The craft life isn’t for everyone, but the joy of creating kaleidoscopic, highly unique garments that are almost impossible to replicate might just draw you in. It’s a surprisingly simple process when you break down the basics, which is why we’re here to help.
What are the benefits of dyeing clothes at home?
What do I need to dye clothes at home?
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Dylon Washing Machine Fabric Dye Pod, 350g
A tried-and-true, brilliant value piece of kit at just £7 for up to 600g of fabric (or (up to 1.8kg of fabric to lighter shades), Dylon Washing Machine Dye Pods effectively bring new life to old clothing garments, sheets and towels without you ever having to get your hands dirty.
Available in a myriad of delightful colours (22, to be exact), I’ve used the Espresso Brown pod a few times to dye old, not-so-white, sweat-stained T-shirts and vest tops. While it does require a fair few cycles of the washing machine, the resulting rescue of tired clothing is a worthwhile pay-off. According to the brand, the dyeing process with Dylon consumes 60 litres of water, while the production of a single pair of new jeans consumes about 8000 litres of water.
The first step to using the pod is pre-washing the clothes you’d like to dye. Then simply add the unwrapped pod on top of your wash and run a full 40°C cycle. Rinse: Run the same cycle again with detergent to rinse out the dye, and once you remove the clothes, run an empty cycle with detergent to remove any dye residue. Not quite the “run two washes and done” that Dylon promotes, but easy nonetheless. Dyeing darker garments lighter is possible, but you’ll have to invest in a Dylon Pre-Dye first.
The pods are suitable for items made from cotton, linen and viscose. Any mixes with synthetics will dye to lighter shades, and pure synthetics will not dye at all. It’s important to keep in mind that since these pods don’t work on synthetic materials, you might find that you’ll end up with garments that have some contrast stitching. I, for one, am a fan of the contrast aesthetic – especially when it leaves detailed embroidery and lovely denim stitching intact.
Buy now £7.00, Amazon
Rit Dye Liquid, 236ml
“I didn’t buy it, I dyed it” is the tagline for the cult-favourite, craft-essential brand Rit. Beloved for its potent, non-toxic liquid dyes which come in a kaleidoscopic range of colours amounting to a whopping 36 in total, Rit is also home to over 500 colour formulas for mixing dyes and creating wonderfully unique hues. For four times more concentrated colour, opt for Rit’s powder range. You can even mix the two if you’re following a specific colour formula thanks to the brand’s handy conversion chart.
The brand has also solved the issue of dying synthetic fabrics thanks to its DyeMore range – which has been formulated to dye synthetic fabric and fabric blends, including anything with 35 per cent or more polyester, acrylic, acetate or nylon. This range has over 250 colour formulas.
Head to Rit’s website for detailed, step-by-step guides on how to dye your garment, whether you’re looking to achieve the darkest colour possible, change the colour completely, dye jeans, mix your own colour, dye in a washing machine, or even just remove dye from your hands. There are also instructions by product, including Rit’s colour remover and ColourStay dye fixative.
Buy now £7.99, Amazon
Jacquard Procion MX Dye
Procion dye is a brand of fibre-reactive dye that's used for tie-dye, batik, and other textile crafts. The fact that it’s fibre-reactive means that the dye forms a strong covalent bond with cellulosic fibres such as cotton, linen, canvas, hemp, jute rayon and more. It’s also compatible with silk.
It's a cold water dye that's fixed chemically instead of with heat, which means you won’t have to fiddle around with finding the perfect temperature for a dye bath – straight from the tap is just fine.
Since Procion MX dyes are very concentrated, pro-level compounds, they don’t offer the same all-in-one ease as other more common brands. This means that you’ll need to work with a fixative. For Procion dyes, this is typically soda ash, which can be added directly to the dye bath or used to pretreat the fabric.
The highly concentrated nature also means you’ll get a lot of bang for your buck: one 18.71g bottle will dye more than 0.45 kg of fabric – though this will of course differ depending on the saturation level you’re looking for).
Shop individual colours via Handprinted, or a full set of eight for all your tie dye needs below.
Buy now £35.89, Amazon
PRO WashFast Acid Dye
Formulated for fabrics made from protein fibres, which can be either synthetic or natural, PRO WashFast Acid Dye is known for its excellent wash and lightfastness (hence the name). Common materials used with this dye include wool, angora, mohair, alpaca and silk in the natural camp, or synthetic soy ‘azlon’ fibres like zein and casein, as well as nylon.
They mix well if you’re considering forming your own special colour blend and are available in a plethora of sizes and pigments. Shop individual colours here, or invest in a full kit and caboodle for endless tie-dyeing fun at home below. The full kit comes with PROsapol (a Synthrapol alternative that helps dye penetrate the fabric) and citric acid crystals for fixing your dye in place.
Buy now £36.82, Amazon
Tulip Tie-Dye
Looking to experiment with clothes dyeing, or better yet, host a tie-dye party? Look no further than Tulip’s brilliant one-step kits which are filled to the brim with colourful, one-step dyes which streamline the entire activity marvellously by eliminating the need to presoak fabrics in soda ash. Offered in five, 12 and 18-colour sets, they come with rubber bands, a disposable plastic table cover, gloves and a project guide. All you’ll need to invest in are the T-shirts.
Buy now £31.75, GoCraft
