How to Bleach White Clothes

Co-authored by Robert Shapiro

Last Updated: December 11, 2022 References

White clothes can eventually lose their brightness, and may even start to turn yellow over time. They’re also quite vulnerable to stains. Luckily, you can easily bleach them to restore their original brightness and remove any discoloration. Bleaching your white clothes is simple, whether you choose to soak them, pop them in the washing machine, or spray them lightly with lemon juice and hang them in the sun.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Soaking Your Clothes in Bleach

1
Read the labels on your clothes to see if they are safe to bleach. Just because your clothes are white does not necessarily mean that they can be bleached. Check the tags on the clothes to make sure that you can bleach them– otherwise, you could damage or discolor the material. On the tag, there should also be information about how to care for and launder the clothing item. Make sure to keep this information in mind the bleaching process.^{[1]
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- If you can't find washing instructions on a tag, you can find them online, at least for certain brands of clothing.
2
Test the clothes to make sure they are safe to bleach. If there is no tag, or you are unsure if the clothes are safe for bleach, you can test them by placing a small amount of bleach on a hidden location like the inside of a collar, cuff, or pant leg. Add a small dab of bleach and wait to see if it discolors or damages the spot. If not, then the clothes are safe to bleach.^{[2]
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- Clothes made of silk, spandex, or wool may not bleach well. Check the label to see if they are safe to bleach.
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3
Mix 1 part all fabric bleach to 5 parts of hot water in a bucket. Fill a large bucket with enough hot water to cover all of your clothes. Mix in the all fabric bleach into the water in the bucket. The water should be hot to mix well with the bleach and to lift any stains from your clothes.^{[3]
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- All fabric bleach is safer to use on clothes and will not damage the fabric as much as chlorine bleach will.
- You do not need to boil the water, but it does need to be hot.
Warning: Bleach can give off toxic fumes, so be sure to work in a well-ventilated area or wear a face mask to avoid breathing them in.
4
Soak the clothes in the bleach for 10 minutes. Wear a pair of protective gloves and fully submerge the clothes into the bleach mixture.^{[4]
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Research source} Agitate the clothes by sloshing them around in the bleach water. Allow them to soak for at least ten minutes.
- If the clothes have not gotten whiter after 10 minutes , or if you still see stains on them, you can let them soak for an additional 5 minutes.
5
Remove the clothes and rinse with cold water to remove the bleach. When the white clothes have finished soaking in the bleach water, remove them and quickly rinse them with cold water. Bleach is highly corrosive and can damage the fabric if it is exposed to it for too long.^{[5]
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Research source} It’s important that you rinse the clothes with cold water to remove any excess bleach.
- Wring the clothes out and rinse them a few times if necessary.
6
Fill a bucket with 1 part hydrogen peroxide and 5 parts cold water. Add enough cold water to a bucket to fit all of your clothes and add the hydrogen peroxide. Because your white clothes have just been soaked in hot water and bleach, fill your bucket with cold water so you don’t damage your clothes. Stir the mixture to combine the peroxide and water.^{[6]
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7
Soak the clothes in the bucket of hydrogen peroxide and water for 10 minutes. Fully submerge your clothes in the peroxide and water mixture. Then, agitate them by mixing them around in the bucket. The peroxide will work to further whiten your clothes and will also completely neutralize the bleach, preventing any possible damage from over-bleaching.^{[7]
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- After the clothes are finished soaking, rinse them with cold water to remove the peroxide.
8
Dry the clothes in the dryer or by hanging them up. Your white clothes should look considerably whiter, and any stains that were on them should have faded away. All that is left to do is dry them and wear them. You can either machine-dry them, or hang them up on a clothesline to dry.^{[8]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Bleaching Clothes in a Washing Machine

