7 Natural Dyes from Your Kitchen

(and what NOT to use)

In this blog you will learn how to properly mordant cellulose fabrics, and how to use ingredients from your kitchen to dye them.

The most eco-concious way to use kitchen materials is by collecting them and drying or freezing them until you are ready to use them.

Use produce nets for drying (or it will start creating mold and fruit flies) or Ziploc bags for freezer storage. More about good 'kitchen dyers' below.

What will you need?

Dyeing in the kitchen requires a few basic tools and materials, including:

1. A Non-Reactive Pot: You will need a large pot to boil water and dye your fabric. Stainless steel is recommended as it does not react with dyes or mordants. Normally for dyeing, we use separate pots, but for these recipes, you can use regular pots and pans you would use for food since we will only use food-grade materials here. You could use an enamel pan, as long as it has no scratches or chips. The pot needs to be large enough to comfortably fit your fibers.

2. An empty plastic bucket for mordanting and rinsing.

3. Heat source: You will need a heat source to boil the water and maintain a consistent temperature. A stove or hotplate is usually suitable for dyeing in the kitchen. Make sure that were ever you are working, the place is well-ventilated.

4. Gloves: To avoid staining your hands, it is recommended to wear gloves while mordanting and dyeing.

5. A scale (digital), to weigh out your materials carefully.

6. Stirring utensils: You will need stirring utensils like a wooden or metal spoon to mix and stir for even coverage. (I love some good stainless steel tongs for this)

7. Fabric: The fabric that you want to dye:

Fabrics

In this post, we will focus on cellulose. Take the opportunity to upcycle old white shirts, socks, and tea towels.

Just make sure the natural fiber content is at least 85%. Natural fibers mean cotton, hemp, linen, viscose, and the like (cellulose), or silk and wool (protein).

You need to know what material you are using so you can adjust your dye process accordingly so check labels on the inside! Cellulose and protein are different fiber groups and usually have different methods for dyeing.

Important: Stains will stay stains, if you saw them before dyeing, they will not magically disappear after dyeing. Even 'invisible' stains may suddenly show up once they hit the dye bath. Your materials (old or new) should be washed on the HOT setting of your washing machine for the longest cycle before you get started.

My number one tip: start small!

No joy will come from trying to dye a whole bed set as a first project. Start with something manageable like a t-shirt or a tea towel and only then scale it up.

What kind of kitchen ingredients and kitchen waste can we use when we want to dye fabrics?

These are the great dyestuffs you can find in your kitchen:

• Onion skins, dried (red or yellow),

• pomegranate peels (fresh, dried, or frozen in a zip-loc bag),

• black tea,

• green tea, chamomile tea,

• coffee grinds (used or fresh),

• rosemary needles or whole branches,

• sage leaves (dried or fresh),

• and last but not least: turmeric (a bit fugitive but oh so bright and lovely).

How much dyestuff do I need?

These are weights according to fiber (WOF), which means that if you are dyeing 100 grams of white socks, you will use 20 grams of onion skins for a medium shade.

MATERIAL HOW MUCH YOU WILL NEED

Onion skins, dried (red or yellow) 20% WOF

Pomegranate peels (dried or fresh or frozen) 15-20% WOF dried, 100% fresh

Black tea 25% WOF

Coffee grinds (used or fresh) 50% WOF

Rosemary needles or whole branches, (dried or fresh) 100% dried, 500% fresh

Sage leaves (dried or fresh) 100% dried, 500% fresh

Turmeric (a bit fugitive but oh so bright and lovely) 10% WOF

Everything always starts with mordanting!

We are going to mordant the fabric first. A mordant is used to bind pigments to fabrics. For this, we will need Alum and Soda Ash. The alum is the actual mordant, the soda ash helps the alum to bind to cellulose fabrics, we call this an assist.

Alum (potassium aluminum sulfate) is a food additive that is ideal for pickling and canning. It helps create crisp pickled fruits or vegetables. It is also a natural preservative.

Soda Ash as a food additive is used as an acidity regulator, anti-caking agent, raising agent, and stabilizer. Also known as Sodium Carbonate or Calcined Soda.

Ps; Vinegar is not a mordant, my friends... no matter how often you will see it as such in a Pinterest post.

Let's get to work! Mordanting.

• Weigh your fabrics and jot down the number. Soak your dry fabrics in plenty of cold water. You can leave this overnight.

• Make your mordant in the empty and clean plastic bucket.

• Calculate and weigh 15% WOF alum (15 grams of alum per 100 grams of fabric) and put it in the bucket.

• Add two cups of HOT water from the kettle for every 15 grams of alum you are using. Swish the water around until the grains are dissolved.

• Calculate and weigh 5% Soda Ash (5 grams of soda ash per 100 grams of fabric) and add this to the bucket. The mixture will foam like crazy! Let the foaming be for 30 seconds and now stir that mordant soup.

• Add more warm water to fill your bucket enough to comfortably cover all your fabric (you will need to eyeball this)

• Add your fabrics.

• Stir very very well, and leave this for a good few hours, stirring and 'working' the fabric with tongs or a spoon every so often.

You can find Alum and Soda Ash in our supply store.

Supply Store

How to make a dye bath

Now we start the dye bath.

• Take the dyestuff of your choice and start heating it in your nonreactive pot to below a simmer with plenty of water.

• Add your well-rinsed, mordanted fabrics while they are still wet. (Because we work with cellulose there is no problem with the sudden change in temperature).

• Heat the fabrics in your dye bath for a good 2 hours, the longer the better.

• For yellow dyes, you can add a pinch of soda ash, it will bring out the yellows and make them brighter.

• Let the fabrics cool down in the dye pot.

• Dry them in a shaded area until dry.

• Wash well with a ph neutral soap.

• Your fabrics are now ready for use!

Onion peels in the dye pot from dry to dye:

coffee - onion - pomegranate - rosemary - turmeric

And remember I would tell you what not to use?

I know you've seen tantalizing pictures of black beans, beets, and red cabbage dyeing a gorgeous array of purples and blues.

But let me spill the beans on those 'dyes': these are fugitive and highly unstable anthocyanins that can not withstand heat, Ph-changes, washing, or light. So the gorgeous teals become drab grays in no time or a few washes.

Would that not be a waste of your efforts and your food?