Can I (how do I) dye bedding?

[POPholditdown]

I ordered some bedding online, which looked a nice neutral colour. In real life, it’s the colour of diarrhoea. I don’t want to chuck it as it’s actually quite soft and comfy, but I just can’t stand the colour.

I ordered it a while ago, so can’t return it

Is there anyway to dye it? Or if I were to just bleach it, how would I ensure an even colour?

Dylon machine dye. I think they might do colour stripper too, though I've never tried that.

Weigh the bedding and use the recommended number of packets for the weight of the fabric. Don't scrimp. Wash the fabric thoroughly first to remove any coatings, and you might want to run your machine on an empty cycle or two after to remove dregs of dye. You obviously can't guarantee perfect results but it's great stuff.

Brill, I’ll be giving that a go!

Washing the bedding thoroughly - would a 40 degrees wash, without fabric softener do? I have used it once and washed it after on 60 degrees, but with softener.

Is it cotton? If its not natural fibres it won't absorb dye. Yes a 40 degree wash with no conditioner is fine.

I’ve just looked the products up and spotted that. I don’t believe it is (at work so I can’t check), I’m certain it’s synthetic.

Ahh never mind then! Could I still give bleach a go, do you think? I’ve looked on Google, but it only gives me advice on how to bleach whites. I don’t really need a completely different colour, just to dial it back a bit so it’s not the orangey brown it is now.

If it is synthetic, it will be hard to remove the colour. But if you hate the way they are, it's worth a try.

I'd do it in the bath if you have one, or in the washing machine on the longest cycle. Use the hottest water you can, and add a lot of bleach ( a few cupfuls into the washing machine, or in the bath I'd just empty the bottle into the water). Soak them until the colour has faded / disappeared, then rinse them twice to remove all the bleach.

Good luck !

If it's a dark colour you won't be able to dye it a lighter colour and the colour won't turn out the same as the one on the packet because of the original strong colour. Dylon sell a pre dye product that can remove some of the original colour - bleach can weaken fabric and I wouldn't recommend using it in the bath because you risk getting it everywhere when you try to get the sheets out.

Oh and bleach creates a lot of foam in a washing machine and can cause problems - washing detergents don't foam much for that reason.

Just buy white cotton! Life would be easier and far more comfortable in bed. Synthetic fabrics are yuk for bed linen.