How soon can fresh dyed clothing be put in the dryer?

Name: Sharin

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Country or region: Canada

Message: How soon can fresh dyed clothing be put in the dryer?

You should never put freshly dyed clothing into the dryer until after you have washed the unattached excess dye from the clothing. The excess dye must be washed out, or else it will rub off onto the inside of the dryer, making a difficult-to-clean-out mess that may ruin the next clothing you put into the dryer, if you don't do a good enough job of scrubbing it out.

There is no reason to put any freshly dyed clothing into the dryer until after the dye has been set and the clothing has been washed. Dry heat should not be used for setting dye, though it can be used to set fabric paint, after the paint has completely dried. The different methods used to set dye depend on what kind of dye you are using, and what fiber you are dyeing. As a general rule, dyes require the presence of moisture in order to bond to a textile fiber; as soon as the fabric dries completely, the reactions between the dye and the fiber used to make the clothing will cease to proceed.

After the dye has been set, and all of the excess unattached dye washed out, you are free to machine-dry freshly dyed clothing. There is no need to wait longer.

In contrast to dye, I like to let fabric paints, and fabric markers, dry longer on the fabric before washing. Fabric paints and fabric markers may look like dye, but the way that they work is completely different. The pigments in fabric paints and fabric markers do not themselves attach to the fiber, but must be glued on by the acrylic binder. Always follow the manufacturer's instructions for heat-setting fabric paints and markers, using, if recommended, either a hot iron, a transfer press, or a commercial clothes dryer (home clothes dryers don't usually get hot enough). Whether or not the manufacturer recommends heat-setting, it is often a good idea to postpone the first washing for at least a couple of weeks after you apply a fabric paint or use a fabric marker.

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Posted: Monday - September 12, 2011 at 04:57 PM

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How soon can fresh dyed clothing be put in the dryer?

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