About 9 years ago I picked up 2 comforter sets from Pottery Barn for a screaming bargain. One for our bedroom and one for The Girl Who Thinks She’s a Bird.
Fast forward to 9 years later and my daughter is no longer into the whole lime green and white color scheme anymore so I decided to try and dye it using Rit Liquid Dye rather than trying to sell it at our next garage sale for $20 bucks. I wasn’t totally convinced it was going to work but I took the plunge …. and I’m so glad I did.
For this experiment I used 6 bottles of Rit Liquid Dye and settled on Denim Blue Dye. There was 1 queen sized comforter and 2 shams {the comforter weighed 7 pounds and the shams 1.5 pounds each}. Rit does not recommend dying more than 8 pounds at a time, so I split it them all up. I was nervous about if this was going to work or not, so I dyed 1 sham with 1 bottle of dye first and it worked brilliantly so I continued dyeing the rest of the pieces. It was a total up-cycle.
To dye the set, first I washed the quilt and 2 shams thoroughly and let them dry.
Like I said, I started with one sham. I followed the directions to a T, since I’d never done it before. I started by wetting the sham in hot water and then put it in the machine, carefully laying it in there so that the fabric wasn’t wrinkled as best I could. I set the water to hot and picked a cycle I knew would last longer than 30 minutes {if you don’t have that option, you’ll want to stay close by reset the wash cycle a couple of times}.
Before pouring the dye, I shook the bottle to mix it well. Then, I carefully poured the dye into the detergent dispenser. The dye can potentially stain plastic parts of your washer, so RIT recommends flushing the dispenser with 4 cups of HOT water after adding the dye {I didn’t have any problems though}.
After about 10 minutes, I added a mixture of 1 cup dissolved salt and 4 cups HOT water into the dispenser. That was the directions for dyeing cotton–if you are dying silk or nylon, you want to use vinegar instead of salt. Again, I flushed the dispenser with another 4 cups of hot water.
{Before going into the dryer}
Then, I just let the washing machine do all of the work. After the cycle was over, I repeated the process for the other sham. Then, I tackled the comforter, using the exact same method, only with the comforter, I used 4 bottles of Rit.
{All dry!}
When it was all said and done, I tossed everything into the dryer and worked on cleaning the washing machine by running 2 cups of bleach through the hottest cycle possible with a couple of old towels in the machine {just like the bottle suggested}. It worked great and my washing machine looks none the worse for wear.
The comforter set looks brand new! And, the whole thing cost me under $25. Now, I am combing my house looking for other items to dye. It might become a problem. 🙂
Have you ever dyed anything with Rit Dye before?
Mavis wants to know!
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Brandy says
I have something big that I wanted to dye but wasn’t sure it would work on a front loader. Thanks for this post! I really appreciate it!
Mavis says
Glad I could help!
jennifer says
What do you think about doing it in a top loader washer?
Karin Carson says
I have been dying for years I re die , my black jeans I like to be jet black and re die them , I have a fav pair of capris I make jet black again. you can use the colour remover to remove washing machine opps as well.
ChrisM says
I too re-dye black jeans. They fade way too fast. I’ve dyed faded blue jeans too, placemats, pillowcases…
colleen says
I love to dye stuff. I like to make myself hippie skirts and dip dye em for an ombre effect.
However, on the topic of sheets and blue, I came across this article two days ago and want to do this!
http://www.thesweetestoccasion.com/2013/08/diy-indigo-dyed-sheets-hand-towels/
And now your article on blue dyeing bed linens! Its the universe giving me a nudge i swear!
Melissa says
I got into dyeing about a year ago. I have “refreshed” so many capris, sweaters, etc. I got this cool crocheted sweater at the thrift store a few years ago and never used it because it was a weird color. I dyed it denim blue and it is gorgeous!!! Such a great way to save $$$.
MARY says
Does it matter whether it’s a front loading or a top loading machine? I want to know because that duvet looks just fab. A huge vista is unfolding in which i know longer search for just the right color for anything!
