Polyester is one of the most widely used fabrics because it is inexpensive, strong, and resilient. However, if you want to dye polyester fabric to freshen up a look, it may not go well if you don’t know what you’re doing. 

So, how do you dye polyester? Polyester fabrics are resistant to color dyes. Dyeing polyester a different color can be a difficult process since it often resists dye penetration. If you want your project to look great, it’s important to understand what kind of dye you need for different projects and the dyeing processes involved.

In this ultimate guide to dyeing polyester, you’ll learn everything you need to know before getting started dyeing your fabric. By the time you’re done reading this guide, you will feel 100% comfortable getting started dyeing your polyester fabric. 

Dyeing Polyester

Polyester is a synthetic fiber that is known for being very durable and practical in sportswear, but it also means it doesn’t have a lot of the absorbent abilities that natural fibers do. 

Because of this, polyester is very difficult to dye because it naturally won’t absorb the dye very well. If the dye isn’t specially formulated to work with synthetic fabrics, the colors won’t show up well, and the result isn’t permanent. 

That doesn’t mean dyeing polyester is impossible – manufacturers do it all the time. Dyeing polyester requires specially formulated dyes and special treatments to open its fibers so they can absorb the special dye pigments, which will create a colorfast result. 

This process usually involves disperse dyes that need to be activated using heat. Manufacturers have special machinery that can dye polyester using a colorant mixture that can be heated up to 280℉. 

Because the color is heat-set, the colors become very permanent, which is why dyed polyester clothing often doesn’t bleed in the wash as cotton does. 

What To Consider When Dyeing Polyester Fabric At Home

If you want to dye polyester at home, you totally can, but keep in mind that there are a few things you need to consider to successfully do so.  

The first thing is you need to know the type of fabric that you’re working with. This is because 100% polyester and polyester blend need to be treated differently when dyeing. You should only use disperse dye if the blend has more than 35% synthetic fibers.

Polyester and cotton are often blended to create a softer and more comfortable material. If the polyester is less than 35%, you should not use disperse dye to dye this poly-cotton blend and can instead opt for other types of dye that work with natural fibers. 

Some polyester fabrics are blended with nylon or spandex to increase their elasticity. These materials can’t withstand high temperatures and can’t be used with disperse dyes, which are usually heat-set. 

Many garments have special pleats and features that are heat-set to keep their shape forever. If you use heat to dye these items, it can damage these features and the garment itself. 

In general, if your garment requires delicate treatments and dry-cleaning, it should not be dyed with disperse dye, which usually requires boiling to set. 

It is also important to inspect your fabric very thoroughly for rips, tears, stains, and faded spots. These will show through the final coloring, so it’s best to treat them before dyeing your item. 

Types Of Dyes That Work With Polyester 

Dyeing polyester fabric can be a little tricky because most dyes out there are designed for natural fibers. If you are interested in dyeing polyester fabric at home, below are some types of dye that will work well. 

1. Disperse Dyes

Disperse dye is made up of tiny pigments that are suspended in a liquid. They do not dissolve in water like water-soluble dyes, and they need to be heat-set to attach themselves to the fibers of synthetic materials. 

If you want to dye synthetic fabrics at home, using disperse dye is the easiest way to go. Rit DyeMore is a household name that sells disperse dyes, and their dye formula works very well with any fabric that has more than 35% of the synthetic component. 

If you have a polyester blend with less than 35% polyester (or other synthetic materials), you can safely use the Rit DyeMore dye for natural fabric instead. 

The trick to dyeing polyester is getting it hot enough so that the fiber is fully opened up. Heat will help open up the fiber and allow the dye to penetrate more completely, which will give the dye a better chance of sticking to the fabric. 

Disperse dyes are designed to react chemically with polyester, so you need to use a hot dye bath to activate the dye and allow the fabric to soak up the colors. 

2. Machine Dye Pods 

There’s a new invention of dye – Dylon Machine Dye Pod – that is designed to work in the washing machine with a wash cycle, and you may wonder if something like this will work with polyester fabric. 

Although this is an excellent option if you want to quickly and conveniently dye fabric, you should know that this solution will not work with 100 percent polyester. The pigments won’t be able to stick to the fabric, and your result will not be as colorfast as you hope. 

However, if you have a polyester blend with less than 50% polyester, you can use this option to dye your fabric in the washing machine. 

Note that the result likely won’t be as colorfast as you expect, and the dye will likely bleed in subsequent washes. If you want to go for a more permanent result, disperse dye is still the way to go. 

