Tie Dye: soda ash, white vinegar,etc?

Question

i'm new at this tie dying thing but i recently bought a tye dye kit from a craft store, however, i've been reading that ur supposed to use soda ash, or like..white vinegar, even salt to "hold in the color " when u wash it or something. and i was confused on a couple of things...:

1. my kit told me to just add water...however, a lot of ppl on utube says to add soda ash, salt or white vinegar or something. so, am i supposed to add any of these TO my kit, even tho it says to only add water? O_o;;;

2. if it's soda ash, where do i buy it? cuz it didn't came w the kit -__-;; sadly... and ...how much do i mix to the tie dye solution? if any...

3. for salt, u just put a table spoon of it in the tie dye solution right? O_o;

4. finally, for white vinegar, do i soak my just dyed wet shirt in a container filled w vinegar or something? O_o; and then wash it by itself ?

sorry, if it's a lot of questions =__=;;;; but i truly am confused >_<;;

and plz be clear of what i'm supposed to do w the ingredient plz ^^

much appreciated~ thanks a lot!!! <3

Answer 1

If your kit doesn&#039;t say to add it don&#039;t add it.  Salt is used to make the color dye evenly, and to help the dye dissolve in the water, so you add salt before the dye in the water.  Soda ash/white vinegar help the color be brighter and more color fast (permanent). It is added to a dye solution with the fabric before to rinse it out, so it usually isn&#039;t added to tie dye because it isn&#039;t in a vat. It depends on the dye/color if you use soda ash or vinegar, so if your directions don&#039;t say to use either, then don&#039;t.  If you need soda ash some craft store now carry it by the dyeing supplies, but you can get larger amounts online at dharmatrading.com

Answer 2

Don&#039;t even consider using vinegar, if you are dyeing cotton. Vinegar cannot do anything to help set tie-dye on cotton. In fact, it can neutralize the soda ash and therefore prevent the dye from fixing on your fabric. If that happens, the dye will wash out of the fabric.

Soda ash is used to set good tie-dye dyes, but any good tie-dye kit already includes the soda ash. Some kits contain it as a separate pre-soak, while others have it mixed in with the dye powder. All you have to do is follow the instructions that came with your kit!  Dyes that have the soda ash mixed in already must be used right away, because they will lose their strength within an hour. Be sure to use only 100% cotton or other natural fibers with your tie-dye kit, with the exception of the semi-synthetic fiber rayon which will dye very well.

The only tie-dye kits that do not contain soda ash already are the Rit tie dye kit and the Magic Strings tie-dye kit, but those both contain worthless dyes that cannot be made permanent with any household chemical such as vinegar, salt, or soda ash.

Answer 3

There are many ways to tie dye, but please follow the instructions on your kit for the safest results!

Those other ingredients have already been added to the dyes in your kit so

you only need to add whatever your instructions say.

You can see if the company who made your kit has a web site, and look there if you have further questions.

Have fun!