Oh my gosh, DUH, I can’t believe I never told you about this before!
Someone just asked, “What do I do with the black garments that have faded and don’t match my other blacks?”
Eeek. That’s a very tacky look and I’m glad you brought it up. We’ve heard all our lives about keeping “whites their whitest” but never about keeping blacks their inky blackest. WHY IS THAT? At any rate, just as I have my favorite stain removers and whiteners (I use the Oxyclean products), I have my favorite detergent for preserving the dark hue of my black clothing. I’ve been using Woolite Darks for years in my high efficiency washer and have zero fading.
I honestly can’t think why I haven’t mentioned this before, I’m so devoted to this stuff. I think because it never occurred to me that anyone but me has entire laundry baskets full of black or dark garments on washing day. Silly girl.
Of course you can dye your items with RIT dye but I’m always afraid of making a huge mess and permanently staining my washer or else trying to do it in a bucket and having the dog run by and splash the concoction all over himself and me. And the cat. And God knows what else.
But if you have DYI dyeing tips I would love to hear them, as I have a beloved denim jacket with beautiful, flattering seams that has gone with me all over the world and back, and it is so faded and threadbare I am desperate to do some kind of refresher on it. I LOVE THAT THING and it’s practically white by now.
I’ve tended to have good results with RIT dye!
Buckets are too messy, as it’s hard to get the proper agitation (which can result in streaky color) and your hands get stained. Laundromats are too inconvenient for a project like this. An in-home washer is ideal.
Although I forgot this step once and suffered no negative consequences, I usually waste a little water and run a short empty cycle after you dye to make sure there’s no lingering color. My first re-dye was a black dress and I was scared that it would leak when I washed it with other clothes but I’ve never had that happen.
The one note of caution I would share is that if you’re working with colors other than black, you can’t control the shade very exactly. The dye color (for fabric, hair or anything else) is never exactly what the package promises and your fiber will also influence outcome. But! I’ve never been disappointed.
If you’re going to do RIT dye in a bucket for whatever reason (don’t have washer, don’t want to leave dye in washer, stars aren’t right, etc.) you will improve your chances of even results by making sure the dye is well dissolved before adding the fabric / garment to the dye bath andmaking sure the fabric / garment is completely submerged (no air bubbles floating it out of the dye.) Keeping the whole thing on the warm side will help the dye set faster.
Also, lidded buckets (such as the ones kitty litter or expensive snow melt products come in) can reduce the odds of sloshing and/or dropping things you weren’t planning to dye into the dyebath.
I overdye black clergy shirts (I have some cotton ones made from mock turtle necks) every year or two. Black rit dye per package in washer. I do cleaning cycle afterwards (which is recommended any way for my washer). It works just fine for me. I don’t think I’d do any other colors personally, as it would be hard to get the match just right.
As a former professional Batik artist, that I would also suggest moving away from RIT dyes if possible. There are some beautiful dyes out there that have a truer color and better staying power- a RIT dye never lasts more than a couple of years, and usually changes color over time (to unfortunate results). I like to dye in big tupperwares- a bit more solid, more room to agitate, and you can put a lid on it.