1
Check the clothing labels to see if they are machine and bleach safe. Not all clothing is safe to bleach or safe to wash in a washing machine. Check the tags of any white clothes you plan to bleach in the washing machine.^{[9]
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- Also check that your clothes can be washed in a hot water cycle.
Tip: If your clothes do not have a tag, you can test the bleach on a hidden spot like the inside of a sleeve or pant leg to see if it is safe to use.
2
Set the washing cycle temperature to hot. Bleach is most effective at whitening clothes and removing stains when used with hot water. Turn the dial on the washing machine to the hottest wash cycle.^{[10]
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- Follow the directions of the label on the clothing item. If the label says that it cannot be washed in hot water, then don’t set your washing machine to a hot wash cycle!
3
Place the clothes into the washing machine. Before you turn on your washing machine, you need to put all of your clothes into it so you can be sure they will all fit. Don’t bunch up or compress your clothes to make more fit into the washing machine because this can affect how well they are bleached. You can always divide them for another wash if necessary.^{[11]
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4
Add detergent to the detergent dispenser. Laundry detergent can increase the effectiveness of bleach. Use the amount of detergent that is appropriate for the amount of white clothes that you are washing. Pour the detergent into the slot that holds detergent in the dispenser tray, which should slide out of the machine.^{[12]
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- Many bottles of liquid detergent have a cap that you can use to measure the amount of detergent you need to add.
- If your washing machine does not have a tray to add detergent, you can pour the detergent directly into the machine and on top of your clothes.
5
Pour ¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) of all fabric bleach into the dispenser tray. Add the bleach into the slot specifically for bleach in your washing machine’s automatic dispenser. Be careful not to splash or spill the bleach when you pour it. Do not pour the bleach directly onto the clothes because it will discolor and damage them.^{[13]
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- If your washing machine does not have an automatic dispenser, add the bleach into the water after you turn the machine on and the water is running.
6
Turn on the washing machine. After you’ve added your detergent to the detergent slot and your bleach to the bleach slot in the dispenser tray, turn on the washing machine. The machine will wash your white clothes and the bleach will brighten them and remove any stains.^{[14]
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- If your clothes are not as bright as you want them, or if you still notice stains after washing, do not repeat the cycle. Dry the clothes completely before washing them again.
7
Dry your clothes in the dryer or on a clothesline. When the clothes have finished washing in the machine, take them out and dry them. You can either machine dry or hang them on a clothesline to dry. But if you dry them in a machine, they may shrink.^{[15]
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- The bleach has already been removed during the washing cycle and will not continue to affect the clothes.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Bleaching Clothes in the Sun

1
Soak the clothes thoroughly with water. You can either wash the clothes first, or just pour water on them. Clothes will bleach better in the sun if they are wet first. Wring out any excess water so that they are damp, but not sopping wet.^{[16]
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- Do not use water that contains chlorine because this can discolor the clothes in the sunlight.
2
Hang the clothes out in direct sunlight. Take your wet clothes and place them in direct sunlight. Be sure they are exposed to the light evenly so that they don’t partially bleach and discolor the clothes. Space them out from each other so the sunlight covers all of them completely.
- If you don’t have a clothesline, you can lay the clothes out on the ground. Place cardboard or some other material to lay them on, and be sure to flip them so that they bleach evenly.^{[17]
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3
Spray the clothes with a mixture of water and lemon juice. In a spray bottle, combine 2 cups (470 mL) of water and ¹⁄₄ cup (59 mL) lemon juice and shake it up well to mix it. Lightly spray each item of clothing. Make sure you coat all of them evenly so you don’t end up with spots.^{[18]
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- The citric acid in the lemon juice is a natural bleaching agent, especially when exposed to sunlight.
Tip: If you don’t have a spray bottle, you can add lemon juice to the water that you use to wet the clothes.
4
Leave the clothes in direct sunlight for 3 hours. Allow the clothes to soak up the sun undisturbed for up to 3 hours. Any more exposure to sunlight can start to damage the fabric of your clothes. Remove the clothes from the clothesline before any damage can occur.^{[19]
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- You can check the clothes after 1 hour to see if you are satisfied with the results.
- If you laid your clothes out on the ground, be sure to rotate them for even exposure.

Community Q&A

Question

Can you soak white clothes in bleach overnight?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

Bleach can weaken the fibers or the clothes or even stain them yellow, so be cautious. It’s generally not recommended that you soak clothes in bleach for more than a few minutes. If you want to soak your clothes for longer, use a chlorine bleach alternative, such as oxygen bleach.
Question

Does baking soda whiten clothes?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

Baking soda can gently remove some stains. Fortunately, bleach is also one of the few chemicals that you can safely mix with bleach, so you can combine the two for even more powerful stain removal.
Question

Will vinegar bleach clothes?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

Vinegar can help lift stains and brighten white clothes. However, be mindful that vinegar is acidic and may damage delicate items.

Warnings

Bleach can be toxic. Be sure not to get any on your skin or breathe in the fumes. Wear gloves and work in a well-ventilated area when handling bleach.

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Be extremely careful when using bleach at home, since if it splashes on another garment, it'll automatically pull the color of it.

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