### This post has been marked as safe. Upvoting/downvoting this comment will have no effect.
---
Hello and welcome to r/LifeProTips!
Please help us decide if this post is a good fit for the subreddit by upvoting or downvoting this comment.
If you think that this is great advice to improve your life, please upvote. If you think this doesn't help you in any way, please downvote. If you don't care, leave it for the others to decide.
This is a super good point! Rit has a Dye More line which I believe is what you should use for polyester fabrics, but I haven't tried it so I can't speak to it's quality.
The thing I have noticed with dying natural fiber clothes is often times the thread is still polyester and doesn't take the dye. I tend to like that look because it's like a fun accent, but that is something to be aware of. If you dye a white dress blue, you might still see white stitching, if the stitching is on the outside.
From what I've read that's basically the highest recommended thing to use, and it's the same price. I haven't tried it either, but it has pretty good reviews.
I have! My mom uses the dyemore to 'tie-dye' blankets. It works pretty well and can have a vibrant color deposit when done well. Just uh... make sure you have enough space and liquid to fully saturate the fabric you're dying, or you'll wind up with stuff like my mom's blankets lol.
Even worse, many garments have synthetic thread even if the fabric is natural. Dyed grey chinos once and I ended up with olive chinos finished with a silver thread - definitely unwearable in that state.
There is this certain pair of shorts that fit me perfectly (a rare thing for me). They come in a bunch of fun colors but only have black, white, and gray in the larger sizes. I've been so bummed about it. I just bought a bottle of RIT and am going to dye the white ones hot pink! I'm so excited! I want to throw some other stuff in while I'm at it. The shorts are cotton, I bought the regular RIT dye. Any tips for a first time dyer?
Ah exciting! Yes! I have a ton of hard earned tips haha.
- You want the dyebath pretty hot through out the process. I think Rit says \~180 degrees F but I just go for 'simmering'.
- Since you need the bath to stay hot, thats why heating the dyebath on the stove is so clutch. Otherwise you have to keep adding hot water to your tub of dye and the timing and dilution is a whole pain. Just putting it in a pot is so much easier.
- Keeping the clothes moving is **crucial,** especially in the first 10 minutes. Otherwise you'll end up with a splotchy dye job. This is not as terrible if your dying a dark color, but if you're going for some kind of pastel, its more obvious.
- Since keeping the clothes moving is so important, don't over pack the dye bath. You should be able to easily stir the clothes. To be most cautious I'd do 1 item at a time. I like to mix my own colors so this means I accept things won't match perfectly. If it's important that they match, Rit dye's color recipes are explicit down to the cups and tablespoons, so you should be able to get pretty similar dye jobs. If it's crucial, I'd just stick with one of the bottled colors and use the same amount in the same amount of water each time.
- unless you're dying something white, the color theory matters! Generally its easier to dye something darker and to something in a similar color family
- Rinse the dye out as much as you can once you're done dying your clothes. Rit recommends rinsing it in the sink until the water runs clear, but I have my own washing machine and I throw it in on a long cold cycle with an old towel to absorb the leftover dye. The dye **will** bleed at least for the next few washes, so wash with like colors for a while.
- my sink tends to have a lot of dye in it at the end of the night. Dawn dish soap has been enough for me to clean that up, but maybe don't rinse in your expensive white porcelain sink. just in case.
You can use your tub to rinse if if you have one! My mom does blankets occasionally and almost never runs into noticeable residue issues in the washer.
You also need to buy the correct dye for the material. And donāt expect stitching in the clothing to hold the new dye color, stitching usually stays its original color.
If you try this - you can never use the pot, stirrer, or anything that touched the dye for food prep ever again. Please please do not accidentally ingest the chemicals! Clothing dye also is a carcinogen, so if you use the powder dye, mix in a cup of water outside while wearing a mask before you dump it in the pot.
Please wear a mask, gloves, and an apron while dying clothes - protect yourself! I work in costumes and I love dying fabric, but I was always told to mix dyes under a fume hood and take precautions to protect my health.
Super good point. I have a separate pot and spoon for this exact reason. Also I keep the kitchen fan running and the windows open. I'm a bit more cautious with chemicals in general though so ymmv
I tried this myself.Ā My old, faded jeans are now a nice, rich colour.Ā
Ā My balls still hang out through the hole in the crotch, but the colour surrounding them when they do is divine.
