You can get your curtains professionally dyed by contacting a textile dyer in your neighborhood. But don’t forget that it is a more challenging process than dyeing other fabrics because curtains expose to sunlight every day. They are more fragile and they need special treatment. That’s why most people tend to get professional help from dyeing services. However, don’t forget that you can dye your curtains at your home with two different methods: Dyeing curtains in a bucket and dyeing curtains in a washing machine.

We have compiled every necessary information you will need while dyeing the curtains. So let’s start with a simple but very crucial question: How to choose the color for your curtains?

How to choose the color?

If you are bored with the current color of your curtains, if the color of the curtains has faded, or if your curtains seem mismatched because you have changed the decor of your room, you have decided to send your curtains to a professional painting service or have them painted yourself. After this first radical decision, what you need to think about and decide is what color you should paint your curtains.

The most important element is the room decor. Your curtains should match the other colors. This match can be either complementary or contrasting to the general design of the room. For example, in a white room, you may want to choose a darker color such as navy blue or black to create a contrast. But you may also want to choose a complementary light color for such a room. It is up to your preference.

Or if you just want to brighten the actual color of your faded curtains, you should find the most similar fabric color option available on the websites or in the dye merchants.

Don’t also forget that there are some technical things you need to consider. For example, a dye that is deeper than the present shade conceals uneven fading and produces a more consistent outcome with cotton drapes that have been sun-faded. Or, if your curtains’ original color is dark, you should use bleach to whiten the curtains to get a better result after dyeing.

How to get your curtains dyed professionally?

After choosing the right color, it is time to contact a textile dyeing service if you want to get professional help. They will take your curtains and learn which color you want. To choose the color, you can even ask for a color brochure of the dyeing service to see the results. Since the durability and fabric of each curtain differ, they will perform the cleaning, dyeing, and washing processes using the methods most suitable for the characteristics of your curtain. They will finish dyeing the curtains in nearly 2 to 4 weeks.

What are the methods to dye curtains on your own?

As we said before you can get your curtains professionally dyed but it might be more expensive than you think. So there are some do-it-yourself methods. We can talk about two different methods to dye curtains at home:

Method 1: How to dye curtains in a bucket?

Step 1: Get the tools and materials you need

If you want to dye your curtains at your home in a bucket, you will need some basic tools to be able to get a professional result. Here are the tools you need:

• 3 gallons of hot tap water
• Bucket
• Your curtains
• Fabric dye
• Stick
• Hose

Step 2: Pour hot water into the bucket

3 gallons of hot tap water should be put into your bucket.

Step 3: Add the fabric dye to hot water in the bucket

The amount of dye to use with each amount of water is specified on the dye container. Adjust the amount of dye based on the color you want to get since the more dye you use, the brighter the color will be.

Step 4: Stir the mix

Use the stick to stir the water and dye together after adding the dye. It should work after many thorough stirs.

Step 5: Wet the Dye-Applying Area of the Curtain

A moist curtain will take the color best. Use a hose to wet down the area you are going to dye.

Step 6: Put the curtain panel in a bucket of dye

Here is where you can truly alter the outcome. To fully alter the appearance, you may color the entire panel. Alternatively, you might decide to dip-dye the curtain, changing the color of simply the bottom third or half. Keep the curtain immersed at the proper depth with your stir stick. For the appropriate hue, leave the curtain soaked for 15 to 30 minutes. The color will become darker the longer the curtain is in the dye.

Step 7: Rinse the curtain panel

Rinse the curtain with a hose until the water is clean after removing it from the dye.

Step 8: Permit the curtain to fully dry

Before hanging, let the curtain out to dry entirely. It might take the curtain several hours to dry.

Step 9: Hang the curtains

In the last step, after the curtains are fully dry, hang your brand-new curtains.

Method 2: How to dye curtains in a washing machine?

Step 1: Get the necessary tools.

In this method, we will use fabric dye to fully dye the curtains in the washing machine. Here are the necessary tools:

• Curtains
• Washing machine
• Fabric dye
• Hot water

Step 2: Pour hot water into the washing machine.

Pour hot water into your washing machine. To guarantee that the curtain can move around freely inside the machine put it in the biggest load setting.

Step 3: Add the fabric dye according to the instructions on the box.

Follow the directions on the fabric dye package when adding it to the water. Different varieties of dye will require various dye-to-water ratios. The amount of dye should be adjusted by how dark or light a hue you want. You can find directions on how to get the required shade in the dye’s box instructions. It is always better to follow the instructions. Nevertheless, we can say that the basic rule is the more, the darker; or the less, the lighter.

Step 4: Wet the curtains.

Before putting the curtains into the water and dye mix in the washing machine, you should wet the curtains. So that the result will be better. Wet the curtains thoroughly with hot water. To get rid of creases, softly wring them out and smooth them out.

WARNING!

If a fabric is labeled “Cold Water Wash” or “Dry Clean Only,” there could be damage to the fabric if it is dyed in hot water. These fabrics could shrink and cause unsatisfactory results. So if your curtains cannot be washed with hot water, you should use cold water instead. Again, check out the instructions written on the label of your curtains.

