Dyeing of Garments and Household Fabrics

Rejuvenate your Favourites Garments and Household Fabrics by Dyeing

If you really love that item of clothing but the pattern has faded or the colour is no longer in fashion, bring it to us and we will advise on the colours available depending on the fabric and the original colour.

Bed linen, bathroom towels and couch covers are also popular items for dyeing. Over time the colours may fade, or there may be an ugly mark which only a dark coloured dye will hide.

Speediwash is an agent for Dyeshack in Stellenbosch. The items are collected/dropped-off every Tuesday so turn-around will be a minimum of one week.

Only Natural Fibres Will Dye

Please bear in mind that only natural fibres such as cotton, denim, natural viscose, tencel, linen, flax and hemp, may be dyed. Although wool is a natural fibre there are risks and so will not be accepted. Garments made from a mixture of natural fibres and man-made materials such as polyester will not dye properly and experience has taught us not to accept these types of garments.

Stitching

The same goes for stitching. If the thread on the garment is made from polycotton or polyester the stitching will remain as the original colour. It is not easy to determine the thread material so this is a risk which the client must accept if he or she insists on the job being done. For example it is quite common to dye jeans a dark colour and a favourite is black. The less expensive jeans will use polycotton and so the end result is a white trim wherever there is a seam. It can be viewed as a fashion statement like ‘random’ tears which are very popular and so we have a happy client!

Dyeing Has Risks

We will advise and help to minimise risk, but Neither Speediwash nor Dyeshack will accept liability for faults related to the fabric.

Dyeshack Terms & Conditions

These are on display in the laundry and should be reviewed before the job is accepted. Here is a summary:

1. Only natural fibres will dye, with the exception of wool. Fabric mixes with man-made fibres, e.g. cotton and polyester will leave specks of original colour
2. Beware of fabric mixes, or patterns which may cause varying shades of the final colour.
3. Beware of man-made fibres used in patterns, embroidery or stitching thread on seams which will not dye.
4. Certain treated natural fibres such as crease-resistant Chinos and Polo trousers can only be dyed black to black or navy to navy.
5. Jeans with artificial creases/wrinkles or heavily stone washed areas should not be dyed due to the heavy use of chemicals affecting the fabric during manufacturing. Dye result will be different shades or spotty areas.
6. Dye Colours – basic colours are Black, Navy, Bottle Green and Brown. Other colours are not strong enough to cover flaws or stains. White is not a colour.
7. Black coloured garments can only be dyed black.
8. No colour matching -if dyeing the same colour, it will always be a darker shade.
9. Dyeing process is at high temperature (60C to 85C) so material could shrink or attached motifs such as beads, buttons, sequins, labels may be damaged. These should first be removed.
10. Age of fabric, type of fabric, existing colour, stains and flaws – all affect the outcome.
11. Dye will not cover paint stains, glue, varnish, silicone or nail polish.
12. Body sweat, roll-on deodorants, antiperspirants and perfumes cause fibre damage and may result in black smear marks.
13. Fabric, such as Couch Covers, treated with stain protection chemicals such as Scotch Guard, cannot be dyed.
14. Fabric exposed to external factors such as sunlight on curtains and human excretions on sheets may dye unevenly.
15. Only SABS approved and ISO 9001 certified dyes and related products are used in the dyeing process. Whilst dyeing is performed by highly developed microprocessor machine methods, neither Dyeshack nor Speediwash can be held responsible for unintended outcome or damage. Dyeing is performed entirely at owner’s risk.