How to Make Jeans Darker

The more often you wash denim, the more quickly the color will fade. Washing jeans in hot water will expedite fading. The only way to make a pair of jeans darker is to use a commercial clothing dye product, such as Rit dye. These dyes are available at craft and drug stores and will quickly transform your faded or light-wash jeans into the dark-rinsed look you want.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Jeans
• 1 or 2 packages of navy blue Rit dye

1. Purchase one to two packages of navy blue Rit dye, depending on how dark you want the jeans to be. Do not purchase the Rit denim blue shade if you want a dark wash. For an extremely dark blue color, try using a navy blue dye along with a black dye.

2. Dissolve the dye powder into two cups of hot water. Stir the water to ensure that the color is distributed evenly.

3. Fill a sink or bucket with extremely hot water, and add the pre-dissolved dye solution. For the best results, water temperature should be at least 140 degrees F or 60 degrees C.

4. Wet the jeans in hot water, then add them to the sink or bucket.

5. Leave the jeans in the dye bath for as long as the water remains hot (approximately one hour). The longer the jeans sit, the darker the resulting color. Keep in mind that denim will look darker when wet.

6. Rinse the denim first in warm water, then again in cool water until the water runs clear.

7. Clean the bucket or sink with bleach or other commercial cleansing products immediately after removing the jeans to avoid staining.

8. Wash the jeans in cold water on a gentle cycle. Do not put other items in the washer with the jeans for this initial wash, as leftover dye may come off.

Tips & Warnings

• To keep your jeans dark, be sure to wash in cold water only. Products such as Woolite Dark Wash can also keep color from fading. A homemade solution is to use a half cup of vinegar in cold water.
• Be sure to follow the manufacturer's directions on the dye box.

Resources

• Rit Techniques for Dyeing