Aging T-Shirts In Six Easy Steps: Vinegar & Tea Soak (Part 7)

a red plastic bucket, a bottle of lemon juice, a box of earl grey tea, a bottle of vinegar, two samples of sandpaper, a nail file, and a plastic measuring cup

Materials: Lemon juice, Salt, Measuring Cup(s), Vinegar, Bucket(s), Stainer (Tea, Coffee, Paint, Dirt, etc.)

Method: 1. Wash and dry shirts one to three times, in advance, if possible (optional). See our previous installment on Salt & Washing Soda for easy reference.

2. To further fade brights, make a solution of 1 part lemon juice to 3 parts water and soak the t-shirt(s) for anywhere between 3 and 12 hours. Line dry if possible.

3. When dry, soak the t-shirt in a solution of sea salt (which acts here as an abrasive) and water, ideally at a 1 to 9 ratio, for a minimum of 48 to 72 hours.

several t-shirts soaking in a clear plastic tub

You can't hit my fastball.

 

4. Line dry.

5. Steep your shirt(s) in a large bowl, pan, or bucket. Add staining agents and stir vigorously to achieve an even distribution. This will take anywhere between 20 minutes and 72 hours, depending on the color of the tee and the amount of staining agent used (you’ll need to keep a close eye on the solution). Pull and line dry.

a clear plastic tub with several tea bags in it and a box of lipton tea in the middle

Tea Bags = Win!

 

Redux:

a clear plastic tub with several tea bags in it and a box of lipton tea in the middle

6. When the shirts are dry, soak again in a solution of vinegar and water (ideally, at a 1 to 3 ratio) for 4 to 12 hours (or longer if you prefer). The vinegar will help set the stain in the fabric.

a t-shirt soaking in tea water

This shirt has tiger blood for ink.

 

7. Wash and dry on normal.


8. Apply the sandpaper technique as needed.

two white t-shirts, one has been aged using tea and one is brand new

Tea staining gives tees a dingy, vintage quality.

 

A fastball that’s over the middle of the plate:

close up view of two white t-shirts, one has been aged using tea and one is brand new

Balls (right) and strikes (left).

 

Results & Conclusions: One wonders just how effective or necessary the early steps outlined above are, but steeping your tees in teas will lend them a vintage, worn-in quality. As with bleaching, described in part two of our project, it is tricky to control the application with any certainty. Note the change in the Wild Thing design above, which soaked for 12 hours and clearly took on a distressed state.

Bonus points: this technique can be paired with Acetone for a tandem approach (as it was above).

Based on the early success of the Wild Thing sample, we expanded this experiment to include two other shirts, Guns Don’t Kill and Wake Me When It’s Quitting Time. We extended the duration of the soak to roughly 48 hours expecting a stronger, more pronounced effect, but the results were unexpectedly mixed.

two orange t-shirts, one is brand new and one has been aged

The orange hues don’t render all that different here in picture form. The shirt on the left, treated, has lost a bit of its luster, but the discrepancy is minor and almost imperceptible here in picture form. It did have something of a splotchy complexion but unfortunately, that didn’t register on camera. Note that we did treat the first bit of text, “Guns,” with acetone prior to dumping it in the tea soak.

In the crosshairs:

close up view two orange t-shirts, one is brand new and one has been aged

We had better success with our second selection. Note the much deeper shade of yellow on the left.

two yellow t-shirts, one has been aged and one is brand new

Closer:

close up view of two yellow t-shirts, one has been aged and one is brand new

As with Guns, one element of the top line, in this case the “W,” was treated with Acetone. If we were to revisit this experiment, we would treat the entire slogan so as to fill out the effect. However faint, there was also an uneven quality to the discoloration, as there was with Guns, an effect that lends the shirt a tired, worn-in quality.

Next: Conclusion!