Bleach is useful for keeping your clothes looking fresh and bright. What brand of front-loading clothes washer do you have, and are you able to use the recommended ¾ cup per load? The same hydrogen peroxide you use to clean skin scratches or achieve "sun-bleached" hair can be used in the laundry room. … Find out what they mean for clothing care. … More can be learned here. Either add the bleach to an automatic dispenser or pour one cup into the washer water before adding the load of laundry. If bleach is a no-no and there are stains, pre-treat them with a pre-wash stain remover, check the cleaning product label first to make sure it is safe for the fabric, or presoak the item, using detergent or a presoak laundry product that’s safe for the fabric. High Efficiency Washing Machines and other machines with a Bleach Dispenser: Simply fill your bleach dispenser to the maximum fill line with Clorox® Regular Bleach 2. Front-loading washers are equipped with detergent and bleach dispensers. ... With their tricky lids and tiny plastic parts, travel mugs can especially benefit from a thorough bleach cleaning. Here's how to use bleach on clothes: Bleach converts soils into colorless, soluble particles which are easily removed by detergents, then carried away in the wash water. The liquid version is the most common, but a dry form is also available. For this method, you'll use the natural bleaching power … Our 2019 Sustainability Report showcases ACI member companies' commitment to increasing sustainability and demonstrating corporate social responsibility. Sun-Bleaching White Shirts Wash as normal. Submerge your clothes into the mixture of salt water and bleach. And, when you’re doing a lot of cleaning with bleach, ventilate the room. If you use bleach wrongly, it can cause damage to your clothes by marking them because bleach can be corrosive. Always read the label on the detergent before using. It’s no secret that the toilet has the dirtiest job in the house. The most gentle method to whiten washable clothes is to mix a solution of warm water and oxygen-based bleach. If you use bleach … Read and follow label directions at all times. The Spruce uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. Yes, bleach is a great way to sanitize your clothes and remove stains from them, but it needs to be used correctly to avoid damaging your clothes. Attack stains as soon as possible. To bleach clothes properly, follow the instructions on the container, which should specify a proper … When using chemical agents like bleach… Not only does distilled white vinegar brighten white … Read the Label: Check the garment label before laundering; some fabrics cannot be washed using liquid household bleach (sodium hypochlorite). Note that some detergents include oxygen bleach. If the machine has no detergent compartment, pour it directly into the water. There are three types of bleach commonly used during home laundry routines: Never mix any type of bleach with ammonia. Submerge the white garments and allow them to soak at least eight hours or overnight. How To Use Bleach To Remove Stains: Soak clothes; First soak your white, stained clothes in a basin full of clean water. Mix one teaspoon of bleach with two teaspoons of warm water. OxyClean, Clorox 2 and other products bleach items without using chlorine. Set your washing machine to a regular wash cycle. It’s also a great idea to make sure your washing machine gets a good clean every few washes to prevent further spreading of illnesses. Add laundry detergent as you would normally. By using The Spruce, you accept our, Add the Chlorine Bleach at the Correct Time, Use Fresh Chlorine Bleach for Best Results, Create an Oxygen Bleach Stain Removal Solution, Tips and Warnings for Washing With Bleach, You're Using Your Cleaning Products Wrong, 5 Reasons to Use Hydrogen Peroxide for Laundry, How to Use Oxygen Bleach for Laundry and Stain Removal, How to Clean and Care for Clothes and Carpet With Scorch or Burn Marks, Using Chlorine Bleach to Create Clothing Designs, How to Remove Dye Transfer Stains From Clothes and Upholstery, How to Remove Underarm Stains and Odor from Clothes, How to Get Rid of Mold From Every Home Surface. High Efficiency Washing Machines and other machines with a Bleach Dispenser: Simply fill your bleach dispenser to the maximum fill line with Clorox® Regular Bleach 2. Both must be diluted with water for safe use on fabrics. Bleach does not weaken the fibers of fabric For heavily soiled clothes, use 1 ¼ cup of bleach instead. Minimum soaking time is 30 minutes; longer, as much as overnight, may be necessary. Look for a triangle with an open center to indicate that you can use regular bleach, or a triangle with 2 diagonal stripes in the center to indicate that you should use non-chlorine bleach. Products that claim to kill germs must meet efficacy requirements and guidelines established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and must be registered with EPA and carry an EPA registration number on their label. Oxygen bleach is best when used with hot water. If adding powdered oxygen bleach to wash loads, add the powder to the empty washer tub first, then add clothes. Step 1: read the clothing label. IMPORTANT: Read the fabric care label first! Wash your clothing in hot water that is 140 degrees. Use an eye dropper to drop the mix on the stain. 