How to Dye Slipcovers

If you're bored with your old furniture, but can't afford to have it professionally reupholstered or replaced, consider color-dying your slipcovers. Dying the slipcovers of your couch, love seat, chair or sofa a dramatic new color is a cost-efficient and creative way to give your furniture an attractive facelift and revitalize the appearance of your home.

Powder or liquid dye designed for use in a washing machine
Washing machine
Slipcover

Instructions

- 1
  Wash your slipcover in the washing machine before dying to remove any spots and chemicals. Cleaning the slipcover will make the fabric more receptive to the dye.
- 2
  Purchase high-quality powder or dye for use in a washing machine from a supermarket or hardware store.
- 3
  Pre-dissolve powder or liquid dye in 3 cups of hot water. Add the dissolved dye to the washing machine.
- 4
  Fill up a sink with hot water and thoroughly saturate your slipcover in it. Smooth the wet slipcover out on a table. Set the washing machine for the longest cycle so your slipcover will sit in the dye bath for 30 minutes before the rinse cycle. Submerge your slipcover in the washing machine until it's completely covered by the dye bath.
- 5
  Rinse your slipcover in one or two cold-water rinse cycles and again in a sink until the water runs clear and there are no traces of dye residue. If you used a dark-colored dye, run the fabric through another wash cycle in warm water using a mild laundry detergent. Dry your slipcover in a clothes dryer or air-dry on a clothesline.

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