Mavis says
Hmmm. I’m not sure. I suspect it would work just fine.
jerry says
It works equally well with a top-load. I’ve been dying things in a top-load for years.
MARY says
thank you for the info … well, i’m off to dye everything in sight indigo ….
Karin says
I use my top loader with no issues, I use an ice cream pail as well for really deep colour.
Jess says
I love to dye! I prefer to use dylon or dharma to Rit (which isn’t baby safe). You should check out ice dying! It’s gorgeous and unpredictable so you never know what you’ll get. Very fun. Here’s some fabric I dyed for a ring sling. I only used two colors, avocado and charcoal and got this beautiful piece: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/270708627574524261/
Ruth, The Rit Studio says
Hi Jess,
Rit is actually baby safe. We’re nontoxic and earth and family friendly! And I love ice dyeing too. Such cool effects.
Ruth, The Rit Studio
MARY says
that is wonderful! i’m going to look around at other dye brands too.
Sarah says
I highly recommend using better dyes if you want the color to last. You’ll probably get by with this, because comforters aren’t washed as often as clothing. I’m with Jess–check out Dharma! http://www.dharmatrading.com/
I have a t-shirt I tie-dyed almost 17 years ago that I wear a *lot*, and it’s just started to lose its vividness in the last couple of years. It looks more vibrant now than most Rit-dyed things after a couple of washes.
Sue Morgan says
Those look beautiful, Mavis! For those that asked about top loading washers….I used to have to wear black jeans for work. They faded quickly. Rit to the rescue. I’d dye a couple pair, and then just run a hot wash with bleach, no towels, afterwards. My washing machine was fine with the next load(s). I did add vinegar w/the Rit dye, and made sure that the first couple times after dyeing my jeans, that I always washed in cold water, alone, in case of fading onto something else. No worries. I love Rit!
sandy says
Years ago we moved into a house with a baby blue dining room carpet that was quite stained but we could not afford to replace it. So, I bought some bottles of dark blue liquid dye and a toothbrush and using the dye full strength I worked it into the carpet fibers with the toothbrush. I was down on my hands and knees for hours but when I was done the carpet looked MUCH better and it held up well for about 5 years until we could afford to put down a new floor.
Laura says
OMG! Brilliant! Love this idea and will be filing it away for eventual use someday. Thanks for sharing!
Jessica says
We dye stuff all the time at our house. At the end of every season I scour the clothing racks for all of the heavily discounted white children’s clothing. There is always usually a lot of white clothing left over( gee, wonder why? 😉 ). I take it home and ask the kids what color they want it and we get out the big pot and dye away. I know that if they mess it up colors hide stains better than white.
Cheap clothes for the kids!
Erika says
Rit dyes are easy to find, but they’re not the most colorfast over the long term, especially for items you’re going to wash frequently. You can buy better quality procion dyes from Dharma Trading Company. There are also a whole bunch of tutorials on their site: http://www.dharmatrading.com. I always do a tie dye project with my boys each summer and I frequently dye my own fabrics to get just the right color that I’m looking for. Have fun with color!
Andrea Mitchael says
Mavis! I love looking through your pictures and posts! What a lovely dye on the comforter set! I made your freezer strawberry jam, and am really enjoying the first jar so far 😉
Mavis Butterfield says
Thanks, I was really surprise how it turned out. Glad to hear you like the jam! 🙂
Ruth, The Rit Studio says
Thanks for sharing this. Love how the bedding turned out! Denim Blue is my favorite Rit color. And so exciting to see so many dyers here. You all should share what you dye with Rit on our site, RitStudio.com. We’d love to see it. For those who mention that their color fades after a few washes, we have a dye fixative that gets used after dyeing and before rinsing that helps improve color retention by twice as much. Happy to send a bottle to those of you who would like to try it out with our dye.
Ruth, The Rit Studio
Mavis Butterfield says
You bet Ruth, I can’t wait to try the stone grey on my other comforter. 🙂 I love how the denim blue color turned out.
