Frequent questions about textile dyeing

  1. Can I use ordinary salt for textile dyeing?
    Answer: Yes.
     
  2. Can all textile materials be dyed?
    Answer: No, only certain materials can be dyed. Carefully check in our fibre guide before you start dyeing.
     

  3. Why do you not recommend dyeing sofa covers, they are quite often of cotton?
    Answer: It is due to several reasons. Sofa covers and furniture textiles in general are very well treated with different forms of finishes, for example impregnation (in order not to be stained or directly dirty and to look smooth and nice in the store). To be able dye a fabric you have to remove all finishes and this is not so easy. When it comes to clothes and household textiles it is enough only to wash them a couple of times, but for furniture fabrics it is much more difficult or sometimes impossible.

    Another reason for us not to recommend it is the amount of the textile. You can dye max 1.5 kg of textile in a household washing machine. You need large amounts of water and much space for the textile in the washing machine to achieve an even and fine colouration.

  4. Can I dye a piece of clothing of mixed material, for example cotton/polyester or cotton/elastane?
    Answer: Mixed materials with smaller amounts of polyester, elastane or lycra can be dyed, but the result is a brighter mixed nuance.

  5. How do I know if the cotton piece of clothing is sewn with cotton threads or polyester threads?
    Answer: To be able to resolve this, you need to see a loose string. If you have a longer thread you can try to draw it out. A cotton thread comes easy while a polyester thread is considerably stronger.

    Another way is to put a loose string on fire. A cotton thread burns quickly while the polyester threads melt.

  6. How do I dose salt and fix if I want to dye in a big washing machine?
    Answer: Salt and fix should be dosed according to the amount of water in the washing machine (see the instructions for the washing machine). About 10 g Herdins TC Fix and about 100 g Herdins TC salt per litre water are necessary to achieve a good dyeing result.

    When dyeing in an ordinary washing machine (5 kg) a packet of fix and a packet of salt are enough no matter the amount of dye.