This post brought to you by Clorox. The content and opinions expressed below are that of Make Life Lovely.
Let’s be honest, we all have our fears about bleaching clothes, don’t we? What happens if I splash it on my hands? How do I know if I can bleach an article of clothing?
Let’s delve into the world of bleaching laundry today! I’ll be sharing with you some tips and tricks to bleach your clothes and laundry and to get them white and clean. Bleach isn’t scary when you know how to safely and properly use it!
How to Bleach Your Clothes:
1. Check the tag. Can your shirt be bleached? Just check the tag! If an item can be bleached, it will have a triangle shape on the tag that has an open center. If it can be bleached, but only with non-chlorine bleach, the tag will have a triangle with stripes in the center. If it can’t be bleached at all, due to the specific fabric type or the color-fastness of the fabric, then it will have a black triangle with a black X over the triangle, meaning do not bleach.
2. Test test test. Want to make double sure that fabric is okay to bleach? A simple test will let you know in just a few minutes whether or not the item can be bleached. This method works with Clorox’s My Ultimate Care Bleach, available at Target, which is an easy to use whitener and brightener. Apply one drop of My Ultimate Care Bleach to a hidden area of the item, then rinse after 3 minutes. If there’s no color change, then the item can be safely bleached.
3. Pre-treat stained clothing. If an article of clothing is especially dirty or stained, then you’ll need to pre-treat it for the best results. I pre-treat my whites with My Ultimate Care Bleach- all I do is remove any loose dirt or mess, pour some of the bleach on the stain(s), rub it in with an old toothbrush (that will never again be used on teeth), and let it sit for 3 minutes. After the 3 minutes is up, I just throw it into the washer with other whites.
4. Make it hot. Bleach is most effective when used in conjunction with hot water, so be sure to set the water on the washer to hot for the best whitening.
5. Give it 5. When using bleach, you do not want to add it when you add the laundry soap. The bleach can counteract the laundry soap, making it less effective. A better way is to start the laundry load in the washing machine as usual (with hot water), and then add the bleach 5 minutes into the wash cycle. I add one cap full of the My Ulimate Care Bleach to my white loads to get them brighter and cleaner, and I love the way my laundry looks when I pull it out of the drier. White and bright!
I’m not sure what happened to a recent load of whites I did, but most of the clothes in the load ended up with pinkish/reddish stains all over them, and an ugly yelllowish color. I wasn’t happy and was ready to throw the clothes out, but figured I’d try bleaching them first.
I followed the tips above and pre-treated, then washed in hot water with My Ultimate Care Bleach. I was shocked at how well all of the red stains had come out, and how much brighter the white was!
I also worked on my son’s shorts, that had just come out of the wash but looked filthy, and had a couple stains that would not come out. So I pre-treated and washed like above, and I saved myself tons of money by not throwing out all the clothes that I thought were ruined. I will never doubt the power of bleach again. 😉
I hope these tips help you feel more confident in bleaching your whites!
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