Can you dye towels?

BitterAndTwisted

Yep, I've used Dylon in the washing-machine and it didn't do anything bad to the machine. I didn't notice any colour-runs in the fabric when washing them later either.

Savannah02K

Thanks for the replies, will definitely have a go then. Might even do the pedestal mat and the bathmat ................

Uniscots97

Yep, just dyed stuff too over the weekend using machine dye. Works really well and very easy (a lot easier than it used to be boiling everything!)

pigpen

I often dye stuff.. mainly black or dark purple.. instead of running the machine empty I do a couple of black loads after. It is a piece of cake really really simple.. though for heavy fabrics like towels I'd suggest getting dye darker than you want as it always comes out lighter than you expect.

zippychick

Let us know how you get on! As this has dropped down the board, ive merged it with an older thread asking the same question

Zip

msgnomey

I dyed my towels blue, they were white, they all came out different shades as they weren't the same brand but it worked a treat and they look lovely. I used a dylon machine dye, easy!!

TravellingAbuela

When my daughter changed the colour scheme in her bathroom she dyed all her towels a sort of French Navy. Then when she changed the colour scheme again I claimed the dyed towels off her! I am still using them some five years on and the colours haven't faded a bit with all the years of washing. (She had used Dylon machine dye too)

budgetboo

I'm about to do a couple of towels, my living room curtains, some "once white" school shirts of DS's for summer play, some cotbed sheets and my old jeans . The weather's nice enough to dry an extra load right now.

The machine dye is so easy to use. I periodically dye my jeans every couple of years to give them a new lease of life as it's easier than finding new pairs that fit as well. Towels are redyed every 4 or 5 years to keep them smart looking until they are so threadbare they are only fit for floor cloths.

The secret is the cotton/silk/linen content of the fabric. Natural fibres take the dye well, synthetics don't at all. (Worth remembering next time you buy new bedlinen )Always run the machine through an empty wash afterwards and wash the items themselves seperately a couple of times afterwards to avoid colour run into your whites.

If you are a heavy fabric conditioner user give the towels a good wash first with a bio-detergent to get rid of the coating lenor et all leaves on the individual fibres of the fabric and remove any oily residue as the dye wont take well on top of oil (this also means you should treat any fatty/greasy stains).
Wilkinsons do a nice range of the dylon machine shades online.

Blue/Black clothes like jeans etc are especially prone to fading - redying a few navy and black items has extended the life of many of my favourite wardrobe items several times over as they go from looking tatty to brand new once more.