Thread: Neon/UV/Blacklight Reactive Dye?

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On Ebay I found colored reactive dye concentrate you mix. It's cheap enough (I think) but wondered if there is off the shelf alternatives? I've seen some of y'alls glowing witch bottles and wonder what you use.

Off the cuff I would guess Ritt Whitener with a little food coloring for instance. I also recall someone suggesting fabric softener.

Help please folks?

Edit: I intend this for my witch scene potion bottles.

Actually for colored hi lights I use highlighter markers. Like the ones used for paper. For white I use RIT whitener.I've heard of people using detergents like tide and not rinsing it out thoroughly. I haven't tried that though.

tide will glow pretty well in black light

I buy Hi-Liters, and just take the sponge out of the Marker case, and put it in water. Then I just let it all soak into the water, and fish it out. (I use that for glowing witch potions, ect). I guess if you dipped some material or fabric into this it would have a neon affect, never tried it myself!

Originally Posted by thehorrorfinatic

I buy Hi-Liters, and just take the sponge out of the Marker case, and put it in water. Then I just let it all soak into the water, and fish it out. (I use that for glowing witch potions, ect). I guess if you dipped some material or fabric into this it would have a neon affect, never tried it myself!

How much water to a marker pen (I assume the chisel point large ones).

I believe Tonic Water has Quinine in it which reacts to UV light very agressively. I use UV reactive paints, laundry detergents (with bluing) and glow in the dark paints in my haunt. Even UV reactive paints added to water glow nicely. In the past, i had used Polyethelyne Glycol or antifreeze diluted in water which does give off an eerie glow under black light but can be dangerous, especially with kids and pets around so i stopped using it altogether. The problem is, it's sweet to the taste initially and a dog will usually lick it up without a second thought, this will eventually cause kidney (renal) failure and your pet or child will be harmed. Some unscrupulous companies have actually used this product (or variants) in day-to-day products (in the past), to enhance the taste.

Originally Posted by Yubney

How much water to a marker pen (I assume the chisel point large ones).

The maker tips will work with most any volume of water. It really doesn't matter, but it will be more consentrated in smaller volumes therefore it will be brighter under the blacklight.

It doesn't take a lot of water to the highlighter to make a jug glow.

But, if you soak a whole marker, it can get so thick with the dye you won't be able to see through the water under blacklight. So, just do as much as you need.


Fabric softener will glow well also, it's a white/blueish color. (well, whatever brand my wife buys glows that color anyway)

I also use the Flourescent Highlighters...However this type UV dye used for Automotive AC leaks works too!!! You should be able to find it at you local automotive parts store.

Supercool 9497 A/C Leak Detection Dye

or you could pick up some flourescent Dye samples from here?
Bright Dyes - Dye Tracing Products - Leak Detection, Tracing, Detect Flow and more

I found this list of GID items. I won't take credit for it, and I haven't tried it out yet.

• Petroleum Jelly
Petroleum jelly, such as Vaseline, glows a bright blue color under a fluorescent light.
• Club Soda or Tonic Water
The bitter flavoring of tonic water is due to the presence of quinine, which glows blue-white when placed under a black light.
• Body Fluids
Many body fluids contain fluorescent molecules. Forensic scientists use ultraviolet lights at crime scenes to find blood, urine, or semen (all fluorescent). You know someone on the forum will use all 3.
• Vitamins
Vitamin A and the B vitamins thiamine, niacin, and riboflavin are strongly fluorescent. Try crushing a vitamin B-12 tablet and dissolving it in vinegar. The solution will glow bright yellow under under a black light.
• Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll makes plants green, but it fluoresces a blood red color. Grind some spinach or swiss chard in a small amount of alcohol (e.g., vodka or everclear) and pour it through a coffee filter to get chlorophyll extract (you keep the part that stays on the filter, not the liquid). You can see the red glow using a black light or even a strong fluorescent bulb, such as an overhead projector lamp, which (you guessed it) gives off ultraviolet light.
• Antifreeze
Manufacturers purposely include fluorescent additives in antifreeze fluid so that black lights can be used to find antifreeze splashes to help invesitagors reconstruct automobile accident scenes.
• Laundry Detergents
Some of the whiteners in detergent work by making your clothing a bit fluorescent. Even though clothing is rinsed after washing, residues on white clothing cause it to glow bluish-white under a black light. Blueing agents and softening agents often contain fluorescent dyes, too. The presence of these molecules sometimes causes white clothing to appear blue in photographs.
• Tooth Whiteners
Whiteners and some enamels contain compounds that glow blue to keep teeth from appearing yellow.

• Some Minerals and Gems
Fluorescent rocks include fluorite, calcite, gypsum, ruby, talc, opal, agate, quartz, and amber. Minerals and gemstones are most commonly made fluorescent or phosphorescent due to the presence of impurities. The Hope Diamond, which is blue, phosphoresces red for several seconds after exposure to shortwave ultraviolet light
• Jellyfish
If you have a jellyfish handy, see what it looks like under a black light in a darkened room. Some of the proteins within a jellyfish are intensely fluorescent.

I hope this helps