How to Bleach White Clothes for the Brightest Whites

How to Bleach White Clothes by Soaking

You might need to experiment with the strength of bleach that best fits your purposes. Never pour undiluted bleach straight onto clothing or it will damage the item's fibers.

1. Dilute the Bleach

   Always dilute the bleach, as straight bleach can damage clothing, irritate your skin, and ruin the other clothes in your next few wash cycles. 

   Begin by mixing in a basin or bucket 1 part chlorine bleach to 4 or 5 parts warm water.

2. Soak Clothing

   • Leave your clothing submerged in the bleach solution for a maximum of five minutes so your clothes can stay safe; soaking clothing in bleach for too long may leave a tinge of yellow.
   • Check it every minute to see whether it has lightened to your liking. Keep in mind that the color will be a shade or two lighter when it is dry.
     

3. Rinse Clothing

   • Pour the diluted bleach down your drain (heavily diluted bleach is okay to put down a drain infrequently).
   • Rinse your item with warm water thoroughly to remove the bleach.
   • Air-dry or machine-dry your clothing according to the item's care label.

How to Bleach White Clothes in the Washing Machine

You can add bleach to your bleach-safe clothing because detergent can't always whiten your laundry. But you'll need to be diligent about rinsing the bleach out of your washer.

1. Select Cycle and Water Temperature

   • Select hot water and a heavy-duty wash cycle for best results.
   • Select hot water and a regular wash cycle for delicate items.

2. Add Bleach and Clothing

   Bleach and laundry need to be added differently to a top-loader vs. a front-loader washing machine:
   

   • Top loader: Add bleach to a top-loading washing machine before you add your laundry. Fill the washer tub with water until it is about half full, then add 1/3 to 2/3 of a cup of bleach (depending on how dirty the load is) and your regular amount of detergent. Then add clothing to the washer and don't overload. Complete the wash cycle.
   • Front loader: First add clothing loosely into the washer so they have room to freely tumble. Then add bleach and detergent to the maximum line in the appropriate dispensers. Start the washer and complete the wash cycle.

   Warning

   Never let undiluted bleach directly touch fabrics.

3. Add Rinse Cycles

   • Add an extra rinse cycle to make sure the bleach is completely rinsed out of your clothing.
   • Remove laundry and run the machine through an extra rinse cycle or an entire wash cycle without the clothing. This ensures all the bleach is rinsed from the machine, especially if you used an extra bit of bleach.

How to Bleach White Clothes Naturally

These methods have been used for generations. They may not be as effective as chlorine bleach. Lemon juice can be effectively used in both methods below.

1. Bleach Clothes With Vinegar, Lemon Juice, or Baking Soda

   Make a bleach-like mixture with distilled white vinegar, lemon juice, or baking soda, as an alternative to using bleach to brighten and whiten white clothes. Washing in cold water will help keep the fibers from weakening.

   • Vinegar: Pour in (top-load washer) or add to the bleach dispenser (front-load washer) 1/2 to 1 cup of distilled white vinegar with regular laundry detergent and cold water. You can also dilute the vinegar (1 part vinegar to 2 parts water) before adding. The vinegar smell will go away quickly.
   • Lemon juice: Pour in (top-load washer) or add to the bleach dispenser (front-load washer) 1/4 to 1/2 cup of lemon juice with regular laundry detergent in cold water. You can also dilute the lemon juice (1 part lemon juice to 2 parts water) before adding.
   • Vinegar and lemon juice: Pour in (top-load washer) or add to the bleach dispenser (front-load washer) a 1/2 cup of vinegar and 1/2 cup of lemon juice with regular laundry detergent in cold water. You can also dilute the vinegar and juice with a cup of water before adding.
   • Baking soda: Add 1/2 cup of baking soda (top-load washer) or add to the drum of a front-load washer before you add laundry. Then add your regular laundry detergent and wash in cold water. Do not mix baking soda with other ingredients (except detergent) when using in the washing machine because it's more effective on its own.

2. Sun-Bleach White Clothes Outdoors

   • Wash your clothes as you normally would.
   • It's an optional step to add 1/2 cup of lemon juice to the washing machine (pour into a top-loader and add to bleach dispenser in a front-loader) along with regular detergent as an added whitening boost.
   • Take damp clothing out of the washer and hang or lay flat in the sun to let the sun's rays naturally bleach the clothing. When arranging clothing on a line or rack, do so to allow the sun to reach all parts of the clothing.
   • Optionally, you can spritz your white item of clothing with a diluted mixture of 1 part lemon juice and 2 parts water as it is hanging or laying in the sun.
   • Leave the item to dry in the direct sunshine for two to three hours. Many people tend to leave items for up to eight hours for an extra whitening effect.
     

How to Bleach Dye Clothing

Bleaching to remove color is best done in small areas of the clothing where you want the lightened area to stand out. Here are a couple of ways to do that and what to do after you've applied the bleach.

1. Create Your Design With Bleach

   • For jeans, for example, use a spray bottle to get a spattered look that won't wreck the denim.
   • Try tying up clothing for a tie-dye bleach dip.
   • Place objects like leaves or stencils on the fabric for a bleach-resisting effect.
   • Create a design on your clothes by using a bleach pen. Make sure to place a piece of cardboard in between clothing layers.

2. Neutralize the Bleach

   After you are done dyeing, you need to stop the chemical process of the chlorine. Rinse the fabric with water. You can use professional-grade bleach neutralizers, but the most common household solution is hydrogen peroxide. Soak your project in 2 parts hydrogen peroxide to 10 parts water for at least 10 minutes.

   Warning

   Never use vinegar or ammonia to neutralize bleach because mixing either of these chemicals with bleach can create a toxic gas.

How to Maintain White Clothes

Now that your clothing is a perfect shade of white, everyday dirt, wear, and tear can make it dingy or yellow again. Here's how to avoid dullness, prevent stains, preserve the white colors, and avoid discoloration: 

• Pre-treating stains quickly when they happen: Use a stain remover as soon as you see a stain; use vinegar or commercial stain treatments.
• Wash white clothes together: Always sort and wash your whites separately from any colors (even gray) so there is no color transference in the wash.
• Hang to dry in the sun: Even if you're not doing the full sun-bleaching treatment, it's always a good idea to dry your whites in the sun every time you wash them.

Additional Tips for Successful Bleaching

• Over-bleaching will significantly weaken any fabric. When you use bleach, think more about lightening dark clothing, not completely whitening it. Many dyes actually become part of the fabric molecules, so it might be impossible to remove all color from certain items of clothing.
• Bleach works best on cotton, rayon, and linen. It will also work to dye synthetics like polyester.
• Use room temperature, fresh bleach (from a newly opened bottle) for the best results. Used and cold bleach is less effective.
• Not all fabrics are suited for the punch that bleach delivers. Even the smallest amount of bleach will cause wool and silk fibers to disintegrate.