How to Dry Fabric Paint Faster

Co-authored by Amy Guerrero and Eric McClure

Last Updated: November 14, 2022

Fabric paint is an excellent way to create custom clothing with beautiful artwork and handmade designs. Unfortunately, it takes 12-36 hours to dry depending on how much you’ve used. This is especially a pain if you want to apply multiple layers of paint for more elaborate designs. To decrease the drying time, use a combination of heat and moving air. You can also use a fast-drying fabric paint, fabric ink, or acrylic paint mixed with fabric medium for a faster-drying alternative to standard fabric paint.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Keeping Your Clothes Warm

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1
Tumble-dry your fabric before painting it to start drying the paint early. Before using fabric paint, you have to wash and dry your fabric to avoid shrinking in the future. While many people line dry their fabrics before using their fabric paint, your paint will dry more quickly if you tumble-dry the fabric on high heat. As soon as your fabric is done drying in the machine, begin painting immediately.
- Fabric paint dries faster when it is exposed to heat. Painting on a warm surface will start the drying process while you’re still creating your design.
Tip: If the paint is flat, the color is even, and the fabric behind the area you painted doesn’t feel wet, your paint is dry. You can also tap the paint gently with a small cotton swab to see if some of the color comes off.
2
Dry your fabric in the sun to warm the fibers as the paint sets. Once you’re done painting, find a sunny window in your home. Set your fabric in front of the window so that the fabric is exposed to the sunlight. The heat from the sun will naturally warm your fabric without overheating it.
- Hanging your fabric vertically on a hanger and curtain rod is a great way to speed this process up.
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3
Keep the drying area warm by turning up the heat or using a space heater. Setting the thermostat to 75–85 °F (24–29 °C) will help your fabric dry quicker. If you want to heat the fabric further, set up a space heater in the room where the fabric is drying. Set the space heater on low and move flammable materials at least 3 feet (0.91 m) away from the heater as you dry the fabric.
- If it gets hotter than 100 °F (38 °C), your paint may actually melt as it dries, which can ruin your design. High heat is good for the drying process, but extreme heat is not. Use either the space heater or your thermostat. Do not combine these methods.
Warning: Space heaters are known to cause fires if left unattended. Don’t leave your home while the fabric is drying and stay nearby to avoid a fire. If it starts to smell like smoke, turn your space heater off immediately.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Increasing Air Flow and Removing Moisture

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1
Hang your fabric vertically to increase the air flow. If your fabric is sitting horizontally on a table, the half that is touching the table isn’t getting any air. To give your fabric access to air, hang your fabric on a hook or hanger. Hang shirts and pants from a hanger and use hooks for cloth bags and flags. This will expose all of the fabric to air evenly to assist the drying process.
- You can use a clothing line and clothespins if you don’t mind hanging your fabric outside.
2
Open the windows and turn fans on to help move the air around. To increase the air flow in the room, open all of the windows. For an even faster drying time, set some table or standing fans up and point them near the fabric that you’re drying. The moving air will help your paint dry faster.^{[1]
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- Do not aim fans directly at the fabric. Strong bursts of air can move the paint around or knock the wet fabric into your wall, table, or nearby items.
- Turn the ceiling fan on if you have one.
3
Use a hair dryer to speed up the drying process with cool air. Set the hair dryer to the cold air setting if you have one. If you don’t, use the lowest heat setting possible. Hold the dryer 16–24 inches (41–61 cm) away from the fabric and move it back and forth. If the fabric is hanging up, brace the bottom of the fabric and hold it still with your nondominant hand.
- If the air gets too hot, it can melt the paint as it dries. This will ruin the image that you’ve painted. If you use a high heat setting, the fabric may become too hot.
Tip: To test your fabric to see if it’s getting too hot, try touching it for 20 seconds. If it doesn’t hurt to touch, you’re fine. If your hand starts to feel uncomfortable or it hurts to hold your hand there, stop heating the fabric.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Choosing a Faster-Drying Paint

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1
Use a fast-drying fabric paint instead of standard versions. Most fabric paints take 12-36 hours to dry depending on how thick you apply it. Fast-drying fabric paints can cut this time in half. When purchasing fabric paints, look for labels that say “quick drying” or “fast drying.” Some of these paints will even list the estimated drying time on the label. Generally speaking, fast-drying fabric paint will dry in 6-18 hours.
- Fast-drying fabric paints typically aren’t as high-quality as other forms of fabric paint.
You can turn any acrylic paint into a fabric paint if you purchase a fabric medium. Mix 1-part fabric medium with 2-parts of acrylic paint in a small glass or bowl. Acrylic paint mixed with fabric medium will typically dry in 1-2 hours.

Warning: This is not a great option if you’re planning on adding thick layers of paint. Thick layers of acrylic tend to crack and splinter—especially if you’re using additional heating methods to increase the drying time.
3
Choose a fast-setting fabric ink instead of paint for a quicker finish. Fabric ink isn’t as thick as fabric paint, but it can be used to create designs on fabric. It also happens to dry much faster than fabric paint. Use a filling bottle, fabric pen, or small brush to apply fabric ink the same way you would use paint. When you finish creating your design, put a pillow case on top of the ink and iron it to set it into your clothing instantly.^{[2]
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- Make sure that you get a heat-setting fabric ink. Naturally drying fabric inks can take up to 48 hours to dry.
- Heat-setting fabric ink is completely dry 5 minutes after you’ve ironed it.

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Tips

Any of these methods can be combined together to radically decrease the drying time. For example, you can set up a space heater, hang your fabric in the window, turn the fans on, and use hair dryer all at once!

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