How to Properly Bleach a T-shirt

That’s right, we’re talking about one of the biggest trends in the garment decorating industry— BLEACH! Bleaching a T-shirt adds character to your clothes and offers a new medium of creativity...if you do it the right way that is! Every DIY project comes with its fair share of challenges, however, bleach tends to add more risks to the equation. To avoid ruining any items of clothing in this process, it’s important to do your research and follow the right steps. Of course, we took care of the research part! Now, all you have to do is follow these seven, easy steps:

Before starting, be sure to gear up

Here is what you'll need:

• You go-to DIY clothes (something you aren't afraid to ruin)
• Bleach
• 3% Hydrogen Peroxide
• Measuring Cup
• Protective Gloves
• 100% cotton T-shirt
• 2 plastic dishpans
• Clean white towel

First, prepare your bleaching solution (a well-ventilated area is recommended)

• Wearing the gloves, add 1.5 cups of bleach to one gallon of cold water in the first dishpan, and swirl around to mix.

Prepare the peroxide fixing solution

• In the second pan, add one cup of hydrogen peroxide to one gallon of water. Feel like a chemist yet? Don't worry, that's the worst of it. We told you it would be easy... now let the fun begin!

Submerge the garment into the bleach solution

• It's time to get your hands dirty—well, clean in this instance! Make sure you keep your gloves on for this step. Swirl the garment around until it's saturated and all areas contact the bleach solution equally.
• If you are wanting to create a specific pattern, be sure to only add the desired parts of the solution that you would like bleached.

Let the shirt sit in the solution for a few minutes

• When time is up, pull it out and let it drip over the dishpan. If it is still not the desired color you are wanting, put it back into the solution until you are satisfied.
• 💡 Hot tip: Leaving your shirt in the bleach solution for longer than 5 minutes can cause yellowing, be careful!

Stop the bleaching process

• As soon as you are satisfied with the color, submerge the garment into the second dishpan with the hydrogen peroxide solution. (Do not be alarmed by the fizzing, that means it's working!) Swirl it around until it stops fizzing.

Rinse & Dry

• Thoroughly rinse the shirt several times with cold water.
• Then, roll the shirt in the towel to squeeze out excess water and hang the shirt to air dry.