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Bleaching shirts

8.3K views 12 replies 10 participants last post by  Alexander Kabbaz  
#1 ·
Okay, I guess the title would have shocked many. I realise that bleaching is a no-no in general however it was a 'last resort' in this case. I took a white shirt out of storage (a Ted Baker when they still made some nice shirts - I like the thin buttons) but there was some 'yellowing' particularly of one sleeve. Washing didn't make a difference so I thought I'd try the bleach but surprisingly the yellowing turned bright orange....what does this mean apart from a ruined shirt please? Thanks in advance
 
#3 ·
chobochobo said:
Okay, I guess the title would have shocked many. I realise that bleaching is a no-no in general however it was a 'last resort' in this case. I took a white shirt out of storage (a Ted Baker when they still made some nice shirts - I like the thin buttons) but there was some 'yellowing' particularly of one sleeve. Washing didn't make a difference so I thought I'd try the bleach but surprisingly the yellowing turned bright orange....what does this mean apart from a ruined shirt please? Thanks in advance
Unfortunately, I think the shirt is toast :(. You could try going to a professional cleaner, as was suggested, but I doubt they'll be able to clear the stain.

Bleach is one of those nasty things that works great for cleaning bathrooms and such, but not so much for clothes.

I'm sure this is a dumb question, but you did wash it either alone or with other whites correct?

Interesting thing, a friend of mine died her hair with bleach wanting it to go blonde; it came out orange. I think she said she used too much; perhaps you used too much bleach as well?
 
#4 ·
chobochobo said:
Okay, I guess the title would have shocked many. I realise that bleaching is a no-no in general however it was a 'last resort' in this case. I took a white shirt out of storage (a Ted Baker when they still made some nice shirts - I like the thin buttons) but there was some 'yellowing' particularly of one sleeve. Washing didn't make a difference so I thought I'd try the bleach but surprisingly the yellowing turned bright orange....what does this mean apart from a ruined shirt please? Thanks in advance
Bleaching is perfectly fine as a last resort for a completely white garment with stains as a general rule. However, yellowing on a sleeve that goes orange with the addition of bleach is a chemical stain that is highly unlikely to come out. I can suggest a dye stripper, or maybe even more bleach to see if it helps, but you should really write it off, as even if you get stain off, it'll be after a lot of work, and that means that the area that formerly had the stain will be rather weak and won't last very long.
 
#5 ·
The bleach succeeded in removing much of the remaining yellow component from the white dye leaving the stain redder (orange) than before.

All cottons begin as griege (grey) goods. They are then dyed. White, as most fail to realize, is a dyed color of grey cloth. Bleaching removes the dye with totally unpredictable results.
 
#7 ·
chobochobo:

Since you can now "experiment" on the shirt try washing it with Rit Color Remover and/or denture cleaning tablets!

If you use the denture cleaning tablets, fill a basin with water and add one or two tablets. Let the tablets dissolve and then soak the garment until the yellow (or orange) is gone.
 
#9 ·
For yellowed shirts, try soaking in something like Oxy Clean, then launder with a goog Bluing agent. Worked for my "Yellows." Often, the yellow is from leftover residue from detergent, as I understand, so, if your machine has a "second rinse" feature, use it. I think, however, that this shirt is probably lost.
 
#10 ·
Don't bleach it!

I have had marvellous success saving shirts that I thought were un-save-able, using Oxy-Clean (if you're in the UK, I think it's called "Oxy Power" there). Here is the recipe I've used -- it was invented by "VersaceMan" on StyleForum, and it works unbelievably well:

1. Soak the shirt for an hour or two in a solution made from one gallon of hot water (as hot as it will come out of the faucet) and one cup of vinegar. This just helps to loosen the stain before washing.

2. Purchase a small tub of Oxy Clean (get the granules, not the liquid) from the store. Mix a strong solution of this using four to six ounces of hot water and one scoop of Oxy Clean. The solution should be like a watery paste.

3. Rinse the vinegar from the shirt. Generously apply the Oxy Clean solution from step two to the yellowed areas of the shirt. Place the shirt in a plastic pail and let sit overnight.

4. Remove shirt from bucket. Mix a solution of 1 gallon hot water and one and a half scoops of Oxy Clean. Allow shirt to soak in this solution for up to 12 hours.

5. Remove shirt from solution and briefly rinse. Wash shirt using regular detergent, and rinse. Voila.
 
#11 ·
"Bleaching is performed to whiten (remove coloring) the fabric to a high degree. It is a common process used to whiten cotton, wool and some synthetic fibres by removing the natural coloring. It is usually performed after scouring and prior to dyeing or printing. Bleaching chemicals include sodium hypochlorite, hydrogen peroxide, and sodium perborate, as well as optical brighteners. Batch bleaching is done in dyers (continuous processes use J-boxes) where fabric is tacked for a given period to allow the chemical to work before goods are withdrawn from the bottom of the box. Bleaching is followed by thorough rinsing."
 
#13 ·
kkollwitz said:
"Bleaching is performed to whiten (remove coloring) the fabric to a high degree. It is a common process used to whiten cotton, wool and some synthetic fibres by removing the natural coloring. It is usually performed after scouring and prior to dyeing or printing. Bleaching chemicals include sodium hypochlorite, hydrogen peroxide, and sodium perborate, as well as optical brighteners. Batch bleaching is done in dyers (continuous processes use J-boxes) where fabric is tacked for a given period to allow the chemical to work before goods are withdrawn from the bottom of the box. Bleaching is followed by thorough rinsing."
Entirely correct. Then it is dyed white and sold to a shirtmaker.