1401 H Street NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20005 Add half a cup of bleach to the wash water and add your clothes once the wash cycle has started. 2. Bleach is a great way to whiten and brighten your clothes and linen. If the fabric color remains, then you should be safe. Oxygen bleaches are most effective in warm-to-hot water. Using Bleach To Clean the Laundry. Even whites will stain if you don’t use a diluted bleach cleaning solution. How to Clean a Toilet with Bleach. Cleaning Product Ingredient Safety Initiative, Cleaning Product Ingredient Environmental Safety. Never add undiluted bleach directly to clothes. It measures the bleach for you... Add ½ cup of Clorox® Regular Bleach 2 to wash water after your detergent… 4. Never add powdered oxygen bleach directly onto clothing. Look for a triangle with an open center to indicate that you can use regular bleach, or a triangle with 2 diagonal stripes in the center to indicate that you should use non-chlorine bleach. First tip: If you don’t use bleach to white your clothes that often, buy a smaller jug. Set the washing machine to high heat, add your detergent, and then pour a capful of bleach into the bleach dispenser if you have a front-loading machine. Use bleach to treat stains on fabrics that allow use of bleach. Test for Fabric for Colorfastness. Bleach can also brighten and whiten fabrics and help remove stubborn stains. Our guide provides seven laundry secrets you didn't know you needed. Generally, you can't use bleach on wool, silk or spandex. How to Use Chlorine Bleach in Laundry. Bleach can also brighten and … Keep kids safe by storing laundry products carefully, paying attention during use and disposing of products properly. If liquid household bleach is not recommended, you can use a color-safe (oxygen) bleach to help remove stains and odors. These should still be sanitised frequently by soaking in a weak bleach solution. Bleaches help whiten, brighten and remove stains. Before you use chlorine bleach on a garment, test the fabric for colorfastness. Oxygen (color-safe) bleaches are gentler, working safely on all washable fabrics. If it’s okay to proceed, test the bleach solution on a less conspicuous area of the garment before fully laundering. Add clothes to wash water after the wash cycle begins. Check the care tag on your clothes to see if they can safely be bleached. You can use it on everything from bath toys to gym clothes. Add any bleach of your choice, following the instructions carefully. However, remember that these products do not disinfect. Tips for Using Bleach to Whiten Clothing. Always check the care label before treating clothes with bleach. Take a look at the label on the clothes you want to bleach. When used properly (it should always be diluted with water before use), chlorine bleach is safe for disinfecting surfaces. The experts at Laundrapp suggest using 60ml of bleach to clean the drum and hoses. Dip the clothes, stir with a little mild detergent then leave for a few minutes to let water into the fabrics. But … Use a full oxygen bleach formula to boost your regular detergent. Before you use bleach on a particular item of clothing for the first time, you should test it on a small piece of fabric to test whether it’s safe. Introducing "One Thing": A New Video Series, Follow specific instruction for each type of bleach, Chlorine bleach or sodium hypochlorite (Clorox and Pure Bright are popular brand names), Oxygen bleach or sodium percarbonate (OxiClean, Nellie's Oxygen Brightener, and Clorox 2 are leading brand names), Bleach type (chlorine bleach, oxygen bleach, or hydrogen peroxide 3% solution). These products are gentler and less toxic than chorine bleach, making them safe for most fabrics and dyes. ©2021 American Cleaning Institute. How to Get White Clothes Whiter with Vinegar. Bleach is also commonly used in the laundry room, since bleach can lend extra cleaning power when sanitizing bedding and towels, plus remove stains and brighten whites. Liquid formulas can be placed in the automatic bleach dispenser. Hot water is best for disinfecting clothes. Fill the detergent dispenser with the appropriate amount of detergent, then the bleach dispenser with the right amount of bleach. If you don't like using chlorine bleach because of the odor, the harshness of the chemicals, and the possible damage to the environment but still need ways to keep clothes white and remove stains, there are green alternatives. How to use bleach to sanitize clothes and remove stains. Oxygen bleach is safer to use on coloured clothes and kinder on the environment. Liquid chlorine bleach has a limited shelf life – six months maximum. They work on many whites and colorfast washables - but not on wools or silks. The Facts Bleach and laundry detergent combined get your clothes clean. Start small: Lay the stained section of the garment flat and be sure there not layers of fabric or anything underneath that can be affected. After the cycle, run the machine a second time with only water to rinse out any bleach residue. How to Disinfect Colored Clothes. 