Dying clothes in a washing machine

Primrose

My OH has several pairs of badly faded by otherwise serviceable dark coloured chino trousers which might gain a new life if I dyed them black or navy in a washing machine but never having tried this before I'm somewhat nervous about the outcome.

Can anybody out there who's done this please give a novice some words of wisdom about how to go about this, ie best brand of dye to use, mistakes to avoid, and how successful this might be?

Do the dyed items hold their colour subsequently, or do they leach dark stains into the washing water afterwards? Thanks.

buildersdaughter

Yes, I have done this. Dylon give you instructions for machine dying - and do check very carefully that you get the right amount, you need to weigh the fabric. They also give instructions for 'fixing' the dye.
You need to wash the machine out afterwards by dong an empty cycle (or use it as an occasion to wash your rags!)
Theoretically you have fixed the dye, but I have never trusted it enough to wash with paler items. I actually always wash dark and pale separately. so it's not an issue for me.
Yes, they hold their colour for a good while.
I would look at the Dylon website. I'm sure other dyes are available, but other than natural 'craft' dyes, I've never used any other make.

Working_Mum

Another vote for Dylon, they use a capsule that you pop in the washing machine.

I dyed some cushion covers and twoels at the weekend. I dampened the items, put them in the washing machine with the dye, ran a wash and then another one and hey presto all sorted!

I then did a wash of non important cleaning rags etc so that the machine got a final clean.

Have used Dylon for years and never had an issue BUT the dye doesn't attach to man made fibres so you'd need to double check that the thread used on the Chino's was natural otherwise you may end up with a lighter thread effect!!

elljay

I've done this loads too, ikea sofa covers, underwear, white (well, grey!) tops, jeans, towels - you name it. New lease of life. Use Dylon.

If you want to stick closely to the colour of the dye then weigh the clothes and follow the instructions accurately. However for a paler colour use half the pot or double the weight of clothes - I have lots of things in a pretty pale pink. Agree about checking fabric though, stitching seems to be the main thing that doesn't 'take' but then again, contrast stitching can look really nice. The other thing you need to remember is colour combinations, if you dye something yellow with red dye it'll likely come out orange, though there is something that strips old colour out, I've never bothered.

Colour doesn't seem to come off on anything, washes out of machine well and is always a huge success. The dye is fairly expensive though, even when on offer, so need to assess if it's worth buying three pots for an old pair of jeans or buying new ones. Certainly not worth it for a few old bras unless making it up with other stuff, you end up with loads of little things the same colour, makes for an interesting washing line.

Once you start dyeing you'll be looking around for what you can dye next!

EJ

belfastgirl23

This is just the thread I’m looking for! Thinking of re-dying a load of old faded black t shirts. My worry is will I end up grey under my arms when I wear them? Anyone got any experience??

Also where do you go to buy Dylon? For some bizarre reason Amazon don’t ship to Northern Ireland even though they seem to have the best price

Edited to say wow the colours on the website are fab!

buildersdaughter

Yes, I have dyed Tshirts, and they are fine (assuming they are plain, anything patternedcanbe a bit uncertain). Wash them through after fixing the dye and before wearing.
Big supermarkets, larger Boots and some homecare / hardware type stores sell Dylon, but I often find the colours are hit and miss. If you don't want to buy on-line, I'd suggest looking up and ringing around - although black is usually available. Do make sure you weigh the items (see above) and if using machine, check how much water it uses, as it may dilute the dye too much.

Can I add to this thread by saying that I don't have a problem with dark colours fading in the wash? I use one of the 'eco friendly' (whatever the local co-operative has in its refill bottles when I need to stock up) detergents that has no bleach in it (most commercial detergents have some). I always wash dark and pale colours separately. Of course, that may not work for some.

Primrose

Perhaps worth adding that if you're drying dark clothes, especially those that have been dyed, outside on the washing line, turn them inside out, especially if it's strong sunshine as that can also cause fading.

GreenFairy

Dylon is definitely the way to go with this, like the others have suggested - just make sure you get the washing machine one in the bag, and not the little hockey puck tin.

A lot of chinos and jeans have a high cotton level, and it's a pain in the bum doing those with craft/professional acid dyes. If it's not set exactly right, it'll look great in the water and then just rinse away down the drain once the plug gets pulled. They're not suitable for washing machines either, and are more complicated to use. The dylon is really straightforward.

belfastgirl23

Thanks so much all for the advice. I’m only planning on doing some old cotton T shirts, and either they look ok and I can wear them or they go in the textile recycling which is where they are destined if the dye doesn’t take. I just wanted to be sure I wouldn’t ruin my washing machine or dye myself an odd colour.

Also you have kind of solved a mystery Primrose, I do always turn things inside out to wash but I never knew why, its just something my mum did so thanks for the explanation! Also thanks GreenFairy for the tip on getting a bag rather than a puck, I didn’t know the difference.

I‘m also very careful about what washing powder I use BuildersDaughter as I get allergic reactions to a lot of them. I only use a tiny amount of Fairy non-bio powder but you’re right, it’s probably worth thinking about an Ecover-type product when the box runs out.

To be fair these T-shirts are washed and worn every day for work so it’s probably age as much as the washing powder that’s causing the fading