I’m planning to try my first dye — a fairly small amount of 60/40 cotton polyester fabric with (possibly) Rit’s DyeMore in graphite.

(Btw, if you’ve used this before, can the color become black with this? Or is there another brand I could use that would get my fabric black or very close to black?)

I have an large stock pot that I plan to use for the dyeing process, but what do I do after that?

Looking at instructions and videos online, it says you’re supposed to rinse the fabric in a stainless steel sink until the water runs clean.

My problem is that I don’t have a stainless steel sink. My kitchen and bathroom sinks are white porcelain, and I’m renting, so I REALLY don’t want to stain them!

Where can I dump the excess dye water from the initial bath, and where can I rinse the fabric afterwards without staining my sinks (or tub, or toilet, which are also white porcelain)?

I’ve heard some people put it in their washing machines, but I’ve also heard a lot of horror stories about the dye staining the inner barrel (mine is white plastic, not steel), or worse, affecting the colors of future loads of laundry.

Any suggestions for this dye newbie?