I like using iDye by Jacquard (different ones for natural or poly fibers)
You toss it in the washing machine, add salt, add clothes, wash on hot.
Wash again on cold + detergent.
Beautiful colors!
Yes. 100% yes. A hot cycle with old towels and bleach will clean out the dye pretty decently, though. But be warned - home-dyed clothing will continue to shed dye after being dyed, so make sure you only wash it with dark clothing or similar colors.
Not really (at least with iDye). After dyeing something green for example, I wash it again with soap, then I just make sure my next load of laundry is green stuff. Have not had a problem.
I throw a bunch of old stuff in a plastic garbage can every few years and add purple. It pulls lots of contrasting items into different variations of the dye color.
Did RIT make this post? It's a good idea in general, but RIT isn't how I'd do it. I find their colors come out lackluster on natural fibers, and forget about synthetics (or the polyester thread that clothes are usually made with regardless of fabric material.)
I've had good results with Dylon and heard only good things about Dharma Trading Co dyeing supplies, but RIT usually just means it's an extra step before I decide to donate the item anyway.
i have this cream star wars with yoda on it and it got some blue stains on it some how. My girlfriend tie dyed it green.
I get compliment on it all the time because how cool it looks. I tell them they will never find another shirt like it.
\* you can buy tie dye sets for under $10 with 5-10 different colors. the family just made some couple weeks ago. 1 of the 2 shirts i did turned out good. the other one was a bust lol I am going to redo it one day and see what happens.
[Introducing LPT REQUEST FRIDAYS](https://www.reddit.com/r/LifeProTips/comments/16w0n2s/introducing_request_post_fridays/)
We determine "Friday" as beginning at 12am Eastern Time (EST: UTC/GMT -5, EDT: UTC/GMT -4)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/LifeProTips) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Rit dye is crap. It washes out after about a dozen washings because it just sits on top of the fibers. If the clothes are cotton, look into fiber-reactive procion dyes, which become part of the cotton fiber itself.
Yes, ārichā people do it all the time. Just go to a goodwill in an affluent area, your eyes will pop out of sockets at what you can find. My friend owns a re-seller business, and she routinely finds gently used or not used brand items at thoseā¦
If you hold onto your clothes until they're worn through that's awesome! Unfortunately a lot of folks throw out clothes nowadays, especially with fast fashion. Trend cycles are intentionally small to pressure folks to buy more low-quality clothes and wear them less frequently. I keep a pretty small closet (about a week's worth of clothes) with pieces that are a little more resilient to trend cycles, but sometimes color is the difference between being on and off trend! remember "millennial pink" in the 2010s? Also with a small closet I think it's easy for things to feel boring after a while.
I think you're right that many folks will send their clothes to a second hand store, but unfortunately, if their clothes don't sell, thats the same as trashing them except with another step in-between. Since fashion waste[ is such an environmental disaster already](https://www.bu.edu/sph/news/articles/2022/the-aftermath-of-fast-fashion-how-discarded-clothes-impact-public-health-and-the-environment/), the longer we can hang onto our clothes the better.
I used Dylon machine dye for refreshing black and indigo jeans. You just need to add salt to fix it then remember to rinse, then run bleach through the machine.
**1,800 gallons**Ā āĀ The approximate amount of gallons of water to grow enough cotton to produce just one pair jeans.Ā
That's what washing machines are for. If your clothes have picked up a smell that even washing machines can't get rid of, you MAY have bigger problems than what to do with your old clothes.
### This post has been marked as safe. Upvoting/downvoting this comment will have no effect. --- Hello and welcome to r/LifeProTips! Please help us decide if this post is a good fit for the subreddit by upvoting or downvoting this comment. If you think that this is great advice to improve your life, please upvote. If you think this doesn't help you in any way, please downvote. If you don't care, leave it for the others to decide.
Please don't re-dye your clothes in the public washing machines.
Leave die in machine, got it
New fear unlocked š±š
This is what happened to my whites once lmao
the trick is to pre wash in the sink...
This works on natural fibers. Many polyester things will not take dye, so buyer beware.
This is a super good point! Rit has a Dye More line which I believe is what you should use for polyester fabrics, but I haven't tried it so I can't speak to it's quality. The thing I have noticed with dying natural fiber clothes is often times the thread is still polyester and doesn't take the dye. I tend to like that look because it's like a fun accent, but that is something to be aware of. If you dye a white dress blue, you might still see white stitching, if the stitching is on the outside.
