Materials:
– fabric
– tea bags (50+, I used 100 black tea bags)
– a large pot (enamel or other nonreactive metal)
– 2 large buckets (I used the 5 gallon ones from Home Depot)
– distilled white vinegar
Instructions for dyeing with tea:
How to choose your textiles:
I chose to dye linen, muslin and some of Elliot’s cotton shirts (old ones that have been worn a lot + new ones). Choose natural fibers such as cotton, linen, muslin, silk and wool and keep in mind that hot water dyes will shrink fabric. If you plan on using old or vintage textiles, wash them before dyeing to remove any debris. If you are using new textiles, run them through a wash cycle with detergent before dyeing to remove any residue. This will make it easier for the dye to penetrate the fibers and to prevent uneven dyeing. If you plan on dyeing heirloom pieces, I’d advise doing a test run on scrap pieces with the same fabric content first to make sure that you like the result.
Step 1: How to make tea dye
Unwrap the tea bags from their packaging and remove all of the strings and tags. The number of tea bags you’ll need is dependent on how much fabric you’ll be dyeing and how dark you’d like it to be. I made a concentrated dye and used a 15 qt pot and 100 tea bags.Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. Let the tea bags steep for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Use a strainer to remove all of the tea bags. If some of the bags break in the process, don’t worry because we’ll be straining the dye again before we use it. Turn off the heat and set aside.
Step 2: How to mordant your fabric
Fill one of the large 5 gallon buckets halfway with water and add your vinegar. I used a ratio of about one part vinegar to four parts water. The vinegar will help to open the fibers. Wet your fabric thoroughly with water.
Step 3: How to naturally dye your fabric with tea
Carefully pour the concentrated dye into your second 5 gallon bucket using a piece of fabric to strain it a second time. Since I created a concentrated dye, I added some water at this point until I had enough to cover all of the fabric completely. Submerge the wet fabric into the dye bath. Make sure that all of your fabric is completely submerged. It is *important* to also make sure that your fabric is not overcrowded, otherwise you will likely end up with splotchy and uneven coloring. You also want to make sure that there aren’t any air bubbles trapped in the fabric. You can even let your kids participate by simply cooling the dye before starting! You won’t achieve as rich of a color by only using cooled dye, but it can be a really fun project for them.
Soak for at least an hour, checking on it every 15 minutes or so. Keep in mind that the color will look darker when wet. You can also soak overnight if you want a darker color which is what I did. If soaking overnight, make sure you agitate and stir fabric every so often so that the fabric absorbs the dye evenly.
Step 4: How to wash your naturally dyed fabric
When you’re happy with the color, remove the fabric from the dye and soak in a cold water bath (two parts vinegar, one part water) for 15 minutes. Rinse until the water runs clear. Hang to dry. I let them sit on the drying rack for about a week and then I ran them through a delicate cold cycle in the washer. A good wash will eliminate any remaining tea or vinegar odor.
A note on washing: Plant dyes are PH sensitive so you’ll need to use a bio soap such as Seventh Generation or Ecos. Natural dyes will fade a bit but the fabric will hold a good amount of color if cared for properly.
Melinda says
Great ideas Ashley! We will have to get together for another tea dyeing party.. I’d love to make an outfit with the dyed material!!
Sarah says
Thank you so much for this article, is it really important to let them dry so long after the dye?
A week on the drying rack without being able to try them on seems too much for me!
Love your DIYs and poetic pictures,
Ashley says
Hi Sarah! It isn’t necessary, I just like to let ours sit for longer to give the fabric an opportunity to soak up any residual dye. You can definitely run it through a machine wash right away. The fabric may fade a bit more than if it had set but I think you’ll still be happy with the results! Thanks for reading!
Chris says
Looking forward to attempting this! How did you achieve the two different tea-dyed tones for the t-shirt? I really like the look of the darker coloured neckline.
