Immediately you’ve tie-dyed your shirt; it should be washed and rinsed properly. Rinsing eliminates loose dye while washing the shirt makes sure that the colors used in dying are correctly set and do not bleed. While this process is time-consuming and messy, it is worth it when the colorful and beautiful pieces are ready to be displayed or worn.

Most materials perform best when washed on a washing machine. A machine provides complete and efficient wash to all your fabric needs.

  1. Start by turning on the washing machine, then set it to the normal cold-water cycle. Using cold water will allow the loose dye to rinse out slowly.
  2. Then choose a synthrapol detergent. This is a unique detergent best at rinsing too much dye from fabrics. Pour 2 tbsp. of the detergent to the washing machine.
  • You can also use a regular laundry detergent if you want to prevent the machine from leaking suds.
  1. After that, run the machine on a warm water cycle if you will be doing subsequent washings. Most tie-dyed items require at least two washings to wash out the loose dye thoroughly. Therefore, continue using the usual laundry detergent or Synthrapol. But this will depend on the type of washing machine you are using.
  • Look at the water while rinsing to make sure the shirt is rinsing clean. You can do this by peeking inside the machine if it has a glass door or opening it. If you find out that the water inside looks clean, your shirt is washed. But if the rinsing water is muddy with dye, make sure you rewash it.
  1. Then dry the shirt. Different materials may require different methods of drying on the washing machine. Therefore, be sure to look at the tag carefully to ensure you are drying the shirt correctly.
  • You can air dry the shirt outside if you don’t want it to shrink .
  1. After your shirt dries up, it’s ready to wear.

When its time to rewash the shirt, and you fear that it will fade, use a color-safe detergent. If not, follow the procedure below.

How to Wash a Tie and Dye Shirt without it Fading

Since a tie-dyed shirt is beautiful and the pattern is meant to be bold, no one would wish the shirt to fade while washing. The good news is that there are numerous ways to make sure the tie-died shirt holds its color and not fade while washing.

Here’s what to do

  • After drying the shirt, relax for at least 24 hours before thinking of washing it. This gives the dye adequate time to settle on the fabric properly.
  • Place the shirt on a washer only, or in other tie-dyed shirts with the same colors. Then set the washing machine to a hot water setting.
  • Finally, place the cloth on a hot dryer to make it undergo a complete cycle. Once you was and dry the shirt for the first time, the dyes on the fabric will set correctly and won’t fade excessively after future washes.

How To Was a Tie Dye a Shirt for the First Time

  • Begin by rinsing the fabric shirt in cold water from a hose or sink. Immediately after the initial dyeing, you should have rinsed it, but in case you didn’t, you must rinse it with cold water to make the shirt remove excess dye.
  • After that, fill a basin or tab with clean, warm water that you’ll use to set the remaining dye to prevent the shirt from bleeding. Mix laundry detergent.
  • Then place the shirt inside the basin or tub then allow it soak for 15 minutes without disturbing it.
  • Wash it carefully with your hands. Make sure you aren’t rubbing the shirt vigorously as this will affect the dyes making them run.
  • Again allow the cloth to soak for ten minutes.
  • With that done, remove the shirt from the basin then hang it on the line or lay it flat to dry.

How to Wash a Tie Dye Shirt with Vinegar

  • Fill your basin halfway with white vinegar then pour in enough cool water that’s enough to fill the basin leaving a few inches on top of the basin.
  • After that, place the tie-dyed shirt on the basin then give it 30 minutes to soak in the vinegar. Doing this makes the vinegar set the fabric dye as well as helping your shirt maintain its colorfastness.
  • Then remove the tie-dye shirt from the basin
  • After that, wash it in a washing machine with cold water. Add table salt to the wash cycle then add I cup of white vinegar on the rinse cycle to fully set the tie-dye colors.

How do you wash a tie dye shirt for the first time?

Try soaking your tie dye in equal parts white vinegar and cold water for 30 minutes after you initially rinse out the dye from your garment. The vinegar helps with colorfastness. After the first couple washes, wash tie dye in cold water to prevent dye from fading. Use gentle, color-safe detergents.

