Dyeing Curtains in a Front-Loading Washer

Before

At the end of last year I bought supplies to dye the curtains in our office.  I tested one panel in our front-loader washing machine using the top-loader instructions here and here.  But I got a few streaks in the sample and thought I needed to find someone with a top-loading machine to finish the batch.

Fast-forward six months.  While searching for the instructions I used to dye the sample, I ran across instructions for dyeing in a front-loader.  In fact, there were more results with front-loader instructions than top-loader!  I'm kind of glad I didn't get around to finishing the project before I found instructions to use with my own machine.

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After

I got no streaks in my final curtains.  There were some darker blotches, but those may be where there was mildew.  Since I did four curtains at a time, I can't show before and after pictures of the same curtain. 

We rehung two undamaged curtains after we had the windows replaced.  The overdyed curtains are a slightly darker shade of the same color.  I may dye the undamaged ones to match, but I'm not too worried about it.  They're back in a corner behind some equipment, so less accessible and harder to take down and rehang.

I'm repeating Maureen's instructions below with my modifications.  All links are to Dharma Trading Company.  I shopped around online, and Dharma had the best prices and the most helpful website.
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Front load washers use about 8 gallons of water for a load. So adjustments are based on that number. The amount of dye used was the standard amount specified for the fabric weight.

1) Prewash fabric, preferably in hot water, with Synthrapol or Dharma Professional Textile Detergent.  Since my curtains are 100% cotton, and I chose the Procion dye to avoid hot water, I washed in warm with a cold rinse. Wear rubber gloves when removing the fabric from your machine, as fingerprints may affect the dyeing.

2) Completely dissolve 8 cups non-iodized salt in boiling water and add it to the washing machine drum. (It is vitally important to completely dissolve the salt so that the washing machine pump and drain line aren't clogged -- failing to do so can result in a $90+ service call to clean out a load of salt!!)  I used dyer's salt for half the curtains and grocery store salt for the other half, and I couldn't tell the difference in the results.  The dyer's salt may have dissolved slightly more quickly or easily, but not enough to make a huge time difference.  Then again, I don't think I dissolved it thoroughly.  I stirred together all 8 cups with about a gallon of boiling water, and there was quite a bit of sludge at the bottom of the bowl.

3) Set the temperature of the water to "warm", and let the machine fill. Since front loading washers sense the load weight, don't expect loads of water at this point.

4) Add 1 Tablespoon calsolene oil and water softener (if your local water could be considered "hard" water).

5) While the washer is agitating the mixture, dissolve the dye in some warm water, then open the washer again and add the dye.

6) Let the washer agitate a bit to mix up the mixture. Put some paper towels or newspapers on the floor, as the water splashes about quite a bit with nothing in the drum and there will be some of the dye mixture on the door which drips out when the door is opened.

7) Wearing rubber gloves, Add the item to be dyed to the drum, and set the machine for a heavy load. The Maytag Neptune's "heavy load" setting takes about 15 minutes. To be safe, time the session, so that the water won't drain out with all of the dye!
NOTE: Keep using the timer as this will require a number of interventions before completion!

8) After 15 minutes, turn the machine off, and set the dial back to heavy load. Dissolve 1 cup soda ash in hot water about five minutes before the end of this cycle as it takes a while to completely dissolve.

9) Reset the machine to heavy load. Start again, and slowly add the dissolved soda ash over a 15 minute period. It is apparently important not to add the soda ash directly on top of the fabric. I didn't know what would happen if I poured the soda ash solution into the detergent compartment. So I kept the machine off, pushed the curtains to the back of the machine, and added the soda ash (which I had dissolved in 1/2 gallon of water) 1 cup at a time, swirling the fabric with my gloved hands in between additions. This was sweaty work, and I recommend using the detergent compartment on a sample to see if it works.

10) Turn the machine off and reset to heavy load. Let the fabric tumble in the washer for 30 (light color) to 60 (dark color) more minutes, turning off the machine and resetting to heavy every 15 minutes. After the fabric has been tumbling in the soda ash/dye mixture for the necessary duration, let the washer complete the cycle, making sure that the rinse water is cold. This will rinse out the soda ash. 

11) Reset the cycle to heavy load again and add dye fixative based on fabric weight. Agitate for 30 minutes. You will need to turn off the machine and reset it once. I skipped this optional step, since these curtains will only be washed separately and infrequently.

12) Wash in hot water with Milsoft fabric softener and your washing machine detergent of choice. I used 1/4 cup Dharma Professional Textile Detergent, since it is also recommended as an afterwash, and warm water (not hot) with a cold rinse.  

I recommend doing a test load of rags after dyeing to determine whether there is any dye left in the washer.  Although I haven't had any problems, it's better to be on the safe side.
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Dyeing was a fun experiment, and my pre-teen daughter even helped a little.  She and I have plans to use the rest of our dye tie-dyeing pillow cases and baby blankets.  I hope this post encourages you to try dyeing something!

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