Dye for It

I wanted a quick fix this week. My husband’s favourite designer shirt had past it’s pure white days and the collar was looking rather off-colour!

BEFORE  Seen better days!

The shirt itself was still a winner, so I decided to give it another chance with a new colour. Last time I dyed something you had to buy separate salt and empty the ingredients into the washing machine drum, now it’s all-in-one. There are 22 colours to choose from and widely available but as a guide prices are £6.99 at Robert Dyas and £6.50 at John Lewis, but with delivery on top it’s best to pop in store.

Dylon All-in-1, I chose Forest Green

THE PROCESS  It is simple, just pop damp garment into drum, remove the outer packaging, and place pod on top. Wash once to dye and twice with detergent to remove excess and clean the machine.
Caution: dark colours will dye the rubber surround of your washing machine. Mine is old so I am not so worried, but think about it with new appliances. Always wash darks on next wash, just in case a little dye is lurking.

AFTER Forest Green…may go darker

THE RESULTS   Good, the colour is smooth, but I may repeat the process again to achieve a darker shade. Remember dying really only works on natural fibres, cotton is best, and stitching, trims and buttons will stay the same. Use different options for Hand Wash only fabrics.

I love the instant results…so my next job is to re-black my black (going grey) trousers and go navy blue on a purple shirt, that may end up a deep red or dark maroon, though I quite like the surprise.

K x