A white shirt is a basic wardrobe item for men and women. But such a thing is capricious, requires careful, gentle care. In order not to spoil it, you should follow the recommendations on how to bleach a white shirt at home using household chemicals or folk methods. When choosing a product, you need to take into account the type of fabric, otherwise there is a risk of ruining the item.
Rules and precautions
Before you restore the whiteness of the fabric, you should read the information on the clothing label (image of a triangle). It indicates whether the item can be bleached, the preferred method and temperature of the process.
| Triangle sign | Meaning |
| Empty | Bleaching is allowed |
| Crossed out | The use of bleaches is prohibited |
| Inside which is written CL | Chlorine bleaches can be used |
| With two stripes inside. Strikethrough with CL written inside |
It is prohibited to use preparations containing chlorine |
When choosing a bleaching method, you should always consider what material the shirt is made of. The most durable fabrics are linen and cotton, they can be bleached using chlorine-containing agents. For other materials, aggressive bleaches cannot be used. For the process to be effective, you need to take precautions:
- When soaking white shirts at home, you need to use a plastic container, not a metal one;
- You should check your pockets to make sure that no items are accidentally left there;
- shirts with metal fittings (buttons, snaps, decorative elements) are soaked in cool, barely warm water;
- Excessive bleaching will cause any fabric to become worn out over time, so bleach should not be used more often than every third or fourth wash.
To whiten white shirts without ruining them, you can conduct a test: apply the product to an inconspicuous area of the garment, for example, inside the cuff or collar. After the time specified in the instructions, you can evaluate the result.
Whitening methods
There are 3 ways to bleach a shirt at home: soaking, washing, boiling. Each method has its own specifics. Soaking is done as follows. The bleach is mixed in water at a temperature of 30-40 ºC, then the shirt is placed there. The item cannot be kept in the composition for more than 1 hour. You can soak shirts made from all types of fabric except velour.
Washing can be done by hand or by machine. If the shirt is very dirty, it is better to soak it first. When washing by hand, the powder is mixed in water at a temperature of 30-40 ºC, and bleach is added. Powder with bleach is taken at the rate of 1 tablespoon per 5 liters of water. If the bleach is liquid, then 1 cap of the product is used. When machine washing, powder and bleach are poured or poured into the main compartment, usually the second cell. It is best to choose a 45-degree mode and rinse. Most types of fabric are not prohibited for both machine and hand washing.
Boiling is considered by many to be an effective method. Pour water into an enamel bucket at a level of 2/3. Heat to 40 ºC, then add bleach. After the product has dissolved, place the shirt in there. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Continue the cooking process for about 1.5 hours.
Only natural cotton or linen shirts can be boiled.
Advantages and disadvantages of folk remedies
At home, you can bleach a white shirt using either store-bought household chemicals or folk methods. If the clothing label states that it cannot be bleached with chlorine-containing products, and the stain is severe, folk remedies will help. The advantage of such methods is a less aggressive effect on the fabric and safety for human skin.
The most effective recipes:
- Laundry soap is grated on a large grater and used for soaking, washing or boiling. The shirt should first lie in cold water for a while, then it should be thoroughly soaped, and warm water should be added. After foaming, leave for 1 hour. This method allows you to remove most types of dirt from a white shirt. Can be used on any fabric.
- Hydrogen peroxide will help against yellowness. Add 90 ml of the product to a basin of water. Dip the shirt for 40 minutes, then wash it by hand or in a machine. Soaking with hydrogen peroxide is suitable for any type of fabric.
- Soaking with soda and vinegar allows you to remove fresh stains. In 4 liters of water, you need to stir 1 cup of soda, add 2-3 tablespoons of vinegar, soak the blouse for 2-3 hours. For efficiency, you can drop a little ammonia. The method has no contraindications for the type of fabric.
- Dissolve 5 aspirin tablets in 3 liters of warm water. Soak the shirt in this liquid for 10 hours. If there are metal elements on the blouse, do not use this method. Aspirin has a bleaching effect, helps remove many stains, including blood and sweat.
The disadvantage of folk methods is that the process takes longer. In addition, things will not be as white as when using factory bleaches, so it is more effective to use specialized household chemicals for shirts.
Effective household chemicals
Manufacturers of household chemicals offer several types of bleaches: chlorine-containing, oxygen, optical. Each has its own characteristics and is used depending on the type of fabric. A separate group is represented by products for bleaching children's clothing.
Chlorine-containing bleaches are considered the most effective, but they destroy the fabric if used frequently. After washing in this way, stains disappear from the shirt, the yellow coating and grayness disappear. The product should be dissolved at the rate of ½ cup per 5 liters of water. The water can be cold or warm - 30-40 ºC. The item is soaked for 20-30 minutes.
Silk or chiffon shirts cannot be bleached with chlorine.
Oxygen products are safer. They are less effective than chlorine bleaches, but are suitable for any fabric. When soaking, 2 tablespoons of the product are dissolved in hot water, the shirt is immersed for 1-2 hours.
Oxygen bleach works best in hot water – 80-90 ºC. But not every fabric can be washed at this temperature.
Optical brighteners can make fabric snow-white, but they do not remove stains and dirt. Such products consist of unique particles that can reflect light, so the item appears perfectly white, especially in the sun. The products are suitable for different fabrics. When washing with optical brightener, you should carefully read the manufacturer's instructions. The water temperature should not exceed 60 ºC.
Oxygen compounds are suitable for restoring whiteness to children's clothes. Newborns' clothes can only be washed with products that have a 0+ mark on the label.
How to get rid of yellowness
Boiling helps both to whiten a yellowed white shirt and to get rid of the gray tint on it. But you can also deal with the problem using household chemicals or folk methods:
- The starch is soaked in water, the shirt is greased with this paste. Leave for 2-3 hours, then wash. This method works especially effectively on silk.
- Oxygen bleach is mixed with a small amount of water. The resulting solution is applied to the most contaminated areas of the shirt. After 2-3 hours, the item is washed in a machine or by hand.
- Treating problem areas of clothing with vinegar helps remove yellowness. After 15 minutes, the item can be washed in a convenient way.
- Lemon juice is an affordable way to bleach a white shirt at home. Add 10 ml of lemon juice and 50 ml of peroxide to 500 ml of water, leave the item in the solution for a while, and wash.
Using such methods, you can quickly and effectively achieve the perfect color of white shirts, prolong the life of your favorite item. At the same time, the method must be suitable for a particular fabric. Otherwise, the shirt will be ruined.
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