3. Acrylic Paint

If you want to paint directly on your polyester fabric, acrylic paint is actually a very suitable option that can produce a long-lasting result without much effort.

For a colorfast result, you only need to mix the paint with a fabric medium to help the paint perform better. Using a fabric medium also helps the paint become more flexible, which will prevent it from cracking after drying. 

Acrylic paint has some helpful characteristics that make it ideal for painting on fabric. It’s a water-based, non-toxic paint that can be cleaned easily with just soap and warm water. That makes it safer for young children who just love experimenting with paint. 

Artists also love acrylic paint because it comes in a wide range of colors. Acrylic paints are available in all hues and shades, so you can find one that matches your project perfectly. It’s also easy to mix if you don’t find a shade that you like, so if you want vibrant artwork, acrylic paint is a great solution. 

Keep in mind that acrylic paint is not designed to be washed excessively, which is why we only recommend this option if you want to paint a decorative piece on polyester fabric. 

If you want to create an artwork designed to be worn, it’s much better to experiment with other types of dye or printing methods so that the result won’t be damaged in the washing machine. 

How To Dye Polyester Black

Black is probably the easiest color to dye your fabric because it will show up very well regardless of the background color. 

Let’s take a look at how to effectively dye polyester black. 

You will need: 

• Rit DyeMore disperse dye.
• Your polyester fabric (with more than 35% polyester)  
• A large stainless steel pot to hold your fabric and dye. The pot will need to be big enough to comfortably hold the entire piece of fabric and won’t spill while you stir. Stainless steel won’t be stained by the dye. 

The process:

1. You will need enough dye to cover the entire piece of fabric. Usually, one bottle of Rit can cover about 2 pounds of fabric. You can use a kitchen scale to weigh the fabric to see how much dye it will need. It will determine how much dye to use to cover the whole garment.  
2. Make sure that the fabric is thoroughly washed before you start dyeing. This process will remove any dirt, wax, or chemical residue left on the fabric, which can affect the result of the dye. 
3. Prepare your work area. Fabric dye is usually non-toxic, but it can stain your skin as well as anything that it touches. Using plastic to cover the working area will keep the area clean while you work with the dye. 
4. Prepare your dye solution by first filling up your pot with water, about 3/4 of the pot, or until the water is enough for the fabric to be totally submerged. Then, pour 1 teaspoon of dish soap into the water. This will help reduce the surface tension of the liquid and allow the dye to penetrate the fabric.
5. Heat up the stove and wait for this solution to start bubbling, then bring down the heat so that the water doesn’t boil, but the bubbles still remain. 
6. Then, add the dye to the water and stir it around until it is evenly mixed. Make sure to use stainless steel tongs so that they don’t get stained in the process. 
7. Wet your fabric and rinse out the excess water. Place the fabric in the dye solution and stir the fabric thoroughly and continuously for about half an hour, or follow the recommended time. 
8. If you want the color to turn out very dark, you can leave it in for longer. However, if you want a transparent result, you can take it out after about 10 minutes. Note that the fabric will look a lot darker when wet, so it’s always a good idea to leave the fabric in a bit longer, even if the color has reached the darkness that you like. Otherwise, the fabric will look a lot lighter when it is dry. 
9. Remove your fabric from the pot and rinse the fabric thoroughly with warm water until it runs clear. Make sure to be careful in this process because you are working with boiling water! 
10. Put the fabric in warm water and a few drops of detergent to wash it. It’s important to wash it separately to avoid staining other clothes, as the dye will most likely run the first time you wash it. Then, leave the fabric to air dry, and once it is dry, you have successfully dyed your fabric! 

How To Dye Polyester A Different Color 

Dyeing polyester a different color than black requires a different set of considerations compared to the straightforward process of dyeing polyester black. 

This is because colors work differently depending on the background color of your fabric. If your fabric is dark, dyeing it with a light-color dye won’t make the color lighter. Instead, you will have to strip the color before moving forward. 

Here are some questions you should ask yourself: 

• Is your fabric color white? If it’s white, you can follow the same process as above but opt for different dye color to achieve the expected result. 
• If your fabric color is not white, can you strip the color from the fabric? 
• If you cannot strip the color, can you mix the colors to achieve the expected result? 

Let’s first talk about stripping color from your fabric. 

Can You Use Color Remover On Polyester?

Depending on how your polyester was treated in the first place, you can use a color remover to essentially strip the fabric of color to create a blank canvas that you can dye a different color later on. 

Rit has a non-chlorine type of color remover that can work on polyester, but if your polyester fabric had been dyed with disperse dye, it might have limited success. 

