Soda Ash Fixer

Pure Dense Sodium Carbonate

Soda Ash Fixer
4.85 star rating 4.85 ( 476 review )
Product Details 1-1 2+
Soda Ash Fixer 1lb. $1.75 1.59
Soda Ash Fixer 5lb. $6.25 5.75
Soda Ash Fixer 25lb. $25.95 24.49
Product Details Qty
Color Chip / Item image 1 lb. (approx. 1.75 Cups)
This product is sellable
Color Chip / Item image 5 lbs. (approx. 9 Cups)
This product is sellable
Color Chip / Item image 25 lbs. (approx. 44 Cups)
This product is sellable
All prices calculated in US$
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Dharma Fiber Reactive Dye must be 'fixed' (made permanent) with soda ash on cotton and other cellulose fibers. It's a mild alkali that enables the reaction between the dye and the cellulose fibers at lower temperatures, causing them to "become one", and the reason Fiber Reactive Dye is so permanent. How much you use is normally a function of the amount of water, not the amount of fabric or dye. Roughly 1 oz. per gallon of water is needed when garment dyeing or 1 cup per gallon of water as a pre-soak when tie-dyeing. If you don't use enough, the dye won't yield full strength. A pH of 10.5 is ideal. It can also be used to fix fiber reactive dyes on silk when you don't want to use a lot of heat (as with steaming or the simmering with vinegar method), but BE CAREFUL, as it can reduce the sheen, or even cause silk to fall apart - use half as much, and expose the fabric to it for less time than cotton (presoak right before tie-dyeing and cure for no more than 4 to 6 hours). The thinner the silk, the more likely it will be damaged by Soda Ash. An alternative on silk is the much weaker alkali, baking soda, then curing several days or steaming or microwaving to "set". Wool feels "brittle" after exposure to Soda Ash. Acid Dyes are better for wool, and silk too, but must be cured with lots of heat/steam.


Caution! The soda ash solution is mildly caustic - it can irritate your skin and you definitely do not want to get it in your eyes or breath the dust. Treat it with the same respect as you would treat powdered bleach or other caustic laundry products. Keep away from children and pets!
Wear  at least an N95 dust mask when mixing the powder, gloves and eye protection. Rinse off at once to avoid eye and skin irritation. If you get it in your eyes, immediately flush with water for 15 minutes and call you doctor if you have remaining irritation.

Also, protect all surfaces that might be vulnerable to this common caustic household product.


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PRODUCT REVIEWS
Average Customer Review
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MOST HELPFUL REVIEWS

5 star rating
8/20/2017
5
Soda ash is sold in many places and I know of dyers who say to buy a big pail of it from a swimming pool supply house because there's no difference in quality. I beg to differ. I tried swimming pool soda ash and it was soft and flaky if you squeezed a handful of it it would stick together like a snowball. When you poured 14 cup of it into a quart of water it didn't disperse but quickly formed a hard white boulder that sank to the bottom. Dharma's soda ash is granulated like sugar. Pour that 14 cup into your quart jar of water and it readily disperses. Any residual sediment quickly disappears when you screw the lid on and shake the jar. A HUGE difference!
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44 of 44 users found this review helpful.

5 star rating
5/3/2013
5
This is an essential step for dying. Works best if you dissolve in REALY hot water. I usually boil water to dissolve it in then let the solution cool before adding to my dye mix. I never have clumping issues doing it this way. Thanks
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60 of 63 users found this review helpful.

5 star rating
7/7/2009
5
We had one shirt that showed up late after we had started clean-up and the soda ash had been tossed. She still went ahead and dyed her shirt but the colors were barely there after the wash. This is a step you just can't skip!
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56 of 59 users found this review helpful.

5 star rating
9/13/2009
5
Easy to use but should have stirred as I added it into the water....
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24 of 27 users found this review helpful.

5 star rating
1/28/2015
5
I wouldn't do tie dye without Dharma's soda ash fixer! The difference is like night & day. We found that it is CRITICAL to completely submerse garments by weighting them down in the solution so they won't float. It made a huge difference in our results!
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7 of 8 users found this review helpful.


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