How to Set Tie Dye So Your Colors Stay Vibrant

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How to set and maintain tie dye so vibrant colors don’t fade or wash away

Co-authored by Amy Guerrero

Last Updated: December 18, 2024 References

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Pretreating Fabric for Natural Dyes

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Setting Color After Dyeing

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Maintaining Color

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Video

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Q&A

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Things You'll Need

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If you plan to use natural dye, you’ll want to pretreat your fabric before dyeing, since natural dye tends not to be as vivid as other dyes. Once you’re finished dyeing your fabric, set the color with a solution of water, white vinegar and salt. Wash your newly tie-dyed fabrics in separate load from your other laundry for the first wash or two. Finally, maintain the brightness of your dyed fabric by always washing it in cold water. You can enhance the color protection by adding vinegar and baking soda to your washing machine for the dyed fabrics.

How to Set Tie Dye in Fabric

Pretreat your fabric with a fixative solution when using natural dyes.
Set dyed fabric in diluted vinegar before washing.
Maintain tie dye color by washing in cold water.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Pretreating Fabric for Natural Dyes

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1
Fill a large pot with a fixative solution. Pour salt and/or vinegar into the pot. Add enough cold water that you will be able to submerge your fabric later.^{[1]
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- For berry dye, use 1/2 cup of salt for every eight cups of water.
- For plant dyes, use one part vinegar to every four parts water.
2
Add fabric to simmering solution. Bring the solution to a boil over high heat. Reduce the temperature to medium-low to maintain a simmer. Submerge the fabric and allow the solution to simmer for one hour.^{[2]
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- You can use tongs to carefully lower the fabric into the simmering solution.
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3
Rinse out the fabric. Remove the pot from heat and allow it to cool. Remove the fabric from the pot and wring out the liquid. Hand wash the fabric with just cold water.^{[3]
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- If you’re in a hurry, you can drain the pot and cool down the fabric right away with cold water in the sink.

Part 2

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Setting Color After Dyeing

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1
Dilute vinegar in a bucket or large glass bowl. Pour in one to two cups of vinegar. Add a generous sprinkle of sea salt or table salt. Pour enough cold water in the container to submerge your fabric.^{[4]
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- Use a teaspoon or two of salt for a large bowl. Use more for a bucket.
- Use one cup of vinegar for a bowl or two cups of vinegar for a bucket.^{[5]
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Submerge the fabric to soak for a period of time. Put on gloves before handling the dyed fabric. Place the fabric into the solution. Swish it around with your hands so that the fabric is fully moistened and submerged.^{[6]
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- Allow the fabric to soak for at least 30 minutes, up to one hour.
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Wash the fabric in a washing machine. Take the fabric out of the bowl or bucket and wring it out. Place your fabric into the washing machine. Add 1/2 cup of table salt and one cup of white vinegar, if desired.^{[7]
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Research source} Use a cold water setting. Tumble or hang dry.
- Don’t add anything else to the load the first time or two that you wash your tie dye fabric.
- Adding salt and vinegar is optional. Make sure that is compatible with your washing machine.
- Laundry detergent is not necessary for this first washing. If desired, add just a small amount.^{[8]
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Part 3

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Maintaining Color

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Don’t use warm or hot water to wash your color-dyed fabrics. Choose the cold water setting, and use a color brightening laundry detergent.^{[9]
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Add baking soda to your washing machine. Pour in 1/2 cup of baking soda while your machine is on the wash cycle. Alternately, use a liquid laundry detergent with baking soda in it.
- Baking soda helps dyed fabrics to stay bright.
- As a bonus, baking soda can also tackle washing machine odor!
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Pour in vinegar during the rinse cycle. Add 1/4 cup of white vinegar for a small load, or 1/2 cup for a large load. Use this technique to help colors stay vivid, and also as a natural fabric softener.
- Vinegar softens fabric by dissolving mineral, soap and residue build-up.^{[10]
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- Vinegar is also anti-microbial and safer than chemicals.

Community Q&A

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Question

Can I use something other than a washing machine?

Community Answer

You can hand-wash them with hot soapy water and dry outside for a few hours.

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Question

I already made a shirt with food coloring and I didn't use vinegar. How do I make sure the color stays?

Ihentuge Chibuzo

Community Answer

Always wash with salt in the washing water. It helps the color stay.

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I washed a shirt and the colours bled how can I stop that happening for next time?

CageyCat

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Wash new colors in cold water until you're sure the colors have 'set'. Some fabrics and manufactured dyes take longer than others-- more than several washes. Also, be careful to wash colored clothing with colored clothing.

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