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Tie- dye please help!!

5 replies

Mildred01 · 20/05/2026 10:44

any tie dye experts out there?

I thought we’d be really cool and tie dye the car seat covers. My little one loved it but I don’t really know what I’m doing after the tie dye stage!

I washed the covers on a cold rinse setting in the machine which looked very blue inside! Then I took them out and rinsed with water by hand. It seems as thought it’s taking forever to run clear and I’m still rinsing.

At what point do I stop rinsing or washing? I don’t want to transfer the dye onto clothing or the car seat.
Will the washing machine be ok to wash clothes now or will they get dye on the next wash too. I’m scared to use the machine now and regret using it to rinse off the tie dye.
Definitely not as easy or effortless as I thought it would be haha.

OP posts:
Tomikka · 20/05/2026 10:49

For how long it will take to run clear is dependent on the dye used

I have not tie dyed for decades but it did seem to take forever until things dried clear

Your machine “should” be safe for the next wash, but to be sure run a small wash and if still concerned use a washing machine cleaner (run a wash with cleaning fluid) and do a test wash of some fabric / old clothes

Tomikka · 20/05/2026 10:51

I would soak & rinse in the bath, and follow that by hosing down the bath with a shower hose and rub down the tide line

Mildred01 · 20/05/2026 13:42

Ahh thank you! It was tulip dye, if that means anything. Does that also mean it doesn’t necessarily need to run clear before use? Thank you both

OP posts:
LoremIpsumCici · 20/05/2026 13:57

Usually the dye will have instructions on how to set it

https://baironsfashion.com/how-to-get-fabric-dye-to-set/

found this which says it is for Tulip brand

https://www.ehow.com/how_7490362_set-tie-dye.html

Tomikka · 20/05/2026 22:50

Mildred01 · 20/05/2026 13:42

Ahh thank you! It was tulip dye, if that means anything. Does that also mean it doesn’t necessarily need to run clear before use? Thank you both

I used Dylon dye, but that was pretty much due to easy availability as it’s everywhere.

You do want to keep rinsing until it runs clear as if you don’t then what is left will be coming off onto you later - and especially as you have dyed seat covers

Follow the pre and post dye instructions for your particular dye. Most of what we did wasn’t dyed in the washing machine, but in buckets & bowls as it was just summer fun in the garden for friends kids.

No matter how much we would try to keep clean children would typically be going home with some
degree of coloured forearms as you can give them gloves and tell them to scrub with a brush afterwards but the best fun is messy

A wash in the washing machine would be done to finish off, but ideally we had it running clear by hand first
(the type of dye will effect that as some are cold/hand dyes and others are designed for use in washing machines - the most vibrant colours will probably be aimed at machine wash)

For future experiments don’t be restricted to dye, you can also “tie bleach”, either for the reverse effect on dark fabrics or to come up with more effects on top of dyed effects.

I would often have a big bucket of mixed dyes as a result, which could be used to see what it came
up with after a few days of dyeing, but it was more aimed at not having every child try to pour away used dye down the drain resulting in spillage over the path. That didn’t stop spillage as a neighborhood cat had an accident once, and didn’t return to being a white cat for a while

Checkout YouTube for different tie styles for different patterns and different tie techniques - most of ours was the fabric tied in knots, but you can get effects
with rubber bands or jute string etc
For multi colour effects you can add or takeaway knots as you add colours in a matching pattern, or you can totally untie after one colour and retie in a different manner for the next colour

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