Generously pouring bleach to get a stain-free, stark white look is common. But have you ever stopped and wondered if the bleach is actually doing its job?
Cleaning agents found in the bleach react with stain and break them down into dissolvable particles. Once broken, these particles can be easily removed from the fabric with help of a detergent.
The cleaning results highly depend on the quality and type of bleach. Generally, two types of bleach are available in the market, chlorine and oxygen bleach.
Oxygen-based bleach contains high-levels of hydrogen peroxide along with other cleaning agents. Liquid and detergent form of oxygen bleach can easily be bought from the market.
Chlorine bleach contains high-levels of sodium hypochlorite and is much harder on stains, than oxygen-based bleach.
Is there a Right Way To Bleach?
Manufacturer’s instruction
Don’t pour gallons of bleach in every wash-cycle just out of habit. Read the manufacturer’s instruction first. Not all clothes can be bleached. Add bleach only if the label explicitly states that the fabric is bleach-friendly.
Look for the additional recommendations for bleach-type and nature of washing cycle. Test excess cloth in seams, before treating entire dress with bleach, if you’re uncertain about the bleaching requirements.
No bleaching
No matter how bad the stain is, avoid bleaching these fabrics:
Silk
Wool
Mohair
Spandex
The bleaching Process
NEVER directly pour bleach onto the fabric or stain. This leaves an isolated stain mark and ruins your dress. Dilute bleach in a mixture of water and then add clothes to it. When using a washing machine, fill in the bleach dispenser till the specific mark. If you don’t have dispenser, manually pour 3/4 cup of bleach into the machine.
Load the washer with laundry after the detergent and bleach are completely diluted in water. Once the clothes are in the machine, run an average wash-cycle to get results.
Hand wash
Hand-wash and bleaching can be a little tricky. Bleach itself is quite strong in nature, so wear gloves while hand washing clothes. Use 1 tbsp of bleach for 1 gallon of water. For superior results, use moderately-hot water.
Let the stained item sit in the bleach and detergent solution. Gently rub the stained area and TA-DA! You have a clean shirt.
Generously pouring bleach to get a stain-free, stark white look is common. But have you ever stopped and wondered if the bleach is actually doing its job?
