How to Bleach Something Completely White

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Bleach won't turn all fabrics completely white.

If you have ever tossed a white T-shirt in the washing machine with red towels, you have probably seen how the red dye from the towels turned the shirt pink. One way to re-whiten the shirt is to wash it with bleach because bleach removes color from fabric. Unfortunately, bleach does not just remove color, it can damage fibers, causing them to break and fall apart. For this reason, use bleach with some restraint. Bleach will not turn all fabric white. Depending on the fabric and dye, the bleach might destroy the fibers before removing most of the dye.

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Step 1

Fill a large bucket with water and bleach, with one part bleach to five parts warm water.

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Step 2

Place the item to bleach in the bucket. Wear waterproof protective gloves. Totally submerge the item.

Step 3

Remove the item from the water after it fades sufficiently and rinse in water.

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Step 4

Soak the item in a bucket filled with 10 parts water and one part hydrogen peroxide. This neutralizes the effects of the bleach and can help prevent corrosion of the fibers from bleach contact.

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