How to Dye Clothing or Fabric with Coffee

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Use your cup of joe to naturally dye any piece of fabric

Co-authored by Amy Guerrero

Last Updated: November 25, 2024 Approved

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Using a Coffee Dye Bath

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Using a Coffee Rub

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Tie-Dyeing with Coffee

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Q&A

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Tips

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Warnings

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Things You'll Need

A simple way you can get started with dyeing fabric at home is by using an ingredient you likely already have - coffee. You can dye fabric using coffee with a few simple tools and common ingredients that are most likely already in your cupboard. The best types of fabrics to use are ones made from natural materials, such as cotton, wool, and linen.^{[1]
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Research source} This process is quick and relatively mess-free, and it will allow you to alter the look of almost any fabric that you want.

Dyeing Clothing with Coffee

Wash and dry your fabric or clothing as normal.
Brew a pot of coffee and pour it into a large pot of boiling water.
Bring the mixture to a full boil, then turn off the heat.
Place your fabric into the pot and submerge it entirely.
Let the fabric steep for at least an hour, or for longer if you want a darker color.
Remove the fabric and rinse it thoroughly under cold water.
Gently wash and dry your dyed fabric.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using a Coffee Dye Bath

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1
Prepare your fabric and brew your coffee. Before dyeing, wash and dry the fabric as you normally would. This removes any dirt and oil that could keep the dye from penetrating evenly. The amount of coffee that you should brew will depend on how dark you would like the fabric to be. Stronger coffee will achieve a darker tint.
- Newly purchased fabrics may be coated with a finishing spray, so it is especially important to follow through with this step.
- If you are looking to create a darker tint with the coffee, use more coffee or use a dark/very strong roast. If you would like a lighter tint, use less coffee or use coffee that is a light or medium roast.
- As an alternative to preparing several batches of coffee at home, you can use instant coffee or you can purchase brewed coffee from a local store or coffee shop. This could be significantly more expensive, however.
2
Fill a pot with water. Place the pot on the stove and turn the burner to high.
- The size of the pot will depend on how much fabric you are dyeing. As a rule of thumb, you will need a large enough pot to completely submerge the fabric in water.
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When the coffee is finished brewing, pour the coffee into the pot with the water.
After pouring all of your prepared coffee into the pot, bring the coffee/water to a boil. Turn off the heat as soon as the coffee reaches a full boil.
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Add the fabric to the pot. Once you have turned the heat off and the coffee has stopped bubbling, submerge the fabric entirely into the coffee. Stir it around a bit to make sure any air pockets are eliminated.
- Since the water just stopped boiling, it may be best to use a wooden spoon, so as not to burn yourself or ruin your utensils.
The longer your fabric steeps in the coffee, the deeper it will be dyed. You will need to wait about an hour for appreciable, colorfast results, but you can allow a longer steeping time for a deeper tint.
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Remove and rinse the fabric. Remove the fabric from the coffee dye and rinse it thoroughly under cold water. Do this until the water runs clear, which will indicate that all of the excess dye has been removed.
- After rinsing the excess coffee dye, you will be able to accurately tell how dark the fabric has been tinted. If you still want the fabric to be darker after rinsing it, you can steep the fabric again.
- Once you have achieved the desired tint, prepare a large enough container to hold all of your fabric with cold water and let the fabric soak. You can add vinegar to this cold water bath and let soak for ten minutes to set the dye.^{[2]
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When you are finished dyeing the fabric, rinse the pot. The coffee dye may stain the pot if you do not drain and wash it promptly after the dyeing process is complete.
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Wash and dry the fabric gently. Use a delicate cycle in the washing machine with cold water and use a mild detergent. You can then dry the fabric on low in the dryer or hang it up in the shade to dry.^{[3]
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- The coffee dye described above will not provide a completely colorfast finish since it is a natural dye, which means that the color will fade a bit with each successive wash.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using a Coffee Rub

