[kindmomma]

Here is what I do.
Rinse them in cold, let them sit a minute or two, rinse them in hot. I throw them in the wash that is already filled with water and with synthrapol. Wash them until the water is clear, dry them. I usually wash them again to get the "dye smell" off. New dyes have a "tempra paint smell" YKWIM?
Just to be safe I would keep them in a smaller wet bag, if you have one. On my care sheet I add that you should treat a new tye dye like a new red t-shirt. I wouldn't throw a new red shirt in with White dipes to sit wet.
BTW, the dharma kit is the best IMO. They have the stuff you need in there.
After you wash them again, add some soda ash to the cool rinse to help with the wetfastness of the prefolds. Be sure to do another synthrapol wash after though to get the ash out.
So for you here is what I would do since you already washed them.
Wash in hot with synthrapol
add soda on the second rinse(bout 1/2 cup for a small med load)
Wash again in HOT with synthrpol and rinse till water is clear with NO suds.
The synthrapol goes a LONG way, you do not need much. I have learned this the hard way once.
Good luck
pictures pictures pictures
I wanna see them!

Sandi......that prefold looks great
Scarlet.....I love them!

 

[Yooper]

Thanks! I be washing away tonight.....

Yooper

 

[Yooper]

On that new red shirt analogy..... How many washes before you quit thinking of it as a new red shirt and start thinking of it as a trusted garmet? I am planning to use a wet pail and while I might put up with seperating the tie dye dipes for a while, reality will set in and I am going to have to start throwing them in the wet pail with everything else. Do you even get to the point where you are comfy with this or do you keep them seperated forever?

Yooper

 

[Sandra Dee]

We keep ours together now - it's been about two weeks.

 

[frognladybugmama]

well, i'm by no means a dye expert, i'm slowly learning with the help of a few friends...but from my experience (tub/vat dyeing - solid colors and receiving tiedye from others) diapers sitting in urine is completely different than diapers sitting in water yk? i've had prefolds that we used as burp cloths never once bleed when sitting wet along with other clothes, but then when i got the "bright" idea to use it as a diaper, it bled everywhere - just the turq and purple though...urine seems to release the extra dye again to me?!? anyways, washing in synthropol is a must for sure, and those first few washings/wearings it wouldn't hurt to keep them in a seperate wet bag till time to wash...

 

[SMPH]

Where can I get synthropol?

And soda ash too!

 

[radish]

thx for the info ladies!!

one ? ... what about us condo-dwellers, laundry facilities dont offer soaks/timed washes/different temp wash/rinse/etc...

should i do ash/syn wash by hand? all hot or all cold?

thx!

 

[mamamoo]

All the stuff you need should come in the tye-dye kit if you buy it from dharma. They also sell the stuff seperately.
HTH~Debi

 

[SMPH]

Thanks! And I just re-read part of the first page to see that Michael's and the such may carry them. Damn it. Just ran into Hobby Lobby tonight and didn't think to look.

:

 

[thrrrnbush]

More questions.

How are the synthrapol and soda ash on a septic tank? Or for that matter the dyes? I wouldn't want to dump stuff into my soil that ain't fit for the septic and I don't know how far I'd have to drive to find a sewer. All these cold rinses and hot rinses just got me thinking about just what exactly I'm rinsing away. I'm so excited about the idea of tie-dying my prefolds, but I fret over environmental impact so much since DH and I have started discussing plans for a greywater system. We live in the desert, water is precious stuff.

Thanks,
Crystal

 

[kindmomma]

I have a septic tank and I have been tye dyeing for 6 years in my home. I asked a friend of ours about it and it is fine. They chemicals used in dying are no more hurful that the ones used for swimming pools. I was worried about this too, but hearing from someone who "knows" septic tanks is good. I feel fine about it now. The way a septic system works is the water spills over the top into "field lines" which means it is put back into the soils. The chemicals used to make the dyes brilliant (Urea) is actually granulated cow urine!

The soda ash is sodium.......used in swimming pools
The synthrapol is a textile detergent and is actually safer than most laundry soaps.
Sometimes after a long week of dying I wonder if my yard will be rainbow. Hope that helped!

 

[thrrrnbush]

Thanks for the septic tank info. Now I can tiedye with absolute peace of mind. Yay!

 

[radish]

one more question...howlong does dye last...its in tupperware right now...
thx!