How long can I keep dye mix concentrate that has been cooled but NOT yet mixed with the dye powders?

Name: Michelle

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Alginate

Country or region: Australia

Message: I can't find an answer on the website. I am using dye concentrate (urea, thickener and hot water - cooled and then mixed with procion mx dye powder) how long can I keep the concentrate that has been cooled but NOT yet mixed with the dye powders. I know it lasts about a week when mixed with dyes but can I keep it indefinitely if not yet mixed with powders? I don't want to be wasteful and throw it out if I can use it again. Thanks.

You can use it as long as it smells okay. When urea goes bad, it forms ammonia, which can interfere with the pH of your dyeing. Ammonia has a very strong and penetrating odor, so it's easy to detect.

PRO Chemical & Dye says that unused prepared print paste can be stored without dye up to six months, normally without refrigeration. Their print paste mix contains urea, the thickener sodium alginate and the water softener sodium hexametaphosphate; the latter is very important in preventing alginate from forming a thick and difficult-to-remove calcium gel if it is mixed with hard water, which contains calcium ions.

The Procion MX fiber reactive dyes themselves will last a lot longer if refrigerated after they are dissolved, as long as not even a small trace of soda ash or other high-pH chemical comes into contact with them. They will retain most of their strength for at least a month in the refrigerator, and possibly longer. Allow them to return to room temperature before using.

Also see:

I'm wondering whether to store the mixed dye in the fridge or at room temp. (blog post from August 13, 2005)
shelf life after refrigeration (Dye Forum discussion from August 2009)

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Posted: Sunday - January 16, 2011 at 11:07 AM

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How long can I keep dye mix concentrate that has been cooled but NOT yet mixed with the dye powders?

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