Can You Dye Viscose Fabric? How to Dye Viscose Easily?

If you want to dye viscose fabric, this blog provides you with a step-by-step guide on how to dye viscose fabric!

Specifically made from regenerated wood cellulose, viscose is a mixture of natural and synthetic materials that can be converted into the more popular form of rayon, which is used for a variety of textile products, including clothing.

Can you dye viscose at home? Yes, you can dye viscose fabric at home, which is good news. Reactive dyes are the item you require to complete the task. You should be able to complete the task in one or two evenings thanks to how simple these products are to use.

Continue reading our article to find out how to dye viscose fabric at home.

Can You Dye Viscose Fabric?

Yes, and the fact that the fabric is made of natural fibers is the reason why you can. Because the fibers in many synthetic fabrics are man-made, they can’t really be dyed at home.

To complete the task properly, viscose requires reactive dyes just like cotton does. Not “Can I dye viscose fabric?” is the question you must respond to.’ but ‘am I am prepared to take on the challenge of getting the fabric ready for the new dye?

Preparation, not dyeing, is the difficult part of dying this material. Additionally, when the fabric is wet from the bleaching and dyeing processes, it tears much more easily.

Can I Dye Viscose at Home?

You are free to dye your shirt, dress, or blouse made of viscose at home without any issues. To get the job done the first time, you simply need to ensure that you block out enough time.

Additionally, since the old dye must be removed before changing the color, you must be certain that you can manage the bleaching process. Apparently, the majority of colors that viscose fabric is available in can be dyed a different color.

Black is the only color that deviates from the rule. For some reason, it is very challenging to get the color out of that material. The general rule is that when changing colors, you should go darker rather than lighter, though your results may vary.

Does Viscose Dye Well and Easily?

Yes, the fabric is fairly simple to dye if the article of clothing you want to change the color of is made entirely of viscose. It will be a more difficult process and it might not work as well if the viscose is combined with a synthetic fiber.

For instance, the garment cannot be dyed at home if viscose and spandex are blended. In order to preserve the viscose fabric in a polyester and viscose blend, a high-heat dye would be necessary.

More about viscose fabric:

• Is Viscose Fabric Stretchy?
• Is Viscose a Breathable Fabric?
• Is Viscose a Sustainable Fabric?
• Is Viscose Fabric Toxic?
• How to Iron Viscose Fabric Safely?
• How to Care for Viscose Fabric?

You should first determine whether dying the fabrics at home will be simple by consulting experts and the label. Nylon could be an exception to the aforementioned examples. Because the ingredients in an all-purpose dye are compatible with both nylon and viscose fabrics, it may be used on both.

How to Dye Viscose Easily?

Following are some quick instructions for using fiber-reactive dyes with reconstituted, semi-synthetic fibers like rayon, modal, viscose, cupro, and bamboo. (Check out Is Viscose Rayon?)

Step 1: Prewash Your Item to Dye

Before dying your fabrics, thoroughly clean them by washing your viscose in water as hot as they will tolerate (remember to use warm, not hot, with reconstituted fibers!) and use a good, no-frills detergent.

Blue Dawn is awesome and cheap — a little dab will do ya. Avoid soaps with scents and softeners that will add chemicals to your clothing.

Step 2: Prepare Your Soda Ash Soak

The all-powerful soda ash is the secret to vibrant, intense colors that do not fade with washing. A cousin to baking soda, “soda ash” is what we in the dyeing biz call sodium carbonate.

A basic pool chemical, it is an alkalizing agent. Due to the fact that soda ash can seriously dry out your hands, I advise people to put on their gloves before using it.

My already fragile fingernails have been severely damaged by it! While sodium carbonate isn’t poisonous, you don’t want pets or kids to become overly curious. When the studio is accessible to the public, we store ours in large buckets with lids.

Step 3: Soak & Wring Out Your Item

You can soak your piece(s) for anywhere between 10 minutes and overnight. If they remain there for a while, nothing negative will occur. Get as much of the soaking solution out of the fabric as you can before dyeing.

If you have a washing machine, it really saves you a lot of time to put them on a high-spin cycle. If not, squeeze out every last bit of moisture with your hands while being extra gentle with rayon, bamboo, and other delicate fabrics.

Related: Is Bamboo Viscose Safe to Wear?

Your results will be diluted more as a result of the piece being wetter when the dyes are applied to it. Additionally, if your piece is too wet, the folds and ties you make won’t be as crisp.

Step 4: Tie, Scrunch, Bind, Or Fold Your Pattern

There are endless possibilities here! Tie-dye is like origami for fabric.

There are literally thousands of different ways to manipulate each piece of fabric, including twisting it (like the basic spiral), folding it (to make ladders and stripes anywhere on the garment), scrunching it (like our lovely ice-dyed dresses), binding or cinching it with string, rubber bands, clamps (Shibori style), or a combination of all of these.

