Sometimes you will throw your white t-shirt in with colored towels in the washing machine without thinking about what will happen to it. You are therefore likely to see your t-shirt turn into colored clothing as a result. Sadly, there is no way to remove the colors from the t-shirt using a regular wash. It is possible, however, to re-whiten your t-shirt by using bleach.
If you use bleach to wash your colored clothes, the colors can be removed from the fabric permanently. However, over-using bleaches not only remove the colors but also destroy the fibers, breaking them apart. So, you must know the proper way how to bleach colored clothes to white.
What Is Bleach?
If we focus on bleach as a generic name, it refers to any chemical that is used to remove the color from fabrics. And, the process of cleaning cloth or removing stains using a chemical is called bleaching. Usually, you’ll see bleach in both domestic and industrial use.
However, there is a liquid version of bleach, which is named “liquid bleach”. To be specific, this liquid is a dilute solution of sodium hypochlorite and is famous as a commonly used chemical household product. Not to mention, you can also use liquid bleach to remove colors from yarns, fibers, or any kind of textiles.
How To Bleach Colored Clothes To White
The amazing fact is that most people in the world use only bleach to remove the color from a cloth, and that’s why almost every person knows the name of bleach. However, only knowing that much isn’t enough for using it to wash clothing. Though the process is not so tough to follow, you must have an apparent knowledge of the entire bleaching process. In like manner, we’ll show you the step-by-step process of bleaching clothes below.
1. Create the Solution
First, you need to arrange a few amounts of chlorine bleach and mix it with the water. When creating the solution, use four parts of water and one part of bleach. Besides, make the solution in enough amounts so that the required clothes can be soaked thoroughly.
Usually, you will find chlorine bleach at any departmental store. And, we have mentioned that specific bleach only because of the strength of removing colors. In most cases, this type of bleach is more successful than other versions in terms of making clothes white.
One thing is to remember always, chlorine bleach has toxic fumes in it, which are dangerous for a human to breathe in. So, we recommend using a face mask to get safety from poisonous particles. And, you should always work in a well-ventilated place.
2. Put The Clothes On The Mixture
After arranging the solution, you need to place your colored clothes in the mixture. Don’t use your hands to stir them. Instead, use any wooden spoon or another utensil to push them into the solution. When the clothes are submerged entirely, stir them more to make sure they soak bleach into all the fibers.
Be careful not to create a splash of the mix and wait until the clothes get saturated evenly. If you get some bleach mixture on your skin accidentally, wash immediately using cold water and freshen the skin fully.
3. Wait To Be Soaked
Now, the waiting time starts. You’ll have to wait for at least 10 minutes to give a rest to the clothes and don’t create any splashes or move the clothes from their places. Come back after 10 minutes to see the result. Use the spoon to lift some clothes and examine them to see if they’re white now.
If they’re not white enough, leave the clothes again for an extra 5 minutes. Likewise, check again using the same method after 5 minutes, and rest them again if not done. Repeat this process every 5 minutes until you get your desired color.
4. Wash Using Cold Water
When you are sure about getting your desired white color, remove the clothes from the solution and wash them in cold water. Use a bucket filled with cold water or a clean sink and place the clothes into any of them. After that, running cold water on them will deactivate the bleach from the clothes.
When performing these activities, try not to touch them using your hands. And, after mostly deactivating the bleach, rinse out the residue from the clothes. In this way, there will be no bleach left in the fibers. Gladly, the washed-out bleach doesn’t create any stain on other clothes that come into contact with the bleach. Finally, the fibers of the clothes are free from bleach entirely.
5. Use The Dryer
Here comes the final step. Now, you should wash your clothes safely using a washing machine and dryer. To do this, place the white clothes in the washing machine and get fully flushed to get rid of the bleach hundred percent. After using the washing machine, take out the clothes from it.
Next, check if there is any stain left. If you find any, wash them again in the washing machine. Then, use the dryer to dry the white clothes. Use standard settings in the dryer and never forget to check the tags of the clothes as they can have specific drying instructions on them sometimes. After drying the clothes correctly, you are now ready to wear your newly whitened clothes.
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
Can I Bleach Any Clothes To White?
Usually, most of the fabrics can be washed using bleach. In most cases, the bleaching process is very effective when used on cotton fabrics. So, if your cloth is made from a hundred percent cotton fabric, you’ll face no issues making it white. In other cases, you may face some difficulties, but you should be able to wash away the colors at some point. However, using too much bleach on the first try may damage your clothing, breaking the fibers into pieces.
How Long Should I Soak The Clothes In Bleaching Mixture?
You know that bleach is a powerful chemical that can damage the fabric with overuse. So, keeping the clothes soaked in their solution for a long time may damage your whole cloth. Besides, prolonged contact with bleach can be the cause of yellowing your clothes. For this reason, we recommend you soak the clothes for around 5 minutes. And, repeat the soaking to remove additional stains or colors.
Can I Use Undiluted Bleach For Clothes?
That’s always a no. While diluted bleach is so powerful that it can damage your clothing for overuse, there is no chance that using raw bleach can keep your clothes safe. Actually, there is a basic rule for using bleach for using it on soft or hard surfaces. Always dilute it using water when you want to make the bleach contact with the clothes. Using undiluted bleach is not only dangerous, but it can also discolor or damage a fresh cloth.
Conclusion
Ultimately, you can use chlorine bleach to shift colored clothes to white. As this bleach is very powerful, you should always be careful when working with it. For the most part, use a utensil to mix the clothes with the bleach mixture, and never make contact with the solution using your hands. This way, after completing the whole bleaching process, you can make your colored clothes white entirely.
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