Dyeing Stuff

[oobiecoo]

I have a bunch of towels that have bleach spots or are just faded from so much use. Some are light blue and a couple are navy. I was thinking of buying some navy dye and dyeing them all the same color but was wondering if that would really work. Would it fully cover the bleach spots? And would the light and dark blue both turn out to be the same color or at least really close? I''ve never dyed anything before and need some advice! Thanks!

 

[CasaBlanca]

Oobiecoo,

Bleached areas need to be neutralized in order for dye to hold. The dye will stick everywhere but the spot of the bleach will be ignored or void of color.

To neutralize there are several chemicals and techniques you can use. I found this info for you. Be sure to read all of it.

neutralize bleach stains

I have used the vinegar thing but only on small drops. And some chemical I got a carpet store. Never thought of the chem for the pool! COOL!

Here is a link to RIT''s color chart

Your towels won''t be the same color. But if you used different techniques you could obtain a darker hue on the lighter shaded ones to get close to the darker ones.

One thing you should know, is your dyed fabric will let go of the color in the several first washes. It would be best to wash all like color with them from dye point forward. Toss a strip of white fabric in to test the threat. You can do techniques to get stain to be more color fast. My grandmother dyed towels purple way back in the 70''s I still have one that has the same intensity! She started with lilac and went to Grape purple. It is lighter, but not much and it is still grape! I smile when I think of Nannies grape and yellow bath room. Warm and fuzzys. Odd kid huh?

Go for it! But warning, once you get the dye bug, you will be doing more than just towels! Tell hubby to hide his undies!

 

[laine]

In my experience, RIT tends to fade. I''d recommend a permanent dye, like Dylon (which they sell at walmart).

I''d guess that the bleached spots would still be lighter, but they''d probably be less noticeable...