpose dye, you'll have to use hot water; simmering-hot water works the best, much better than hot tap water. Get a large cooking pot, large enough for the submerged garment(s) to move freely, and simmer the clothing in the dye at 190 degrees Fahrenheit for thirty minutes or more. This will, of course, shrink many garments. Oh, and you can never again use the cooking pot for food, since most dyes are not food-safe.

If you want to keep your clothing the size it is now, you should buy some cold water dye, such as the Procion MX dye (the most popular type by far). For solid color dyeing, you will also need to buy salt (which I get at the grocery store), twenty cups or so per washing machine load, or five cups for a five-gallon bucket, and soda ash (also called sodium carbonate), which is most convenient to order with your dye.

The easiest way to dye clothing a solid color is in the washing machine, but you can also use a large bucket. See "How can I dye clothing or fabric in the washing machine?" for links to instructions.

Name: Julie Baker
Message: I need to find a maroon dye and can only find "wine". Is there maroon available anywhere?

I think all I need is a basic dye like RIT or Tintex.  I'm just dying a skirt and a shirt. (The shirt is 70% viscose and 30% wool).  The skirt is cotton.

The color mixtures available depend completely on the dye retailer. Rit brand all-purpose dye is not available in maroon. Any color can be mixed from any type of dyes, if you start with the printer's primaries of cyan, magenta, and yellow, but it could be a lot of trouble to mix your own all-purpose dye. You might be able to get a maroon by mixing two boxes of bright red with one box of navy blue. The Tintex Hot Water Dye chart shows a maroon color for all-purpose dye, if you can find a place to buy it.

Normally I advise against the use of all-purpose dye, because it fades quickly and bleeds forever in the laundry, and it tends to be very overpriced. One box will dye only half a pound of fabric, unless you want only pastel shades, while the same amount of money will buy enough mail-order fiber reactive dye to dye over three pounds of fabric, dye which is much more permanent. However, the one case in which all-purpose dye is really appropriate is a mixture of a protein fiber such as wool with a cellulose fiber such as viscose rayon. All-purpose dye contains a mixture of a dye that will work on wool and a dye that will work on cotton or rayon. If you use all-purpose dye, be sure to follow it by applying a commercial dye fixative such as Retayne.

The biggest problem with using all-purpose dye is that it requires hot water to make a lasting bond with the fiber. All-purpose dye applied in cold water will just wash out. However, hot water may cause your clothing to shrink! Your clothing is unlikely to fit you as well after you dye it with all-purpose dye. In addition, sudden temperature changes can cause wool to felt, so be sure to increase or decrease its temperature gradually (don't go straight from a hot dyebath to a cold rinse).

It would be safer by far to choose to dye only the 70% of the fiber in your shirt that is viscose rayon. Using a cold water fiber reactive dye, you can dye the rayon, and leave the wool undyed. Results are often quite good from dyeing a fiber that makes up 70% of a fabric; you may obtain a slightly heathered look. Cool water dyes are much more appropriate for garments which you do not wish to shrink, but wool cannot be dyed in cool water. You can buy a 'maroon' Procion MX dye mixture at various dye suppliers, such as Fiber-Arts.com (this is a link to a maroon MX dye there).

I know it's unusual but not unheard of. We are suffering from a plague of raptors (sparrow-hawks, buzzards and even peregrine falcons) which have taken 33 white doves so far and we are desperate - as are the remaining pigeons!

Can you suggest a suitable dye which will work on live pigeons to turn them into something the hawks don't recognize - ideally green, blue, red, orange. Obviously pigeon friendly - and water-proof enough that we don't have to re-dye them every time it rains.

We would be very grateful if you have any ideas.

The first priority is that the dyes should not be toxic to the pigeons, and the second is that its application should not be traumatic for them. The best recipes for dyeing feathers which are no longer on the birds call for boiling water, which will not do at all.

The safest dyes to use are food colorings. The easiest way to apply them is in an air brush. I've seen airbrushed food dye being used in costuming people, with very effective results. I imagine that the food dyes were at full strength, as they came in little bottles from the grocery store, but I do not know for certain. Food dyes are acid dyes, and will do a good job of dyeing feathers permanently if applied in boiling water, but it is worth trying to see how well they will work at safer room temperatures. They are apt to run in the rain, though.

The main alternative would be paint, rather than dye. Paint is a combination of a pigment with a glue, whereas dye has a natural affinity toward the fiber it is used for. Many paints do not require the use of heat at all. A water-based paint, would, of course, be less toxic than an oil-based paint. Fabric paints are softer and thinner than artists' acrylic paints, and therefore would have less effect on the function of the feathers in flying. Many fabric paints will stay permanently without heat-setting, as long as they have enough time to dry before they are rained upon.

Since both hair and feathers are made of proteins, hair dye should also be considered. I did not think of this immediately due to my bias towards textile dyes, but this is probably the best solution overall. The toxicity of hair dye should be low, and it does not require heat to set it. It is also quite easy to find in local shops. The darker hair colors would probably be more suitable than the brilliant colors of food dyes for rendering the doves more difficult to see. The food dyes can be mixed to make duller shades, of course, but having the dye ready-mixed in dark brown would save trouble.

As a biologist, I must ask whether you have any evidence that a change in color will affect the hawks' perception of their prey. Is one color better than another? Without data, I would have guessed that any bright color might be a risk, and that the goal would be to dye the pigeons a darker color that would be more difficult to pick out against their background, ideally one with splotches or bars to break up their outline.

This is certainly an interesting question. I would be very interested in whether dyeing turns out to be helpful.

Name: Brandy
Message: Hi,
I would like to tie-dye, or softly blend different colors onto a satin dress which is a washed out sage color. What would be the best way? Is it doable?

There's no way to tell, without knowing the fiber content of your satin dress! Satin is a weave that can be made from almost any fiber, natural or synthetic. Every fiber has its own requirements for what type of dye and what recipe to use.

This project will be very easy if the dress is washable silk or cotton satin, if you use the right sort of dye. It will be quite difficult if it is polyester satin. It is essentially impossible if the dress is dry-clean only.