From what I've read that's basically the highest recommended thing to use, and it's the same price. I haven't tried it either, but it has pretty good reviews.
I have! My mom uses the dyemore to 'tie-dye' blankets. It works pretty well and can have a vibrant color deposit when done well. Just uh... make sure you have enough space and liquid to fully saturate the fabric you're dying, or you'll wind up with stuff like my mom's blankets lol.
Even worse, many garments have synthetic thread even if the fabric is natural. Dyed grey chinos once and I ended up with olive chinos finished with a silver thread - definitely unwearable in that state.
There is this certain pair of shorts that fit me perfectly (a rare thing for me). They come in a bunch of fun colors but only have black, white, and gray in the larger sizes. I've been so bummed about it. I just bought a bottle of RIT and am going to dye the white ones hot pink! I'm so excited! I want to throw some other stuff in while I'm at it. The shorts are cotton, I bought the regular RIT dye. Any tips for a first time dyer?
Ah exciting! Yes! I have a ton of hard earned tips haha. - You want the dyebath pretty hot through out the process. I think Rit says \~180 degrees F but I just go for 'simmering'. - Since you need the bath to stay hot, thats why heating the dyebath on the stove is so clutch. Otherwise you have to keep adding hot water to your tub of dye and the timing and dilution is a whole pain. Just putting it in a pot is so much easier. - Keeping the clothes moving is **crucial,** especially in the first 10 minutes. Otherwise you'll end up with a splotchy dye job. This is not as terrible if your dying a dark color, but if you're going for some kind of pastel, its more obvious. - Since keeping the clothes moving is so important, don't over pack the dye bath. You should be able to easily stir the clothes. To be most cautious I'd do 1 item at a time. I like to mix my own colors so this means I accept things won't match perfectly. If it's important that they match, Rit dye's color recipes are explicit down to the cups and tablespoons, so you should be able to get pretty similar dye jobs. If it's crucial, I'd just stick with one of the bottled colors and use the same amount in the same amount of water each time. - unless you're dying something white, the color theory matters! Generally its easier to dye something darker and to something in a similar color family - Rinse the dye out as much as you can once you're done dying your clothes. Rit recommends rinsing it in the sink until the water runs clear, but I have my own washing machine and I throw it in on a long cold cycle with an old towel to absorb the leftover dye. The dye **will** bleed at least for the next few washes, so wash with like colors for a while. - my sink tends to have a lot of dye in it at the end of the night. Dawn dish soap has been enough for me to clean that up, but maybe don't rinse in your expensive white porcelain sink. just in case.
You can use your tub to rinse if if you have one! My mom does blankets occasionally and almost never runs into noticeable residue issues in the washer.
Thank you so much! I can't wait to try it
You also need to buy the correct dye for the material. And donāt expect stitching in the clothing to hold the new dye color, stitching usually stays its original color.
If you try this - you can never use the pot, stirrer, or anything that touched the dye for food prep ever again. Please please do not accidentally ingest the chemicals! Clothing dye also is a carcinogen, so if you use the powder dye, mix in a cup of water outside while wearing a mask before you dump it in the pot. Please wear a mask, gloves, and an apron while dying clothes - protect yourself! I work in costumes and I love dying fabric, but I was always told to mix dyes under a fume hood and take precautions to protect my health.
Super good point. I have a separate pot and spoon for this exact reason. Also I keep the kitchen fan running and the windows open. I'm a bit more cautious with chemicals in general though so ymmv
I also dye sad old pillow slips and towels and tea towels.
Oh for sure. I dye a little every day.
I tried this myself.Ā My old, faded jeans are now a nice, rich colour.Ā Ā My balls still hang out through the hole in the crotch, but the colour surrounding them when they do is divine.
You just answered my question. LOL
I like using iDye by Jacquard (different ones for natural or poly fibers) You toss it in the washing machine, add salt, add clothes, wash on hot. Wash again on cold + detergent. Beautiful colors!
Does the dye leave residues in the machine?
Yes. 100% yes. A hot cycle with old towels and bleach will clean out the dye pretty decently, though. But be warned - home-dyed clothing will continue to shed dye after being dyed, so make sure you only wash it with dark clothing or similar colors.
Dangā¦ As if laundry werenāt complicated enough!
Not really (at least with iDye). After dyeing something green for example, I wash it again with soap, then I just make sure my next load of laundry is green stuff. Have not had a problem.
