From Dye to Dry : The Complete Tie-Dye Aftercare Guide
- Allow the dyed item to sit flat in a sealed bag or container for at least 24 hours. Place the bag on a protected surface. To help the dye set into the fabric and maintain its vibrancy, keep the item in a warm location, such as a hot car or under direct sunlight, with a minimum temperature of 70 °F.
- Once your dye has set, put on waterproof gloves, and head over to a sink or tub closest to the washing machine. Protect your work area from stains by laying down paper towels or newspaper. Note: As with all hand-dyed materials, it’s possible for dye to transfer to skin or other clothing.
- Take your item out of the sealed bag and rinse it under COLD water to remove excess dye. Remove all rubber bands* from the item and gradually increase the temperature to HOT until the water runs clear. It’s perfectly normal for a lot of dye to wash out and for the fabric to look discolored.
- After rinsing, move your item to the washing machine. Set the load to small, water to hot, and add 2-3 teaspoons of original Dawn dish soap to remove excess dye from the fabric. Rinse twice. Note: If you tie-dyed a t-shirt, load no more than two shirts in the machine for the first wash.
- Dry your item on low heat and only with items that were washed together. Note: For future loads, always wash the item with other dark clothing and a color-safe detergent.
*Keep the loop going by rinsing and reusing the rubber bands! The bag in which we packed your shirt was donated by a now-closed company, and we encourage you to repurpose it as a trash bag. Once our current stock of rescued bags runs out, we’ll switch to compostable ones. Compostable bags must be disposed of (to prevent leaks) within 7 days. Thanks for being a part of our mission to reduce single use plastic!
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