Thursday, August 10, 2023

Dyeing Crocs

 Hello Readers. I love using fabric dye. It is easy and a fun way to change up the look of clothing. But synthetic dye can also be used on other things. I had heard that you could dye Crocs. I decided to try it out. 

 
Before and after.

 I had a shoe accident. I don't know how I did it but I split my clog sandal in half. Are my feet extra strong? I don't think so. Was the shoe weak? I am not sure but I was at work and I felt my shoe give out and that was it. This is what made me want to try and dye my orange Crocs brown. 

I had bought these Crocs recently and they were much brighter orange than I expected. (I bought them at night from my phone with the screen dimmed. That's on me.) They are amazingly comfortable so I waned to wear them all the time. But the color was an issue.

 
I used this Rit dye for synthetics. Cocoa brown sounded like a neutral color that would be work appropriate. I used a pan with warm water but I did not make the water too hot. Heat will damage your Crocs. They will shrink and they will harden. The best part of Crocs is the squish. 

I added a bit of dish washing liquid as directed. I stirred the dye into the water thoroughly. 

I soaked my Crocs for about 8 hours. I used gloves to move my Crocs around and swish the dye water to make sure the dye was still mixed well. I checked the color of the shoes several times, this was about half way through the dyeing process.
 
*REENACTMENT- I had to weigh my Crocs down because... they float! I put a rock on each sandal, that was enough to keep the shoe in the submerged in the dye.

The 2 different materials in these sandals took the dye differently but I was happy with how they turned out. They are just as comfortable but now they are a dark neutral color which is perfect for work.Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

***Year End Update- I still like these shoes in brown and wore them into fall when it got too cool to wear them.





5 comments:

mommy.in.austin said...

That's amazing. I didn't know that was possible!

KD said...

Your shoes are awesome. Who would have thought Crocs can be dyed? Great idea, thanks!

Jean said...

Hello... what a great end result for your croc's. I had no idea you could dye croc's... I have a lighter pair that seem to get dirty quite quickly. Guess I need to scrub them and try this out.
I have a question for you. I'm sure that you have seen/purchased possible a poly knit dress like the ones everyone is wearing. The one I have in mind is white background with multi colored flowers... red/blue/yellow and a little green. Can you think of a dye that would work this... mostly I want to dye the background, I realize that the flowers will be dyed also... the thing is after buying this and wearing it for a while, winter colors have always looked better on me. So the white doesn't help me a whole lot. If I can dye it that might work all the way around for me. Thanks for any help you might give me.
Jean

I Can Work With That said...

Thank you all for the comments. Jean- It sounds like the dress you are talking about is a poly blend. I think synthetic dye would work on that. The only one I am familiar with is the Rit brand but it's easy to find at stores.
Follow the directions to get the most effect on y0ur dress. The dye bath should be heated. I didn't do that for my Crocs but you can and should do it for your dress.
Chickie

Jean said...

Thanks, I appreciate the answer... I will have to give it a try.