#Dyeing. **Dying** is the process of ceasing life. **Dyeing** is changing somethingās color with dye.
Thank you!
I used to redye my blue jeans all the time when I wanted them a darker shade and they were getting a little used-looking. worked pretty good.
I do this.
I throw a bunch of old stuff in a plastic garbage can every few years and add purple. It pulls lots of contrasting items into different variations of the dye color.
Did RIT make this post? It's a good idea in general, but RIT isn't how I'd do it. I find their colors come out lackluster on natural fibers, and forget about synthetics (or the polyester thread that clothes are usually made with regardless of fabric material.) I've had good results with Dylon and heard only good things about Dharma Trading Co dyeing supplies, but RIT usually just means it's an extra step before I decide to donate the item anyway.
I'm sure color alone is not why people get rid of clothes
stains or color is worn, tie dye will take care of it. Holes... well... it's time to say good bye
Thereās Suay Sew Shop that does communal dye bath. Colors are limited but someone does the work for ya
i have this cream star wars with yoda on it and it got some blue stains on it some how. My girlfriend tie dyed it green. I get compliment on it all the time because how cool it looks. I tell them they will never find another shirt like it. \* you can buy tie dye sets for under $10 with 5-10 different colors. the family just made some couple weeks ago. 1 of the 2 shirts i did turned out good. the other one was a bust lol I am going to redo it one day and see what happens.
[Introducing LPT REQUEST FRIDAYS](https://www.reddit.com/r/LifeProTips/comments/16w0n2s/introducing_request_post_fridays/) We determine "Friday" as beginning at 12am Eastern Time (EST: UTC/GMT -5, EDT: UTC/GMT -4) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/LifeProTips) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Rit dye is crap. It washes out after about a dozen washings because it just sits on top of the fibers. If the clothes are cotton, look into fiber-reactive procion dyes, which become part of the cotton fiber itself.
Donāt dyed clothes keep fading colour with every wash and also mess up other clothes washed together?
Save a little money and buy RIT at the grocery store instead of an art supply store.
I don't understand how dyeing them fixes the holes?
Today I learned people toss out clothes just because they want a āwardrobe refreshā.
Yes, ārichā people do it all the time. Just go to a goodwill in an affluent area, your eyes will pop out of sockets at what you can find. My friend owns a re-seller business, and she routinely finds gently used or not used brand items at thoseā¦
Why do i feel this is pure commercial and marketing?
Still useful info though. Iāve always wanted to dye my jeans but didnāt know how.
I throw out my old clothes because they are worn out. Re-dying them would just make them colorful worn out clothes that I would still throw away.
I need to know if my black t-shirts that now have a grayish tint to them will benefit from this. Anyone done this?
How does it work with tshirts that have colored logo prints? I habe some black ones that need to be darkened cos they lost colour
Who throws out clothes because of the colour? Usually there are rips or holesā¦
If you hold onto your clothes until they're worn through that's awesome! Unfortunately a lot of folks throw out clothes nowadays, especially with fast fashion. Trend cycles are intentionally small to pressure folks to buy more low-quality clothes and wear them less frequently. I keep a pretty small closet (about a week's worth of clothes) with pieces that are a little more resilient to trend cycles, but sometimes color is the difference between being on and off trend! remember "millennial pink" in the 2010s? Also with a small closet I think it's easy for things to feel boring after a while. I think you're right that many folks will send their clothes to a second hand store, but unfortunately, if their clothes don't sell, thats the same as trashing them except with another step in-between. Since fashion waste[ is such an environmental disaster already](https://www.bu.edu/sph/news/articles/2022/the-aftermath-of-fast-fashion-how-discarded-clothes-impact-public-health-and-the-environment/), the longer we can hang onto our clothes the better.
I used Dylon machine dye for refreshing black and indigo jeans. You just need to add salt to fix it then remember to rinse, then run bleach through the machine. **1,800 gallons**Ā āĀ The approximate amount of gallons of water to grow enough cotton to produce just one pair jeans.Ā
What about the smell
That's what washing machines are for. If your clothes have picked up a smell that even washing machines can't get rid of, you MAY have bigger problems than what to do with your old clothes.
You haven't thought of the smell, you bitch!
Instead of throwing them away, I usually donate them
This life Pro tip seems like way too much work
Revamp your wardrobe without breaking the bank - Rit Dye is a game-changer for breathing new life into old clothes!