Step 5: Put the curtains into the washing machine.

Place the curtains in the washing machine’s dye bath. Use the most extended wash cycle on the washer. Once the engine is running, let the curtains go through one cycle.

Step 6: Let the machine do its work.

For at least 30 minutes before the washing cycle, keep the curtains wet in the dye bath. Reset the appliance to restart the wash cycle if it ends before the 30-minute mark. Forward the machine to the rinse cycle when at least 30 minutes have passed.

Step 7: Rinse the curtains with cold water.

Complete an entire cold water rinse cycle with the curtains. It might be essential to repeat the cycle. Rinse again and again until the washer’s rinse water is clear.

Step 8: Take out the curtains and dry them.

Take the curtains out of the washing machine. After removing the creases with your hands, hang the items to dry. This may take several hours according on the heat and weather.

Step 9: Hang the curtains.

After the curtains get fully dry, you can finally hang your new-color curtains.

How to dye dark curtains?

Dyeing dark curtains at home might be the hardest process among all curtain coloring methods. Because most of the time people don’t get the result they want. Dyes always give better results on light fabrics. The darker your curtains are, the harder it will be to reach the color shown on the package. So people generally opt for getting professional help. You may call the textile dyer in your neighborhood. However, there are some easy and recommended ways you can try to dye your dark-colored curtains.

When dyeing the dark curtain at home, you must whiten the fabric to get the best result. The most common thing to whiten curtains or any type of fabric is using bleach. There are two types of bleach: Chlorine bleach and oxygen / non-chlorine bleach.

One major benefit of chlorine bleach is that it may be used safely on many popular and long-lasting materials, such as cotton, polyester, and linen.

The other one is oxygen bleach. In general, it’s safe to use it on any machine-washable fabric, including spandex and colorful materials. Although curtain panels seldom contain spandex and your white curtains won’t show any color transfer, some curtain fabrics could have been finished in a way that will become yellow when exposed to chlorine bleach. Use oxygen bleach to whiten your white curtains if the cleaning labeling specifies “non-chlorine bleach only.”

Before adding bleach to the curtain, always dilute it with water. Start by soaking curtains in a solution of 1/4 cup bleach per gallon of warm water. After that, the curtains should be washed in the washing machine with hot water, ordinary detergent, and about 3/4 cup of bleach after about 10 minutes of soaking. Then, dry the curtains and choose one of the methods above to dye them.

WARNING!

Bleach, especially, chlorine bleach should never be poured directly on fabrics. This is dangerous for your curtains. It can cause the weakening of fibers, eat holes in the fabric, and cause extensive color removal.

Necessary tools on Amazon

In this part, we wanted to share some useful tools to dye your curtains at your home. We added some fabric dyes and bleaches for the curtains. They are all available on Amazon. 

Fabric dyes on Amazon

Rit Dye Multi-Purpose Liquid 8 OZ. | Great for Clothing, Accessories, Décor, and Much More | 2-Pack, Teal

This dye is a multi-purpose liquid fabric dye. It is easy to use and the results are great. It can be used on cotton, wool, polyester, and many more.

You can find it on Amazon.

Jacquard Idye Natural Fabric: Gold Ochre

This dye is different than what we have talked about so far. It comes in a dissolvable packet that can be dropped into hot water or tossed into your washer. You can use it on silk, cotton, linen, and more on the stovetop or in the washing machine. Each packet will dye two to three pounds of dry fabric.

You can find it on Amazon.

Bleaches on Amazon

Clorox Performance Bleach, 121 Oz, Pack of 3

This is chlorine bleach. You can use it to make your curtains as white as possible.

You can find it on Amazon.

Charlie’s Soap Oxygen Powered Bleach Powder, Color Bleach For Clothes, Safe Bleach for White Clothes, An Unscented Fragrance-Free Non-Chlorine Bleach 1.3 lbs (0.59 kg)

This one, on the other hand, is non-chlorine / oxygen bleach.

You can find it on Amazon.

Twice as Fresh VEN 2979646 100-Piece/Carton Heavy Duty 1 Load Coin-Vend Powdered Chlorine Bleach

The last two products are a little bit different. This one is a chlorine bleach but not the liquid one. This dry chlorine bleach should be added to the water.

You can find it on Amazon.

Generic BLEACH TABLETS

If you don’t want to experience any bleach accidents, you should choose to use those water-soluble bleach tablets to whiten your curtains.

You can find it on Amazon.

Last word

If you want to change your curtains, you can dye your curtains instead of buying new ones. You can either get them professionally dyed by contacting a textile dyeing service in your neighborhood or with two do-it-yourself methods with very few tools which are dyeing curtains in a bucket and dyeing curtains in a washing machine. Getting professional help is always a great opportunity but can be very expensive than you think. That’s why we have compiled two basic methods for you. These two life-saving hacks can change the whole atmosphere in your house. In the end, you won’t have to pay a lot of money and get an eye-catching result.