One Response for "How can I dye an oriental rug?"

1. eatonwrite January 26th, 2010 at 3:37 am 1

   You want to do this at a laundromat, biggest machine possible.

   in cold water, bleach the rug. It may take two tries—using the largest possible machine, try a cup of detergent and a cup of bleach, and see what happens. If you get the desired shade, or lighten it enough, then you can immediately dye it (To a darker shade, of course.) Otherwise, double or triple the bleach, no detergent, and run it again.
   You may put additional bleach in the compartment where the fabric softener goes, and it will bleach it again on the rinse cycle.
   After you dye it, as a courteousy to the next person, run it through a cycle with detergent, empty. Or you can do a load of dark, old clothes, like blue jeans.

   To dry it, lay it on a flat surface, turning it occasionally, and avoid direct sunlight, ideally it will be in the shade on a warm, breezy day. If indoors, dry it on an old sheet on a carpet, with a fan pointed at it, again, turning it every hour or two.

   Good-luck—Brian