Dyeing Clothes

 


Do you have clothes with a stain that you can’t remove?

Do you have clothes that you no longer like the colour?

Then don’t through them out. Dye them!

Natural fibres like cotton, linen, silk, wool, and rayon take dye best. Cotton is the most commonly dyed fabric. Synthetic fibres such as polyester do not absorb most dyes well.

Before discarding a stained item, try using a home-made recipe from readily available products. Combinations of diluted white vinegar, lemon juice, washing soda (sodium carbonate), borax, or even baking powder (which is different to washing soda), ammonia, hydrogen peroxide or undiluted laundry detergent may work. Use trial and error, explore the internet or ask friends to get ideas on what works best with different clothing.

Try a patch-test first; perhaps allow the treatment to sit overnight; use gloves as some products are alkaline and may irritate your skin; don’t breathe in any fumes. Make sure you read directions on the product container, and don’t be tempted to randomly mix products as the result can be hazardous.

If the item is a favourite, let your creative juices flow and try dyeing the garment with a commercial dye or experiment with home-made dyes from onion skins, blueberries, beetroot, lemon and orange peel, spinach leave and many more pantry items. Plants have been used to colour clothes since the beginning of cloth-making. Shoes can be dyed to give them a fresh look.

Have you had success in dyeing clothes? Share your secrets by sending details to wasteless@seechange.org.au.

Some useful websites:

How to Dye Fabrics at Home: A Beginner’s Guide https://realitypathing.com/how-to-dye-fabrics-at-home-a-beginners-guide/

How to Dye Fabric – It’s Easy with our Tips, Tricks and How Tos https://www.marthastewart.com/1110589/fit-be-dyed

Understanding the Basics of Fabric Dyeing https://knowingfabric.com/understanding-the-basics-of-fabric-dyeing/

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