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1
Wash your fabric and brew your coffee. Before dyeing, wash the fabric but do not dry it. This removes any dirt and oil that could keep the rub from penetrating evenly. You will need the used grounds of the coffee that is brewed. A good method to use for this is to use a French Press or use a coffee maker.
- You can wash the fabric with the rest of your clothes or just wash it by itself, depending on your preference. Be sure to follow the washing instructions of the fabric, if provided.
- You will need enough coffee grounds to cover the entirety of the fabric that you are dyeing. You may need to brew several pots of coffee for this purpose.
- Pick a dark roast to dye the fabric darker and a lighter roast if you do not wish for it to be very dark.
- This is a great way to make use of your used coffee grounds. If you are a regular coffee drinker, you can save the used coffee grounds for this method.
2
Create a paste with the used coffee grounds. Once the grounds have cooled, add the coffee grounds to a large bowl and then add water. You will need about a tablespoon of water per cup of grounds.^{[4]
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- Stir the water into the grounds with a wooden spoon so that the water has evenly penetrated the mix. It does not need to be a fine paste so stirring spoon 7-8 times should be enough.
3
Spread the paste onto the fabric. Lay the fabric to dry on a water-proof surface. Be sure to cover the fabric completely with the coffee grounds and rub the coffee into the fabric. This can be done with a wooden spoon or similar utensil, or you can use your hands for this part.
- This can be messy so you will want to do this somewhere where it is acceptable to make a mess, such as in a garage. You can also lay down plenty of newspaper to protect the floor or carpeting.
4
Dry the fabric. Hang the fabric up to air dry in a place that is shaded. You will want to wait for the fabric to dry completely. This may take anywhere from several hours to an entire day. You can also dry the fabric in the dryer on low heat for approximately thirty minutes.^{[5]
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- Do not let the fabric air dry in the sun because the sun will fade your fabric.
You can brush off the grounds with your hands, shake the grounds off by shaking out the fabric or use a brush with natural fibers to remove all of the grounds. If the fabric is still not dark enough, repeat the process until it is to your liking.
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Press the fabric with an iron if desired. Using an iron will remove wrinkles from the fabric.
- The fabric will need to be completely dry for the best results with the hot iron.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Tie-Dyeing with Coffee

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1
Wash your fabric and brew your coffee. Before dyeing, wash and dry the fabric as you normally would. This removes any dirt and oil that could keep the rub from penetrating evenly. The amount of coffee that you should brew will depend on how dark you would like the fabric to be. Stronger coffee will achieve a darker tint.
- You can wash the fabric with the rest of your clothes or just wash it by itself, depending on your preference. Be sure to follow the washing instructions of the fabric, if provided.
- If you are looking to create a darker tint with the coffee, use more coffee or use a dark/very strong roast. If you would like a lighter tint, use less coffee or use coffee that is a light or medium roast.
- As an alternative to preparing several batches of coffee at home, you can use instant coffee or you can purchase brewed coffee from a local store or coffee shop.
You can put it in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes or simply wait for it to cool for a couple of hours at room temperature.
3
Pour the coffee into the squeeze bottles. This is so you can pour the dye onto the sections without spilling anything into other sections.
- Reserve different squeeze bottles for different types of roasts (i.e. one squeeze bottle with a dark roast, another bottle for a light roast).
4
Section off areas of the fabric. You can twist the fabric and use the rubber bands to section the areas. This will ensure that you know which sections should be dyed and will also prevent the dye from sinking too far into the fabric.
- Spread the fabric out completely.
- Take your finger, place it in the middle of the garment, and begin turning your finger and hand clockwise.
- The fabric will start to bunch up as you twist. Be sure to keep the fabric orderly and create a circular shape, like a very wide and short cylinder, similar to the shape of a pie.
- Once the fabric is shaped like a pie, rubber band it in sections as if you are dividing the pie into eighths.
5
Dye the sectioned areas with the coffee. Use the squeeze bottles to pour the coffee onto the fabric. You may want to use more or darker coffee on certain sections to create a color variance.
- Once you have finished dying the top part, flip it over and dye the bottom.
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Place the fabric into a sealed container. Depending on the size of the fabric, you can use a plastic container or a ziplock bag. Seal the bag or container and place it somewhere warm for 24 hours.
- If you have a lot of fabric, you can use a plastic storage container. They vary in size from a shoebox-size to large enough to store kitchen appliances and other large items.
Once the coffee dye and fabric have set, open the ziplock bag or the container and remove the fabric. Rinse well under cold water, until the water runs clear.

Community Q&A

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Question

How do I set dye made with coffee on lace?

Community Answer

Soak your fabric in soda ash or baking soda. You have to open the fabric fibers to the pigment and then soak the color in. Leave the pigment for an hour or so, then set in cold water with a delicate rinse.

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Question

Can I dye an old demin skirt that is a faded brown?

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Yes.

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Question

I have a blue dress that is faded. How can I restore the color at home?

Community Answer

Using fabric dye. Boil water and salt and put the fabric in it. Dip it in your fabric dye and let dry. Repeat until you get the correct shade of blue.

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Tips

Coffee is best used to dye natural fabrics like cotton or linen. Synthetic fibers will not absorb the dye very well.

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This dye will provide a light to medium brownish hue to light-colored fabrics. For a warmer, reddish hue, you can use the same process above by substituting coffee for tea.

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Test swatches of the fabric you intend to use first. This will ensure that you are able to get the effect of the dye that you are intending without ruining all of your fabric.

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Warnings

The coffee rub method can be quite messy so make sure that you can protect the flooring or carpeting.

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Using a coffee rub will distress the fabric, so avoid this method if you want to maintain the integrity of the fabric.

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