We're all about colorful Easter egg dye come spring, but if we're honest, we're not always thrilled with the cleanup. Whether you're dyeing with or without a kit, there are tons of bowls, spoons, and paper towels to scrub once your finished. And don't even get us started on what happens if you spill the dye!
If you want to dye eggs this year but are feeling hesitant about everything it entails, don't worry because this hack from Reynoldsis here to save the day. We like to hard boil our eggs before dyeing, but blown eggs work just as well. Then just grab your slow cooker and get dyeing!
An Easy + Clean Egg Dye Hack
Image via Reynolds Kitchens
First, make some DIY slow cooker dividers with cardboard wrapped in aluminum foil.
Once your slow cooker is divided into four sections, line each section with saran wrap, plastic bags, or slow cooker liners. This will let you use more than one color, but still gives you enough space to dye multiple eggs at once!
Next, fill each section with water. Make sure that, while you want to fill them enough for multiple eggs to be submerged, you don't fill them too high. You don't want the water to overflow — that's definitely not mess-free!
Image via Reynolds Kitchens
Add your Easter egg dye to each section. Pink, purple, and blue are classic shades!
Image via Reynolds Kitchens
Gather your hard boiled or blown eggs to add to the water. You can use strips of tape or string to make all kinds of striped and dotted designs. Then all you have to do is just drop them in the water and wait! This is the perfect opportunity to make a colorful Easter cocktail ;).
The longer the eggs sit in the dye, the darker the color will turn out. So if you prefer pastel eggs, only leave them in for a few minutes.
Image via Reynolds Kitchens
When you remove your eggs from the dye, let them dry on a cookie rack before you remove the tape and the string. Display them on a pretty plate along with your Easter desserts, or as a centerpiece!
Image via Reynolds Kitchens
Voilà! A rainbow of colorful eggs, all boasting different designs. And the best part is, all you have to do to clean up is throw away the liners and the cardboard, then put your slow cooker back in your cabinet. We'll definitely be doing this from here on out.
How To Dye Easter Eggs: More Colored Egg Dye Ideas For Display
Marbled Nail Polish Eggs
If you're not too keen on buying food coloring that you'll only use every once in awhile, just use your nail polish! Instead of adding dye to the sections, pour in your polish. You can use a toothpick to swirl everything around and achieve that marbled look. Have some nail polish remover nearby because your fingers will get messy.
Mosaic Easter Eggs
This hack is a great option for using up hard boiled eggs because you have to peel one to make it! (AKA, you'll have a snack to accompany your DIY). After you peel an egg that you've already dyed, use a hot glue gun to attach the broken shell pieces to a second, plain egg. Easy-peasy.
Sharpie Tie Dye Eggs
This Easter egg design only takes ten minutes, which makes it perfect for busy evenings or for kids who can't sit still for too long. Fill your slow cooker sections with nail polish remover instead of water, then color your eggs with as many Sharpie colors as you want. Dunk them into the nail polish remover (or smear with a wet Q-tip) to give them that tie-dye look.
Housefront Easter Eggs
Paint your favorite TV characters' apartment building or your childhood home onto eggs for a fun and nostalgic DIY. Once you've drawn your design, you'll want to tape up the rest of the egg to make sure the dye stays where you want it. Paint the house with the egg dye, or submerge the whole egg in a slow cooker section. Set to dry.
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