Leslie says
Question- has anyone had trouble with dish washing soap (Dawn, etc) removing the dye? I used the dark denim dye by Rit, and dish soap takes it out of my rags- years later!
Bobbie says
I tried to dye using the video on youtube from rit dye using a front load washer. The rit dye video says to mix the dye with hot water before adding it to the dispenser. What a mess!!! I had dye mixture everywhere. I like your method better getting the dye in and then adding water. I also had trouble adding the amount of liquid I needed and had to keep adding the messy liquid about a cup at a time. I called rit customer service during this time and they didn’t know how to help. I wish I had followed this instead of the you tube video!!
Tom says
Sounds like a job for the local coin laundry….
Sharon says
Thank you! I found this more helpful than the Rit site for my front loader. I dyed my mother’s cream colored full/queen comforter for my 19 year old, and the tag with the fabric makeup was cut off, but it was some kind of cotton blend. I did soak in hot water first and used 4 bottles of dye and added one dissolved dry one as well. Also, about 1.75 cups of salt, but it was iodized, it was what I had and it say which kind to use. You didn’t say anything about the dish soap so I didn/t use it. I didn’t have any problem with the eveness of the dye but I ended up with a dusty pinkish comforter instead of a scarlet one. I wonder if another 2 botttles would have made a difference or not? The thread on the Iylet lace edging was red though. 🙂 Oh well my daughter, who doesn’t like pink, liked it anyway, so it was worth it. I just did this last weekend, so I don’t know about about the longevity of the dye.
I would have never managed just with the Rit info. Rit really needs to have a video that takes you through the whole process for a large item, including every little step one for top loader and one for front loader, especially the dishliquid.
Julia says
I was wondering if a king side comforter can be dyed and if seven bottle of dyed would be enough ,is cootton and is reversible in good conditoin and our favorer .This ’s my first time dying . Thanks Julia D
Mavis says
I think 7 bottles should work fine!
Sheila Wall says
I have a king size “pick stitch” quilt from Pottery Barn which was a beautiful light blue. I won’t go into the nasty details but after certain guests, family members (you know who you are!) and dogs got done with it, the light blue had faded, looked yellowish in spots and had two dark stains on it.
So it occurred to me to dye it–perhaps a dark blue denim color–but how much RIT should I use–and how will I get it flat on the bottom of my front-loader? Is that critical? I’m afraid of ending up with a tie-dye look, which wouldn’t be terrible–but I’d rather have the denim.
Thanks!
Mavis says
6 bottles worked great for mine, but it wasn’t a king size so you might want to up it a bottle. If you wet the comforter first, you shouldn’t have a problem with the tie dye look!
Maggie Williamson says
I want to dye a dark rusty coloured king size comforter to dusty grey ! is this possible to do ? And if I use a top load when and how do I add the dye after the comforter is wet ? Thanks Maggie
Mavis Butterfield says
I wouldn’t recommend going from a dark color to a lighter one. I don’t think you’d be happy with the results. Sorry. 🙁
Gretchen says
You don’t mention using a dye remover first before going from tan to blue. Did you do this step? Also, did you just add the liquid dye straight to your washer and flush with water or did you dilute it and add it and then flush with water? I have a cream colored coverlet that I am considering dying and so your feedback is really helpful. Thanks!
Mavis Butterfield says
I did not use any dye remover. And yes, I just added the liquid dye to the washer as shown in the photo. The whole process was surprisingly easy.
Rudi Pittman says
How many bottles for a comforter? I’ve got some “denim” comforters that ended up being free after points from kmart and the color has faded in several areas…would just like to get a consistant denim blue going again.
Mavis Butterfield says
Fabrics vary but for this experiment I used 6 bottles of Rit Liquid Dye and settled on Denim Blue Dye. There was 1 queen sized comforter and 2 shams {the comforter weighed 7 pounds and the shams 1.5 pounds each}. Rit does not recommend dying more than 8 pounds at a time.
Deb says
Thanks for this – does finished doing a bedding set with powder dye and got perfect results
Mavis Butterfield says
You’re welcome Deb. Good job!