How to Lighten Clothing with Bleach

Co-authored by Jessica Gibson

To give your clothes new life, fade them with a bleach solution. You can lighten denim that's too dark or give new T-shirts a vintage feel by briefly soaking them in the solution. If you'd like more control over applying the bleach, fill a spray bottle with bleach and spritz it over your clothes. Toss your lightened clothes in the washing machine and enjoy your custom faded clothes!

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Soaking Clothes to Fade Them

1
Arrange 3 large bins or bowls next to each other. Choose containers that are large enough to hold the clothes that you want to lighten. If you'd like to fade several items, you might want to bleach them individually so you don't accidentally overprocess the clothes.^{[1]
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- If you don't have 3 bins, you could use your sink or tub and a few buckets.
Tip: If you touch bleach with bare hands, you can irritate your skin so wear gloves. Since bleach is a hazardous material that can also cause respiratory irritation, open windows or work outside for the best ventilation.
2
Pour 1 part bleach and 10 parts hot water into 1 bin. Get out a large measuring cup or jug and fill it with as much bleach as you'd like. Pour this into the leftmost bin and then fill your measuring cup with the same amount of very hot water. Add this to the bin along with 9 more parts of hot water to the bin. This creates a bleach solution that's safe for your clothes.^{[2]
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- For example, if you're using 1 cup (240 ml) of bleach, add 10 cups (2.4 L) of water.
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3
Fill the second bin half full with cold water. Position this bin so it's in the middle of your bleaching station. You'll use this second bin of cold water to rinse the clothes, so don't fill it too full or the water may spill over the top of the bin.^{[3]
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4
Combine chlorine neutralizer and water in the third bin. Buy a container of chlorine neutralizer from a pool supply store or online. Follow the manufacturer's directions to dilute the chlorine neutralizer with water and pour the mixture into the rightmost bin. Use enough solution to fill the bin half full.^{[4]
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- You may also be able to find chlorine neutralizer at some hardware stores.
5
Hold the fabric under hot running water. Turn on the faucet and let the hot water run until it's very hot. Then, put the clothes under the running water until they're soaked. Squeeze out the excess water, but don't twist or wring the fabric.^{[5]
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- The heat will help open the fibers so the bleach can penetrate the fabric and fade it.
Tip: Bleach can damage or weaken the fibers of some fabrics. Avoid lightening clothes made with spandex, wool, silk, acetate, leather, or mohair.
6
Submerge the clothes in the bleach bin for 1 to 15 minutes. Place the clothes in the bin with the bleach solution and push down until the fabric is soaked. If you only want a light change in the fabric, leave the garment in for a minute or two. To dramatically lighten the clothes, soak the clothes for up to 15 minutes.^{[6]
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- Since the soaking time varies so much depending on your clothes, pay close attention so you can remove the clothes as soon as they're as light as you want.
7
Remove the clothes from the bleach and squeeze the solution out. Once the clothes are as faded as you like, lift them up so the solution drips back into the bin. Gently squeeze the clothes to remove the excess solution before you rinse the items.^{[7]
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- Remember to keep your gloves on when handling the clothes.
8
Soak the clothes in the cold water bin. Place the clothes into the middle bin that has the cold water. Push down so the clothes are submerged and swish them to release the excess bleach.^{[8]
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Tip: If you prefer or you don't have a bin for the rinse water, hold the clothes under cold running water in the sink.
9
Put the clothes in the neutralizer for 10 minutes. Take the clothes out of the rinse water and squeeze the water out. Then, submerge the clothes in the neutralizer solution, which stops the bleach from continuing to lighten the fabric. The neutralizer also reduces the smell of the bleach.^{[9]
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- There's no need to rinse out the neutralizer. Just squeeze out the liquid before you machine wash the lightened clothes.
10
Wash the clothes in the washing machine according to the care label. Refer back to the care label so you know what temperature water to use and what setting to select. Turn on the machine and wash your clothes with your standard laundry detergent. Then, hang or machine dry your newly lightened clothes.^{[10]
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- For example, the tag may recommend washing the clothes in lukewarm water on a gentle cycle or in hot water on a standard cycle, for instance.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Spraying Bleach onto Fabric

1
Read the tag to determine if the fabric is safe to bleach. Most tags will warn you that bleach could discolor the clothes, which is fine if you're trying to fade them. However, bleach can damage or weaken the fibers of some fabrics. Avoid lightening clothes made with:^{[11]
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- Spandex
- Wool
- Silk
- Acetate
- Leather
- Mohair
Did You Know? If you see a triangle on the tag, the garment is safe to bleach. If the triangle has lines crossing through it, the fabric shouldn't be bleached.
2
Spread the garment on an old towel in a well-ventilated space. Open the windows or work outside so you don't breathe in bleach fumes. Lay an old towel or cloth on your work surface and arrange the item you want to bleach on it.^{[12]
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- Since bleach is hazardous, put on gloves to prevent skin irritation.
3
Fill a spray bottle with bleach and water. If you'd like to give the clothes an all-over faded look, dilute your bleach. Pour 1 part of bleach into an empty spray bottle and pour 5 parts of water into the bottle. Then, screw on the spray nozzle. For example, pour ¹⁄₂ cup (120 ml) of bleach and 2 ¹⁄₂ cups (590 ml) of water into the bottle for a mild solution.^{[13]
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- To noticeably lighten the clothes, you could buy a spray bottle of bleach, which you can spray directly on your clothes.
4
Spritz the garment until it's as lightened as you like. Hold the spray bottle over the clothes and spray the bleach solution onto the fabric where you want to lighten it. Keep spraying until the clothes are as faded as you want. You could spray evenly across the fabric for a uniformly faded look or spritz just a few areas that you want to lighten.^{[14]
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- Remember to turn the garment over so you can spray the opposite side.
5
Machine wash the clothes according to the care label. Look at the care label to see what temperature water you should use and which setting to turn your washing machine to. Put the bleach-sprayed clothes in the machine and run a cycle with standard laundry detergent. Then, take the clothes out and hang or machine dry them.^{[15]
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- The tag might recommend washing the clothes in hot water on a standard cycle or in warm water on a gentle cycle, for instance.

Warnings

Since bleach is a hazardous material, work in a well-ventilated space and wear gloves. Avoid getting bleach into your eyes or on your skin.^{[17]
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