Glauber's Salt

When working with fiber-reactive dyes, the choice between anhydrous sodium sulfate and table salt (sodium chloride) is important for the dyeing process, but they serve different purposes.

1. Table Salt (Sodium Chloride):

Purpose in Dyeing: Sodium chloride is used as an auxiliary in fiber-reactive dyeing, primarily to help the dye migrate onto the fabric. It increases the exhaustion of the dye, meaning it forces the dye molecules out of the water and into the fiber. This is particularly important in the initial stage of the dyeing process.
Effectiveness: It is the most commonly used salt for dyeing, inexpensive, and readily available. It’s essential in getting deep, even color when dyeing cellulose fibers like cotton.

2. Anhydrous Sodium Sulfate (Glauber Salt):

Purpose in Dyeing: Anhydrous sodium sulfate (also known as Glauber’s salt) serves a similar role as table salt but has a different mechanism. It slows down the rate at which dye enters the fiber, which can be useful for producing more level dyeings with less streaking.
Effectiveness: It’s often used for more controlled, slow dyeing processes and is particularly useful in situations where you want more gradual color application, such as when dyeing larger batches of fabric or delicate designs.

Key Differences:
Action Speed: Sodium chloride pushes dye onto the fabric faster, while sodium sulfate helps it absorb more evenly and slowly.
Results: Glauber Salt is better for achieving more even color distribution, especially in more complex or sensitive dyeing scenarios.
If you're dyeing with Procion dyes at home, sodium chloride (table salt) is typically the go-to unless you’re working with very specific techniques that require anhydrous sodium sulfate. Glauber improves the yield of Turquoise Fiber Reactive Dye and colors marked (T), giving a more intense color.

For dyeing solid shades: use 1 cup per gallon of water

For tie-dyeing: use 1 tablespoon per cup of dye solution.

Also used as a leveling agent for production dyeing with Leveling class Acid Dyes for wool and silk to get the most even results - use about 1 TBSP per lb of wool or silk. Yield: Approximately 1 1/4 cups per lb, but that can vary based on the density of individual lots.

Note - this is the anhydrous form of Sodium Sulfate, not the deca-hydrated form. Best for dyeing as mentioned above, but not usually what you are looking for for science experiments! (we've been asked)

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