Dying clothes in The Maytag A-206S

[reo580]

Hi, I have some older pairs of jeans I want to dye blue because they have lightened up. I am contemplating dyeing them in my Maytag A-206S. My machine is very clean and I do not want to stain the agitator. The agitator is the turquoise Polypropylene Power Fin agitator ( say that 5 times fast lol) Has anyone done this in a machine of that vintage yet.and Would the RIT blue dye stain the agitator? thank you so much, Derek

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[reo580]

agitator

this is the agitator

 

[yogitunes]

some agitators may discolor permanently....now for the best way to dye jeans, at least for me, and I dye them in black....

I have a stainless steel table top washer, motor sits on top and the agitator runs off of it, anywho, a stainless steel pot, with a lid, alone will work the same, HOT HOT HOT WATER, which is why I put mine on top of the stove, BOIL the water and disolve the dye with the addition of about 1 cup of table salt to about 5 gallons of water, some prefer to wet the garment before puting in the dye bath, I don't, just place articles in the water, stir or agitate as needed every 15 minutes or so on a med/low flame for about 1 1/2 hours...

now for me, I take the whole pan outside, and hang the jeans over top of the chainlink fence to drip dry, no rinsing yet, the next day, I run them thru a COLD water rinse in the washer and a spin dry and then to the dryer...some people also prefer a vinegar rinse to lock the color in, your choice

I also prefer the bottle of dye as compared to the powders....for dark color, concentration is the key, thats why its best in the pan, super hot water, and a long soak

usually a cold water, short gentle cycle, high speed spin, is best to keep the color lasting the longest, I get about 5 months of wear before I have to do it again

let us know how you make out!

 

[wetguymd]

I dyed some curtains awhile back in a Maytag with that same agitator and it did not stain. I used forrest green dye and the hottest water setting on the machine. I used the liquid dye as well and added it after the machine filled and let it run for about 2 or 3 minutes to make sure the dye was completly mixed and then I added the curtains and let the machine run the full cycle, longest wash cycle I could set. After they were finished I dried them in the dryer. They came out great. I ran the washer thru a full cycle again with hot water and put in a cup of bleach and wiped down the lid and around the edges good so there wouldn't be any residue the next time I washed clothes.

Boiling as Martin says is another option although I would be afraid boiling jeans like that would shrink them. If you do this make sure you wear rubber gloves when you handle them before rinsing because the dye will stain your hands. Good luck.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Early automatics used to have instructions for tinting or dying fabrics. Some, usually machines with painted lids like Norge, used to recommend sealing the lid in foil or, later, plastic bags and keeping the taped seams on the outside. Westinghouse and Frigidaire, among others warned that the rubber parts would become discolored, but if you followed up the dying process by running a hot detergent & bleach wash, no color would transfer to subsequent loads. I agree that the large stainless steel pot gives superior concentration of the color and the high heat would set the color better. You should also have a 3 ft wooden dowel for stirring.

Did anyone ever go into a coin laundry and see the large sign saying "ABSOLUTELY NO TINTING OR DYEING IN OUR MACHINES"?

 

[yogitunes]

Yeah...I seen the signs about NO dyeing in laundromats...and yet they sold the dye at the counter....enablers?

that's like having a Weight Watcher's meeting at Dunkin' Donuts!

And their right you will need a few tools to help along the way, ruber gloves, a big wooden spoon, or even BBQ tongs....you'll just find things that make it easy for you