Name: Janice

Country: Canada

Message: I am desperately looking to buy RIT clothing dye and can't seem to find a company that ships to Canada.  Do you have any suggestions??

Rit is a brand of all-purpose dye (see "All Purpose Dyes"). A similar brand is Tintex, which you might be able to find more easily. A third variety of all-purpose dye is Dylon Multi Purpose, but don't confuse it with other Dylon dyes, which are fiber reactive type dyes (including Dylon Cold Dye, Dylon Permanent Dye, Dylon Hand Dye, or Dylon Machine dye).

As a general rule, I do not recommend using all-purpose dyes, because their performance on most fabrics is poor compared to other types of dyes, and their prices are relatively high. On cotton and rayon, you will get much better results with a fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX dyes; on wool and nylon, specific acid dyes will give more predictable results; and polyester requires an entirely different type of dye called disperse dye that is not found in all-purpose dye. However, all-purpose dye is excellent for the special purpose of dyeing a multi-fiber blend of cotton or rayon with wool or nylon.

Although all-purpose dye is often not the best choice of dyes, it remains popular because it is easier to find in stores than higher-quality dyes. You can often find it in large chain grocery stores, drug stores, or even chains such as Walmart. If there is a hobby or crafts store in your area, or a fabric store, look there.

There are three excellent dye suppliers in Canada that I can recommend: G & S Dye in Ontario, Harmony Hand Dyes in Tisdale, Saskatchewan, and Maiwa Handprints in Granville Island, Vancouver. (For contact information and links, see my page of "Sources for Dyeing Supplies Around the World".) As far as I know, none of the three sells Rit brand dye, but they do sell much better types of dye, at more economical prices per item dyed. All three sell by mail-order as well. Many of the larger dye suppliers in the US will ship to Canada. Mail-order suppliers that specifically sell Rit brand dye in Canada include American Apparel's Canadian Online Store, and the fiber arts supplier SpinBlessing, which is located in Oregon but has a free shipping offer that includes Canada (watch out for customs fees!).

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