Ashley says
Hi Chris! This happened because the fabric used for the neckline of the tee is different from the rest of the shirt. Different fabrics retain dye differently! I personally love the two-toned look as well, so I enjoy dyeing with these even though the fabric content is not ideal (100% cotton would be ideal). Good luck with your dyeing!
Malani Biasetto says
How much fabric did 100 bags dye? 🙂
Ashley says
You’d be able to dye a lot of fabric! It definitely isn’t necessary to use so many tea bags but I did find that the shirts I dyed in this particular batch held their color extremely well after a ton of washes. The dye baths can also be re-used several times (just keep in mind that the color retention and depth will decrease each time.
Lara Nabulsi says
Hi beautiful work. When I dye my T-shirts with tea I always get unwanted spots and strange marks on my T-shirts . Though I use a big enough pot? Your T-shirts look beautifully even colored with absolutely no spots… what could I be doing wrong?
Alli says
I’ve recently run into the same issue. Would love to know how I can avoid that next time. Although I didn’t strain the tea so perhaps thats the culprit.
Woodlark says
Hi! I’m so sorry to hear that you are having issues with your dyeing. Was your fabric completely wet before submerging in the dye? Using a large enough pot is very important. If the fabric is over crowded your results can end up blotchy and uneven. Something that also helps to ensure that the fabric dyes evenly is agitating/stirring the fabric every so often and making sure that the fabric is completely submerged (without any trapped air bubbles inside) when it sits in the dye bath. Good luck, hope this was helpful!
Patti Koscheski says
Would you use washing soda as a mordant for tea dyeing cotton/other fabric combination content. .
Woodlark says
Hi Patti,
It would be beneficial to use washing soda/soda ash to scour your fabric prior but I don’t believe that it can be successfully used as a fixative for natural fibers.
Emily says
If I am using this method on a thinner yet king sized blanket could I use the bathtub? Instead of 5 gallon buckets.
Woodlark says
Hi Emily, I wouldn’t advise dyeing directly in your tub because the dye would likely stain the finish. If you can find something to line your bathtub with that you wouldn’t mind being stained (like an old shower curtain, perhaps?) and poured in the dye after it was cool- that may be a good option. Good luck with your project!
Emily says
Great idea! Thank you so much!
Woodlark says
You’re so welcome. Good luck!
Jen says
Hi! Giving this a try. Is it necessary to soak the fabric in vinegar or is hot water enough?
Woodlark says
Hi Jen! The purpose of the vinegar is to set the color, so if you do choose to omit it the color may not last as long.
Patti Koscheski says
Curious about the vinegar as a mordant . A long time ago I tried Batik , on 100% cotton. Before we did any waxing , we used Super Washing soda [made by Arm & Hammer…aka Dewight and Church company] . washed with mild soap, rinsed clear water, used washing soda, let air dry . that let the colors penetrate the fibers.. After the air drying, put. the design on with the wax/// dyed the lightest color, let dry.. waxed parts to save lightest [usually a pink or yellow etc.progressively darker covering areas with wax to save areas….
Woodlark says
Hi Patti,
You don’t actually need a mordant when dyeing with black tea because of the high tannin content. In a technical sense in this tutorial the vinegar would actually be more of a pH modifier which would help the fibers bond to the pigment. In your example the washing soda would be to scour the fabric prior to using a mordant (if you were using one).
– Ashley
Charlotte says
Hello! Have you ever tried dyeing with coffee? Curious on how the results might differ. Thanks!
Woodlark says
Hi Charlotte,
Yes! We dye with coffee often and the color output is similar to tea but I’d say looks more brown-toned rather than red-toned. I don’t have a blog post on dyeing clothing with coffee but if you check out the naturally dyed easter egg blog post (https://woodlarkblog.com/how-to-naturally-dye-easter-eggs) you can see a comparison of tea vs coffee dye on wood eggs. The difference in color is a bit less extreme on fabric IMO.
Robyn White says
Hi I have some dining chairs in cotton duck which have stains. Is it possible to try the tea dye on them or does it have to be a smaller piece like a shirt or fabric?