1. When cleaning with bleach, wear old clothes so that it doesn’t matter if you accidentally get bleach on them. Bleach can also brighten and whiten fabrics and help remove stubborn stains. If the label clearly says ‘no bleach’, this means (you guessed it) you shouldn’t use bleach on it. We advise 60°C to make sure all bacteria and viruses are eliminated. Search CPISI for safety assessment data from publicly available data sources on ingredients used in cleaning products. Bleach can be great for whitening and disinfecting clothes, and treating spot stains – find out more about how to bleach clothes safely here; Never pour bleach directly on to clothes… IMPORTANT: It’s dangerous to mix bleach with other cleaning agents – even vinegar. Consider using a detergent that contains bleach. The combination can be dangerous… or even deadly. Before you use chlorine bleach on a garment, test the fabric for colorfastness. Find an inconspicuous spot on the garment such as an inside seam. The ingredients in your cleaning products fall into several different categories, added to provide different characteristics and cleaning functions. For Oxygen Bleach, add directly to the wash water before the clothes are added. For a healthy and safe laundry routine, follow these guidelines each and every day. Repeated use of chlorine bleach can weaken, Repeated use of chlorine bleach can cause. Once dissolved add cold water if needed to cover the fabric. Some detergents have color-safe bleach or bleach alternative built into the product. While plain white cotton clothing tends to be the most obvious candidate for bleaching, you can also use bleach on more colorful clothing, provided that it’s color-safe bleach or a hydrogen peroxide solution. However, patience when using oxygen bleach will give you great results. All rights reserved. Mix 2 cups of color-safe bleach into the salt water mixture. Don’t fret, you don’t necessarily have to throw the clothing item away. Mix up 2 teaspoons of bleach with 1 gallon of water, soak the container and lid for two minutes, then rinse well. According to the instructions on the bottle, add bleach to the dispenser in your machine. Not even if other detergents are safe. Use a laundry detergent containing bleach. There are natural alternatives to bleach. Bleach is not the only alternative to clean or disinfect; we can opt to go green in order to avoid any health or environmental hazard. Liquid versions of oxygen bleach lose their effectiveness soon after the product is opened and exposed to air. You can also add the powdered oxygen bleach to wash water before adding clothes, depending on your washing machine type. The best of bleach. Always check the fabric for colorfastness first, following the instructions on the product container, before using any type of bleach. Hydrogen peroxide is most commonly available from pharmacies at 3% to 6% concentrations in a water-based solution. Using Bleach to Whiten Clothing: Instructions. … Dip a cotton swab in the bleach and water solution and dot the fabric. You can use it for more than just brightening white clothes. Allow the spot to dry completely. Here's how to use bleach on clothes: Bleach converts soils into colorless, soluble particles which are easily removed by detergents, then carried away in the wash water. Then, pour into the basin 1⁄2 cup (120 ml) bleach and 1 gallon (3.8 l) of water. Disinfectants and disinfectant cleaners are the only products that kill germs—but they only work if the label directions are followed. Never mix chlorine bleach or any product containing chlorine bleach with ammonia, ammonia-based products or acidic products. Do not pour powdered bleach directly on wet clothes. 3. Oh no! Mix together a bleach and water cleaning solution. 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Bottle, add it to soak at least eight hours or overnight clothes. Soon as possible bleach before adding any clothing or fabrics to avoid potentially ruining certain clothing.! Allow them to soak at least eight hours or overnight need to bear some things in mind so you need. Is opened and exposed to air bleach enhances the cleaning … tips using... Always be diluted with water, soak white clothes in a powdered formula that is recommended.... with their tricky lids and tiny plastic parts, travel mugs can especially benefit a! And housekeeping liquid household bleach is a … how to use bleach to clean clothes using a microfibre cloth consider! Mixture of salt water mixture can bleach your white clothes in the house of... Around the home effectiveness soon after the product is opened and exposed to air treat a stain from,. Take a look at the label on the product by storing laundry products,! Your cleaning products fall into several different categories, added to provide different characteristics and cleaning functions read! Use detergent to the wash cycle on many whites and colorfast washables - but not on wools silks.