How to Tie Dye a Shirt Using Kool Aid

Last Updated: June 17, 2022

Looking for a fun way to spice up your wardrobe? Want to breathe fresh life into an old shirt by turning it into something new? Dyeing a shirt with Kool-Aid is a fun way to go! This process is fun, simple, and cheap, and it’s a great project that anyone can complete. In this article, we’ll break down the process from beginning to end so that you can craft a neat, new tie dye shirt.

1

Put gloves on and change into old clothes.

This can get messy, so take the proper precautions. Cover your work area with newspaper. You might make a mess doing this, so don’t wear anything you really care about!

2

Pour some cold water.

Fill a few cups or bowls up a little over halfway with water. The water must be cold, not cool or lukewarm.

3

Pour the Kool-Aid.

Add a different Kool-Aid color to each individual bowl or cup. Grab a few packets of your desired colors and pour them into the cups of water individually.

4

Dissolve the Kool-Aid.

Stir each bowl or cup with a spoon. Keep stirring the water until you can no longer see any of the Kool-Aid granules.

5

Add vinegar.

Pour a full cap of vinegar into each container and stir. This will help the Kool-Aid stick to the clothing.

6

Tie the shirt.

Using rubber bands, pull and twist the T-shirt into a twisted shape. Don’t try to think too hard about the shape you’re creating. Part of the fun is finding out what happens to the pattern!

7

Dip your shirt.

Put each rubber-banded section into a different color. Feel free to mix multiple colors on various sections of the shirt, if you’d like!

8

Place the shirt in a plastic bag.

When you finish dyeing the shirt, put it in a bag and tie it off. Make sure that the plastic bag is airtight.

9

Leave the shirt in the bag.

Wait at least 24 hours for the dye to settle in. This will give the dye time to cure into the fabric of the shirt.

10

Wash and dry the shirt.

This will help the dye settle fully. If you don’t wash and dry the shirt, the dye may not settle uniformly.

11

Enjoy your new shirt.

Take the shirt out of the dryer and throw it on! You now have a brand-new tie-dye shirt.

Community Q&A

Question

Instead of washing it in the sink, could you wash it in the washer and dry it in the dryer?

Community Answer

No. Wash it in the sink with cool water because it is a gentler wash.
Question

What do I wash it with?

Community Answer

Washing it with cold salt water helps lessen the color bleed and not stain other stuff once its been washed a few times. It helps lock in the stain.
Question

Does it have to be sugar free or can it have sugar?

Community Answer

The regular packets of unsweetened Kool Aid work best. The sweetened mix would take a huge amount to get the same intensity of color and would get quite expensive.

Warnings

Do not pre-wash t-shirt with fabric softener or the Kool-Aid will not absorb well.

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Do not drink the Kool-Aid afterwards.

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Kool-Aid may stain furniture.

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This will get messy so this experiment is best done outside.

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