Woodlark says
Hi Robyn! I apologize, I do not have any experience dyeing canvas but if the fabric is 100% cotton and does NOT have any treatment (i.e. many upholstery fabrics have been treated for water and stain resistance) then you should be able to dye it. A lot of times when you dye stained fabric, the stains will dye darker though, so that’s something to keep in mind. They should be less noticeable after dyeing but you will likely still where they are (and sometimes they even become darker as those areas soak up the dye differently).
Linda Meyerhoff says
Hi Love your web site very good information. My question is I am dyeing small item ; pieces of paper and fabric , can I save leftover tea dye and if so for how long ?
Woodlark says
Hi Linda,
Yes, you can store any leftover dye in the refrigerator and I would not keep it longer than a week or two.
– Ashley
Sarah says
Hey,
what a great idea, I was just looking at how to die Easter eggs, and now I’m all in for this !!
does the fabric I want to die, have to be white or very light colored? Or would it be possible to, let’s say -die pink fabric or so ?
Thanks
Woodlark says
Hi! Natural (undyed) is always ideal– sometimes fabrics that have already been dyed will require you to strip the color prior to dyeing depending on what type of dye was originally used. Otherwise the fabric may take the dye unevenly, or sometimes not at all. So there’s a lot of unknowns. If it’s not an heirloom piece it’s always worth experimenting though!
Ashley
Jess says
When you say ‘wet your fabric thoroughly with water’ at the end end of stage 2 are you saying the fabric should be rinsed in clean water after the water/vinegar soak before it goes into the tea? Or that it should be thoroughly soaked in the water/vinegar? Thanks …
Woodlark says
Hi Jess!
It should be thoroughly soaked in the water/vinegar mixture placing into the dye bath. Sorry for the confusion!
– Ashley
KellyRose says
Hello! I think you forgot a word in your reply, and I have the same question!
Woodlark says
Hi! Sorry about that, it should read “It should be thoroughly soaked in the water/vinegar mixture *before* placing into the dye bath.”
– Ashley
Stephanie Ransom says
Hi!
I’m dying a white dress and I have a rich brown color in my pot and the fabric looks great when wet but when it dries it’s significantly lighter almost can’t tell it’s dyed. I’ve soaked it over night then let it air dry. I heated up the pot and added more tea bags and soaked it again all day. I did the vinegar wash dried it in a machine to set it as some other bloggers recommended. I’m frustrated the color doesn’t stay once dry. What am I doing wrong?
Woodlark says
Hi Stephanie,
Can you tell me what type of fabric it is and how many tea bags/how much water you are using? Thanks
– Ashley
Patti Koscheski says
Only works if you have a top loader machine & can stop it before it drains out (lifting lid). Takes long time soaking in dye water. Most machines now have 12 min max “wash cyce”. For a sheet you may need more than 45 min
Suzie says
I want to dye a set of bedsheets. Can I use the washing machine?
Woodlark says
Hi Suzie,
I have heard of that method being used (so I know it can be done) but I don’t personally have any experience with it. Best of luck!
– Ashley
Bonnie says
Hi Suzie,
I have just dyed a ramie cotton blouse in a stainless steel pot. I stirred the blouse around during the hour. After the first hour I pulled it up, and thought I’d like a little more color. I used wooden, metal, silicone kitchen tools to hold the blouse under the tea. After the second hour, I pulled the blouse up, and there were little purple blotches in a few places. Any idea what they might be from?
Thank so much for you kind reponse to this inquiry,
Bonnie
Lauren says
Hey! I’ve been dyeing baby onesies made with 100% organic cotton and I’ve been ending up often with these bruised looking grey spots that won’t wash out. I made sure the cloth has enough space and even strained the tea, is there something I’m doing wrong? Thanks!
Woodlark says
Hi Lauren,
Have you washed or scoured your onesies prior to dyeing? Also, are you stirring and agitating the fabric often while it’s in the dye bath?
– Ashley