# Fabric dyes - advice please



## professor waffle (Apr 23, 2005)

I bought a lovely pair of white palazzo pants the other week but managed to wash them with a pair of red trousers of N's & now have pink trousers! Wouldn't be so bad if the colour was even but it it's not 

I want to dye them but wasn't sure what to use to get the best resuls, they're manmade fibre so do I use a machine dye or hand dye them. Not sure what colour to do either, was thinking of black but not sure if they'd turn out that grey/black or a proper black?

Anyone used dylon dyes & can offer any advice?


----------



## ChickenPie (Nov 3, 2004)

when I've done the same(frequently i might add!) I've had some good results with bleach! Sorry if its not what you should do but i tend to soak in the sink with bleach and hot water, then rinse through in the washer and wash again. 
At least you'll get the white pants back


----------



## professor waffle (Apr 23, 2005)

I tried running them through the machine with a dye remover & was going to try bleach but as they're man made fibres I wasn't sure if they would go white again 

Note to self, even though N's red trousers have been washed loads of times before they still leak dye


----------



## ChickenPie (Nov 3, 2004)

i usually forget I've stashed a used duster in the washer before a white nappy/baby clothes wash and they all come out in varying shades of yellow!  
(note to self.....you're such a muppet!  )


----------



## clairelh1 (Sep 8, 2004)

I've done the yellow duster thing too - thankfully turned my t-shirt an even colour.   

As for the Dylon dyes, if you're going for black or blue, they do them in a ready-to-go pack, simply empty into the washer drum add dry fabric and turn on, really easy.  A pack should do a pair of jeans so your trousers would dye pretty easily and come out dark.  If they don't, simply buy another pack and do them again.  If you bleach though you won't be able to dye again if you don't like it as apparently the dyes don't work over bleach.  If you're doing any other colour or can't find the easy pack (it's in a packet while 'traditional' Dylon is in a box) then the boxed dye is a bit more work, but still quite easy.  You'll need to get some salt to seal the dye so make sure you get that before starting.  

Only one thing to consider, sometimes the thread on some garments is made from some synthetic material that doesn't dye so you'll have black garments and white thread, sadly usually no way of knowing until the deed is done.    I've never used a coldwater dye so not sure if they're more suitable for manmade fabrics.

C
x


----------



## Caz (Jul 21, 2002)

You know I've never had any problems with colour running. I personally would not use bleach on fully man made fibres. Maybe a gentle bleach or oxygen bleach perhaps, but I think it's risky as they are more prone to disolve in bleach than cottons etc.

I have used both machine dye and hand dye though and always find results vary on mixed or man made fibres depending on the fibre and way it's handled. As a general rule, the shinier the fabric the harder it is to get the dye to take. 
Machine dye seems to give the better colour coverage though. For hand dying you really need a large bath or something so you can lay the clothes flat or you can get creasing lines where colour will pool. Might not be a problem with trousers but I've only ever colours large items like curtains and sheeting and often found it to be a problem. You colour more than once get it really dark. Bear in mind the existing colour will affect the final colour, especially if it's a very prominent shade to staart with. For instance I applied carmine red dye to some yellow curtains. Although they had faded to almost cream in the sun, and were natural fibre, they came out a bright orange not red (I was actually going for orange though and deliberately used less dye per kg material than recommended to achieve just that). You are better going for a shade that compliments the existing shade, rather than conflicts with it. 

C~x


----------