How do you wash a tie dye shirt in the washing machine?

Turn tie dye garments inside out before placing them in the washing machine. Use a high quality laundry detergent. Run the washer on the gentle cycle using cold water. Promptly remove your shirt from the washing machine after the cycle finishes.

How long after tie dying do you wash the shirt?

What to Know Before You Wash. If you‘ve just tie-dyed your clothes, step away from the washing machine. You‘ll want to wait about 24 hours before washing, so the dye has plenty of time to set, according to The Adair Group, an Atlanta-based clothing company.

Can you rinse tie dye shirts in the washer?

Before washing, turn your tie dye garments inside out to protect the colors. Run the washer on the gentle cycle using cold water. Avoid leaving the garments in the wash too long after the cycle finishes, so the colors don’t bleed!

Can you let tie-dye sit too long?

You definitely can let the tie–dye sit for too long, and it can leave you with very unpleasant effects that can ruin your tie–dye creation. We have lived this a lot at our workshop where we would forget a shirt for a few days or we were waiting to test it out.

What temperature should I wash my tie-dye shirt?

Wash using cold water to prevent dyes from bleeding and be sure to use a gentle detergent formulated to work in cold water. Wash On the Gentle Cycle — Avoid washing your tie–dye shirt with heavy items like jeans. Heavy items will cause friction in the wash, which can make other fabrics fade.

How do you set dye after tie dying?

How do you fix a messed up tie-dye shirt?

Do I have to wash my tie-dye shirt before wearing?

Wash the finished tie–dyed t-shirt in hot water by itself at least twice before wearing. The t-shirt is ready to be worn after two washes, but continue to wash separately for the next few washes to make sure it does not bleed on any other garments.

Does vinegar help set tie-dye?

Place your newly tie–dyed garment in the bucket. Allow it to soak for 30 minutes so the vinegar can help set the fabric dye and help your garment retain colorfastness.

How long should you let tie-dye sit before rinsing?

Let the fabric sit for 2-24 hours. The longer you can let the fabric sit, the easier it will be to wash out loose dye from the fabric. The length of time you let the fabric sit is not overly critical. If you are in a hurry, let the fabric sit for as long as your deadline will allow.

Can you tie-dye a shirt twice?

It’s absolutely possible to tie–dye the same shirt twice, in fact, you can dye the same shirt as many times as you want. Once the dye has had time to set you can then rinse your shirt. Once the shirt has been rinsed and the excess dye is removed you can then begin the whole process again for a second round of tie–dye.

Is it best to tie dye wet or dry?

We generally recommend washing your fabric and leaving it damp before tie–dyeing, as the dye has an easier time saturating the fabric when it’s wet. But depending on the technique and the look you want, you can apply dye to dry fabric. Just make sure the fabric has been washed (if it’s new) to remove the sizing.

Why did my tie dye shirt faded?

Hot water can be a problem with some colors more than others – the dyes bond with the hot water and don’t want to let go and bond with the fabric. Just like when the dyes have been mixed up too long. This is why some folks get faded colors when tie–dyeing in the winter or in an air conditioned area in the summer.

Does old tie dye still work?

The last batch of tie dyes turned out pretty faded. Procion MX dyes will stay good for at least a couple of weeks at air-conditioned room temperature, 70° to 80°F, but they will go bad more quickly if left outside in hot weather. They will stay good for many weeks longer if stored in a refrigerator.

How much water do you put in tie dye bottles?

The normal amount to use is one teaspoon (8g) of dye in one cup (250ml) of water. This gives us a strong and bold color in the typical style of tie–dye.

Can I reuse dye water?

Don’t overfill your dye pots, and reuse your dye bath water

This reduces both water and heating requirements. Plan on using your exhausted dye baths to dye additional fabrics, and if the dye bath is nearly clear, consider using the dye water for your next color.

Can you save leftover tie dye?

Apply dye within 24 hours after mixing. Dye left unapplied after 24 hours will begin to lose concentration and will result in noticeably weaker color intensity.