How to set dye?

Tie-dye is a fun way to express your creativity and have some fun. And if you’re like most people, you want your tie-dye t-shirts to stay bright and vibrant for years to come. In this blog post, I’ll teach you how to set tie-dye the right way so that it doesn’t fade in the wash. I’ll also share some helpful tips and tricks that I’ve learned over the years so that you get the best results.

Summertime is the perfect time to learn how to tie-dye and have some fun! And after spending all that time perfecting your tie-dye folding patterns, you’ll want your tie-dye shirts to stay bright, bold, and beautiful.

The key to getting vibrant colors is setting the dye properly. If you don’t set the dye correctly, your colors will fade over time, and your shirt will look old and tired.

So, how do you set tie-dye?

Spoiler alert: vinegar is not the answer! Some people recommend setting tie-dye with white vinegar or salt to keep colors bright, but that’s just not necessary.

To help you get the best results, I’ve put together a few tips on how to make sure your tie-dye looks great wash after wash.

Read on to learn the best ways to set tie-dye and keep your shirts looking vibrant for years to come!

The most important thing you can do to make sure your tie-dye doesn’t fade is to select high-quality dyes that won’t wash out and fade over time.

The best type of tie-dye to use on cotton fabric is fiber reactive dye. Fiber-reactive dyes react with cotton and other plant fibers to form a permanent chemical bond.

If you use them correctly, fiber-reactive dyes are permanent – they won’t fade, even after repeated washings. In general, if you are using quality fiber reactive dyes for your projects, they will remain bright and beautiful, and you shouldn’t have a problem with fading.

Here are the types of fiber-reactive dyes that I recommend.

Procion MX dyes. This is the most popular type of dye for tie-dye enthusiasts and professionals. Procion MX dyes are colorfast, non-toxic, and very easy to use. Plus, they come in a huge range of colors. You can find Procion dye kits from suppliers like Jacquard or Dharma Trading Co.

Note: When you’re working with Procion MX dyes, you’ll need to pre-soak your fabric in a soda ash solution before dying.

Tulip One-Step dyes. These tie-dye kits are super easy to use, so they’re an excellent choice for the occasional tie-dyer, younger kids, and tie-dye parties. The Tulip dyes are formulated with soda ash already in the dye powder, so all you have to do is add water, shake and apply. This eliminates the need to pre-soak fabrics in a soda ash solution.

If you want bright, vibrant cotton shirts that won’t fade in the wash, you should always use fiber-reactive dyes rather than all-purpose dyes.

All-purpose dyes, such as Rit and other brands, do not work on cotton or other cellulose fibers at room temperature.

The cold-water, squirt-bottle tie-dye technique only works with fiber-reactive dyes. If you try it with all-purpose dyes, the colors will pale and wash out over time.

The second most important step to getting bright tie-dye that won’t fade is using the right fabric.

For example, the best type of fabric to use with fiber-reactive dye is 100% cotton or other cellulose fiber like rayon, linen, Tencel, or hemp. If you can’t find 100% cotton, look for at least a 70% cotton blend.

You can try using a 50% cotton 50% polyester blend, but the colors will be much paler. (It will give you a nice pastel tie-dye look, though, if that’s what you’re going for!)

Synthetic fibers like polyester require a different type of dye altogether. If you try to tie-dye 100% synthetic fiber with fiber-reactive dyes, you won’t get good results.

Here’s a quick guide to tie-dying a t-shirt so that the colors stay bright and don’t fade. For complete instructions, read this step-by-step guide to tie-dye. And after that, you’ll want to check out this list of 17 ways to fold tie-dye.

Here is how to tie-dye cotton fabric with fiber-reactive dyes (and optional soda ash pre-wash):

Remember: You only need to use the soda-ash presoak if you’re using the Procion MX dyes. If you’re using the Tulip kits, you don’t need to do the presoak.

Let’s talk about a few of these steps in a little more detail – particularly how to set the tie-dye to prevent the dye from fading.

Once you have finished applying the dye, you need to let it set, or “process.” The dye needs three things to react with the fabric and create a permanent chemical bond: time, water, and heat.

Let the dye set on the fabric for a few hours – at least 8 hours, but preferably overnight. Longer setting times will result in brighter, stronger colors. The amount of time required will depend on the ambient temperature.

