Can I use Rit dye on rayon pants?


Name: Andrea

—ADVERTISEMENTS—

image-1910599-10432270
Procion mx fiber reactive cold water dye

Procion MX Dye

ideal for cotton and rayon

When mixed with soda ash, Procion dyes are permanent, colorfast, and very washable. You can easily create a palette of brilliant colors ranging from light pastels to deep, vibrant hues.

image-1910599-10495307

Dylon permanent fabric dye 1.75 oz black/velvet black

Dylon Permanent

Fabric Dye

Dylon Permanent Fabric Dye contains mostly Drimarine K dyes, except for the black which is a Remazol dye. Since they are fiber reactive dyes, they are far more permanent than all-purpose dyes.

image-1910599-10498125

Country or region: USA

Message: I have a pair of modal rayon pants I want to dye black in the washing machine. The Rit Dye package says use for cottons. What do you recommend?

For rayon, just as with cotton, the best choice is to buy a fiber reactive dye, not Rit or any other brand of all-purpose dye. The problem with all-purpose dyes, such as Rit, is that they fade quickly, and they bleed badly in the laundry. You are supposed to hand-wash your Rit-dyed garments, separately, every single time you launder them, for the life of the garment, and the color will not stay very dark very long. In contrast, a good fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX dye or Dylon Permanent dye, will stay dark years longer than all-purpose dye will, and, after the first few washings, will be safe to wash in the machine with any color of other clothing, at any temperature, without fear that the dye will bleed and ruin the other clothing.

If you don't mind the major drawbacks of all-purpose dye, it will work just about as well on rayon as it does on cotton. Both rayon and cotton are cellulose-containing fibers, so they can be dyed with the same dyes. Modal is a type of rayon, so it dyes very well with cotton dyes. (We are talking about viscose rayon, not rayon acetate, which is much more difficult to dye.)

The one thing you must be careful of is that rayon is weakened when it is wet. As long as any rayon garment is wet, it is especially vulnerable to tears or abrasions. If you treat it very carefully, it can survive many washings. It's important to sort your clothing, when you wash it, so that your delicate rayons are not in the same load as a pair of heavy jeans, for example. Using a delicate setting on the machine, or gently hand-washing, or placing the rayon inside a mesh lingerie bag before placing it in the machine, are all ways to prolong the life of your rayon garment.

(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)


Posted: Tuesday - December 28, 2010 at 08:23 AM          

Follow this blog on twitter here.



[ Home Page ]   [ Hand Dyeing Top ]   [ Gallery Top ]   [ How to Dye ]   [ How to Tie Dye ]   [ How to Batik ]   [ Low Water Immersion Dyeing ]   [ Dip Dyeing ]   [ More Ideas ]   [ About Dyes ]   [ Sources for Supplies ]   [ Dyeing and  Fabric Painting Books ]   [ Links to other Galleries ]   [ Links to other informative sites ] [ Groups ] [ FAQs ]   [ Find a custom dyer ]   [ search ]   [ contact me ]  

© 1999-2011 Paula E. Burch, Ph.D. all rights reserved