cooltiedye washing instructions

General Instructions:

Keep Tie-Dyes protected from rain until they get their first wash. There is residual dye powder in the shirt that still needs washed out. If you get it sopping wet before first washing, it will bleed. If this happens, machine wash as soon as you are able to wash it out.

Please do not hand wash your tie-dye in the sink or soak your 

tie-dye in vinegar or salt water before washing. 

Instead, machine wash using “Normal” settings, not a gentle cycle nor a hand-wash cycle. We need a setting that keeps the tie-dye moving around fast in the water. This will keep the dye that comes off the shirt from settling on the lighter areas of the tie-dye and staining. Wash separate from Regular laundry using cold water and regular detergent. Turn shirt inside out. Use Fabric softener for cotton items only. As soon as the wash is done, take out immediately to hang dry. Spread the item out neatly so dark parts are not laying on lighter parts as staining can still happen when a tie-dye is very damp.

If this happens, just rewash the load and remove immediately and hang dry. To avoid shrinking, always hang your tie-dyes.

When washing many of our tie-dyes together, separate light tie-dyes from dark tie-dyes, and wash separately. If your washing machine will allow it, use a higher water level when washing many tie-dyes together. This will help dilute any residual dye. 

For a Front Load High Efficiency Washing Machine choose fast agitation cycles to keep the tie-dye moving fast in water. Not Gentle cycles. Try these settings: Normal, Heavily Soiled, cold water, and Extra rinse cycle. 

For future laundry care, machine wash, fast agitation, with similarly colored regular laundry. Wash in cold water and regular detergent. Never allow wet tie-dyes to sit against other wet clothing for an extended time so they don’t stain the other items. If this should happen, just rewash the load. Keep in mind, tie-dyes can still stain items when really wet. Consider rainstorms or really wet bathing suits .

Note for Bamboo fabric clothing: 

Please do not use fabric softener.