One of the biggest environmental impacts of dyeing fabric with procion dyes is the large amount of water it uses. The process often involves many rinses. Here is an easy way to reduce your water use and still get the gorgeous rich color that these dyes offer.
Dye your fabric with procion dye, salt and soda ash. When ready to take it out of the dye bath:
- Do one hot rinse
- Soak it in cold water overnight
- Drain the water and then wash everything in hot
- Check the wash water: if clear, you are ready to dry the fabric! If not quite clear, give it one more rinse. Mine is usually good after the wash.
This method takes a little more time, so just plan ahead. It makes the low impact dyes even more low impact. I discovered this idea online and have tried a few variations. This is the method that works best for me. I dye my fabric and garments in a repurposed 55 gallon drum that I cut in half. For the rinse/wash portion of the process I use the washing machine. I have dyed large quantities this way over the years, but if you are doing a smaller amount you could use a bucket or just the washer.
Let me know in the comments if you try this method, and how it turned out for you. Good luck!
