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Question: Is Rit still a good dye for fabric!?
I have to dye a lab coat for a costume and it needs to be a bright color!. I went to the store to get some Rit fabric dye and saw another brand that I'd never heard of, Dylon I think, sold alongside the Rit!. Dylon's colors seemed brighter, but I don't know how good it is!. Has anyone had any experience with them!? Thanks!Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Dylon dyes are superior to Rit dyes!. The Dylon Cold Dyes, Dylon Permanent Dyes, and Dylon Machine Dyes are all long-lasting fiber reactive dyes!. They will not fade nearly as quickly as Rit dye, and they can be washed with your laundry safely at any temperature (once you've washed then once in cool water and twice in hot water to remove any unattached excess dye)!. Garments dyed with Rit dye should be hand-washed, separately from other colors, in cool water!.

Is your lab coat 100% cotton!? If so, it will dye up brightly!. If it is polyester or a polyester blend, neither Rit nor Dylon dyes can produce a bright color, because polyester will not dye with either of these types of dyes!. You can buy 100% cotton lab coats from Dharma Trading Company that will dye up beautifully in any color, but that would require planning ahead by a week in order to allow for delivery time!.

If you have a polyester or polyester blend lab coat and want to dye it today to use by Halloween, tomorrow night, you'll have to use fabric paint instead of dye!. Go to a crafts store and get a good quality thin fabric paint, such as Jacquard Products' Dye-na-flow!. You can dilute it with up to 25% water and dip the coat in it like a dye!. If you use diluted ordinary artists' acrylic paints, instead of fabric paint, the results will be stiff and scratchy, but probably good enough for a one-time-use costume!.Www@QuestionHome@Com