Let the tie-dye fabric set at temperatures over 70°F (21°C) for the best results. The dye reaction takes longer at cooler temperatures. So if your room is too cold and you don’t wait long enough, you may get pale, faded colors.

For the reaction to take place, the fabric must stay wet. To keep the fabric from drying out, you can place it in a zip-top plastic bag or wrap it in plastic wrap. (I always put my wrapped shirts in a bucket, just in case they drip or leak.)

Even if you’re using high-quality dyes, you might see some dye rinsing out of your tie-dyed fabrics for the first couple washes. This is normal. Most dyes need at least one long rinse in cool water (without detergent) followed by two washes in hot water (with detergent) to remove excess dye. This is just the extra dye leaving the fabric.

After you rinse the tie-dyed garment in cool water, you can run it through a wash cycle in your washing machine. It’s a good idea to use a special detergent, called Synthrapol, to wash out excess dye and prevent the dye colors from mixing. (Synthrapol doesn’t help set the dye – it just helps wash out the extra dye.)

You may need to wash the tie-dyed garments separately for the first few washes. But after that, you’ll be safe to wash them with your regular laundry.

In most cases, following the instructions above should be enough to set the tie-dye, keep it colorfast, and prevent it from fading in the wash.

That said, some commercial dye fixatives can be used to set tie-dye. Retayne is a commonly used dye fixative that will prevent color bleeding during washing. You can find Retayne in stores like Dharma Trading Company. Make sure to follow the instructions on the package.

You may have seen some other ideas about setting tie-dye with vinegar, baking soda, or salt. Let’s talk about them.

No, vinegar will not help to set fiber-reactive dye on cotton fabric. Nor will not make the dye more resistant to fading.

Contrary to popular belief, you do not need vinegar to set tie-dye on cotton. Unless your tie-dye kit specifically tells you to use vinegar, you don’t need it.

Note: Vinegar can help set some acid dyes on animal fibers like silk or wool – but it’s not necessary to set dye on cotton fabrics.

No, washing tie-dyed items with table salt will not help the dye set better. Salt is not a dye fixative and won’t make the dye more permanent or colorfast.

Baking soda is sometimes recommended as a substitute for soda ash; however, its effects are much weaker.

The best way to set tie-dye is to let it process in a warm, moist environment for 8-24 hours.

So, what do you need to prevent dye from fading? Let’s sum up.

For even more information about tie-dye, check out the following articles:

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If you suspect that brightly colored clothes are going to bleed, should you try to "set the color?" Some people add salt to a load of clothes to set the color, while some swear by the idea that adding distilled white vinegar to the wash or rinse water will set the dye. Unfortunately, neither method will work reliably to prevent dye bleeding from clothes or fabrics that have already been commercially dyed. Don't waste your time or resources.

There is some science and history to the salt and vinegar stories. When cotton yarn or fabrics are dyed, salt is added to the dye bath as a mordant to help the fibers absorb the dye. For wool or nylon, the acid in vinegar acts as a mordant in the dye bath to help the fibers absorb dye. But neither is a dye fixative for already dyed fabric or fibers.

So, what can be done? There are commercial dye fixatives that can be purchased for home use. However, these are intended for use by artists and small companies that dye fabrics and understand the type of dye they are using. These should be used when dyeing fabrics at home with a commercial dye like Rit or when dyeing fabrics and fibers with natural dyes you have created from plants.

Dye fixatives are cationic, which means that they have a positive charge. The positive charge allows the fixative to cling to negatively charged dyes, such as direct dyes and acid dyes. They cannot stick to basic dyes, which have a positive charge and have no benefit for creating colorfastness.

Some regular laundry tips that you may already practice will help guard against color bleeding.

Not all fabrics behave well after they are manufactured and can lose dye in three ways.

All of this color loss happens due to how the fabric was manufactured or because of incorrect handling by consumers.

If the color loss happens due to the following reasons, it is beyond your control:

You can control some of the color loss by keeping in mind a few tips:

Maybe. Some clothes do stop releasing dye after several washes. But be careful; don't trust them completely. Higher water temperatures may cause the release of dye even after a few years. Never wash an unstable dyed garment with any other clothes you care about.