If your fabric has been printed or painted on, the color remover won’t be able to remove that either. 

If you are unsure about whether this method will work, you can test it out on a scrap piece of fabric first before going ahead with using a color remover on your fabric. 

If it works, you can follow the steps below to strip your fabric of color: 

1. Make sure to pre-wash your fabric to remove any chemical residue, dirt, or wax on the fabric, which can affect the remover’s performance. 
2. Prepare the color remover solution by filling up a stainless steel pot ¾ of the way with water, or until the water is enough to cover your fabric. Heat up the water until it starts to generate small bubbles, then lower the heat to simmer (don’t boil the water). 
3. Add your color remover to the water, and mix it well with stainless steel tongs. Depending on how heavy your fabric is, you can use a suitable amount of color remover as recommended by the box. 
4. Wet your fabric thoroughly and remove any excess water. Add your fabric to the pot until the fabric is completely submerged in water, and stir thoroughly and occasionally for about 20 minutes. You will see that the color starts to become lighter and lighter, but your fabric will still look a bit darker when it is wet. 
5. After 20 minutes, carefully remove your fabric from the pot, and rinse it with warm water until the water runs clear. 
6. Wash your fabric separately with a mild detergent, then air dry. After the fabric is dry, you can see that your color is light enough for you to now dye with the color of choice. Then, you can use a dye of your choice and follow the same steps above to dye the fabric the color that you want. 

Can You Dye Polyester Without Removing The Color? 

If you have followed the steps above, only to find out that the color remover isn’t very effective at stripping the colors from your fabric, don’t worry, there is still a way to help you dye your polyester fabric, with a little help from your elementary school friend – color theory! 

Dyeing your fabric a different color works just like mixing paint: yellow and blue make green, orange and purple make red, etc. So, if you have a yellow fabric and want to turn it green, don’t use green dye; use blue dye instead! 

This method works because it uses the background color to your advantage, and it saves you from having to remove the background color before going ahead. 

For some colors, you will have to do a little bit of color mixing before achieving your desired result. But you can totally experiment and have fun with this process to achieve a brand new look for your fabric! 

Let’s take a look at how to dye your polyester fabric in different colors below. 

How To Dye Polyester Red 

Dyeing polyester fabric red is not very difficult, and depending on the shade of red that you want, it can be very simple to achieve a vibrant red color. If you have a colorful background, it’s best to opt for a darker shade of red so that the colors will show up well. 

First, mix your colors using the disperse dye that you have. 

Each primary color has a different index of refraction, which means they slow down light hitting them at different rates. Red, for instance, has a higher index of refraction than orange, so when you mix red and orange powders together, you get an orange color with a slight reddish tint.

You can use red dye and mix in another lighter (for example, white or yellow) or darker color (for example, brown or black) to achieve the desired result. For dark background colors, dyeing the fabric red will make the color very dark, while with a lighter background, the red will be more vibrant with a tint of the background color. 

If you are unsure about the color mixing, you can always test a small batch of dye with a scrap piece of fabric to see if you like the result before moving ahead! 

How To Dye Polyester Green 

To get a good, true green, you’ll need to use a mixture of blue and yellow – there’s no way around it. If you have a blue background, use yellow dye. If you have a yellow background, use blue dye. 

If you have other colors in the spectrum, the result won’t turn out very well, although you can adjust the lightness and darkness of your green by adding in white or black to adjust the tint of the blue. 

After preparing your dye and your fabric, you can go ahead with dyeing your polyester green as needed. 

How To Dye Polyester To A Pastel Shade 

When working with dye, pastel colors are actually very easy to achieve. 

When painting, pastel colors are created when you mix a color with white paint. For example, pastel pink is made from red mixed with a lot of white; pastel green is green mixed with white, etc. 

When you want to dye white fabric a pastel color, you can use the primary color to dye it, but leave the fabric in the dye bath for ¼ of the recommended time, and the result will be a lovely pastel color. 

For example, if you want to dye a white polyester shirt pastel blue, you can follow the same steps mentioned above to prepare a dye bath with Rit Dyemore blue dye. Then, submerge your fabric in the dye bath and stir thoroughly, and remove your fabric after about 5 minutes in the dye bath. 

After washing, the result should be a lovely pastel blue. Note that this method is only suitable if you have a white fabric because pastel is, by definition, a color mixed with white. 

If you have a darker color fabric, you won’t be able to follow the same steps to make it lighter because the dye doesn’t exist in white color, and bleaching the fabric won’t help you achieve the same results. 

Up Next: Best Dyes For Clothes (Complete Guide)