Where each of our unique aesthetics can really shine is in your own hand-drawn patterns or designs. Even if two dye artists are folding the same pattern, their folding styles will differ.

You can fold twelve different shirts the same way and have them all turn out slightly differently, or you can scrunch each shirt slightly differently and have a small collection of tie-dye clothes that are all related but never the same.

Just remember this: no matter what you do to it, bind it up tightly while still being gentle with rayon fabrics.

Step 5: Apply Dyes

once everything has been folded, twisted, tied, etc., it’s tempting to flood your piece with color since this is the part you’ve been dreaming of! We tell our clients and students, “there are two ways to mess up your tie-dyeing: to use too much dye, and to use too little dye.”

Step 6: Cure for 24 Hours

It’s time to cure your project once you’re satisfied with the number of dyes you’ve decided to use, either more or less. Most dye manufacturers recommend a 24-hour period of wet curing (which means covering your piece with plastic wrap or a grocery bag or sticking it inside a plastic container) at room temperature. Just wait it out!

Step 7: Do the Washout Process

After 24+ hours, using cool water, rinse your project and the container in the sink. until the water is mostly clear, rinse and squeeze the fabric. These dyes can be rinsed into the grass (not gardens), and they are safe for septic or city sewer systems.

You can now wash your dyed item in the washing machine hot, with a little detergent. Pick a small load size with an extra rinse.

Or, to wash by hand, with hot water, add a small squirt of dish soap and hand wash in the sink until the water runs clear again. Rinse the water as many times as necessary to remove all extra color.

How to Dye Viscose With Rit?

Using Rit Dye offers the convenience of pre-mixed dye. By reducing the time spent dying, you can spend more time with your family in the evening or day.

All you need to do is add the desired color to a container of hot water and stir. Check the directions on the package or in the box for the recommended amount to use at once.

Throw in your item of clothing and let it soak in the dyed water for 10 to 30 minutes after adding the dye. Make sure to cover your workspace with paper. In this manner, any spills or drips will be absorbed by the newspaper rather than your floor or counter.

How to Dye Viscose White?

It would seem logical to choose a dye that is available in white and follow the directions. However, there are some factors that common sense might not have taken into account. One of those factors is how challenging it is to bleach a dark fabric lightly.

According to how dark the original dye was, you would first need to bleach out the darker color, which may or may not work. Long before the white dye is even applied, the scouring and bleaching process can be harsh on the fabric and ruin the item.

Utilizing a professional may be a wise choice if you decide to go with white.

How to Dye a Viscose Dress?

Whether or not this is possible will depend on the kind of fabric used to make the dress. Any cold water dye should be able to change the dress’ color and restore its new appearance if it is made entirely of viscose.

1 bottle of dye should be used for every 2 pounds of fabric. You cannot dye the dress if the fabric is not washable, which is typically a possibility with a blend. The first step in dyeing a dress is washing it, and if you can’t do that, you can’t dye it.

Alternatively, if the viscose fabric has the ability to shrink, you might get a dress that has a nice color but is a complete mess.

How to Dye a Viscose Rug?

When compared to trying to dye a dress or shirt made of the same material, dyeing a rug is much easier. Vacuuming the rug is the first thing to do. Like paints, dyes do not adhere to dirt and grime very well.

The rug should then be wet before setting up a plastic tarp. After that, combine the dye as directed on the bottle, and then transfer the mixture into spray bottles. Next, spray the dye onto the rug until it is the color you want. Once finished, hang to dry.

Of course, we skipped the washing and bleaching steps that come before this one. Before you get the right color, you may need to repeat these two steps and the dyeing procedure several times.

Best Dye for Viscose Fabric

There are numerous companies that manufacture high-quality dyes. The dyes produced by Rit Dye, Jacquard, Dylon, and other companies ought to be compatible with viscose fabrics. It’s the ingredients and the manufacturing process, not the brand name, that is important.

Even though some hot water dyes will work on viscose, it is best to use a cold water dye for this material. Your results might differ slightly from those of your friend because viscose does not react to heat in a constant way.

They advise against trying to dye a garment if the label specifies that it should only be dry cleaned. If you can’t wash it, don’t dye it is applicable in this situation.

Conclusion: Dye Viscose Fabric

If you use the right dyes, dying your viscose clothing is not all that difficult. However, you will find that the process becomes nearly impossible to complete when combined with synthetic fibers.

Actually, dyeing performance depends on proper procedure and qualified dyes, chemicals, and auxiliaries. Viscose fabric has a luster quality, and the products made with it maintain their vibrant color and brightness over time. So, if you want to work with a variety of bold and colorfast fabrics, viscose is a good option.

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