How to Dye Clothes Black With Rit in a Washing Machine

Mix the correct number of boxes of Rit black dye in a small bucket with 2 cups of hot water. Stir the dye and water together until the dye powder is completely dissolved. The amount of dye you need depends on the number and type of garments you will be dying. One box will dye a small amount of lingerie or socks while long robes or jogging suits may need three boxes. Consult the Rit dye box or website for the correct number of boxes you need.

Fill the washing machine with enough hot water so that all the clothes you want to dye can swim around loosely in the machine. Pour in the water and Rit dye mixture.

Wet the clothes to be dyed under hot running water. Do not wring out the water. Place the wet clothes into the washing machine.

Set the machine to run for 30 minutes. If your machine doesn't have a 30-minute cycle, set it for the longest setting it has and come back before the rinse cycle begins. Reset the machine to agitate some more to make it up to 30 minutes.

Let the machine run through a rinse cycle with cool water. Add laundry soap and wash the load normally with warm water. Rinse it again with cool water until no more black dye comes out with the water.

Remove the clothes from the washer and dry them in a clothes dryer or hang them on a clothesline outside to dry.

Run an empty load in your washing machine with laundry soap and 1 cup of bleach. Set the machine for the largest load. This will clean out any residual black dye that might be left in the machine.