White T-shirts are part of a basic wardrobe, as they can be combined with different clothes. But only a clean item looks stylish and neat. It is often quite difficult to achieve this, as over time the color of the items turns gray, yellowness appears. Housewives have to think about how to bleach a white T-shirt at home, so as not to spoil the fabric and get a positive result. Many products are not suitable for items with prints or embroidery, each material reacts differently to chemicals.
Basic rules of whitening
Over time, white T-shirts become washed out, turn grey, and stains appear on them. Regular washing can no longer solve these problems, so you have to think about how to properly bleach a T-shirt. There are many methods, but not all of them are effective or safe. To choose the right method, you need to consider several points.
The main thing is to determine the type of fabric. Most often, T-shirts are made of knitwear consisting of 100% cotton. This material is durable and can withstand the effects of even aggressive bleach. You can also boil such things, use folk methods. Many people prefer to wash with "Whiteness", but it is recommended to try it first on an inconspicuous area of the item, since if there are synthetic threads, the T-shirt can be ruined in such ways.
Knitted T-shirts can lose their true color due to hard water, so it is recommended to add vinegar or citric acid to remove salts from them when washing.
White T-shirts are often decorated with drawings, prints or embroidery. It is not advisable to use chlorine or full soaking for them. T-shirts should be washed at home at a temperature of up to 40 degrees, so boiling is also not suitable. Oxygen or optical brighteners are best. The latter are not suitable for drawings applied using the film method.
When choosing a method for bleaching a T-shirt, it is very important to consider the type of stain and how old it is. Many fresh stains can be easily washed out with warm water and laundry soap or with a washing machine. But if the T-shirt has lost its color, has been stored for a long time, or has faded, more effective methods are needed. Recommendations for housewives:
- If the item was washed with colored clothes and has taken on some shade, you need to soak it for half an hour in a salt solution - 1 tbsp. per 1 liter of cool water.
- Rust is removed with a solution of lemon juice - 1 tbsp. per 2 liters of water, soak for 10 minutes.
- Old tea or coffee stains should be rubbed with a cotton swab soaked in heated glycerin.
- If the T-shirt is stained with marker or ink, you need to soak it in hot milk for 2 hours, then wash it with laundry soap.
- Fruit stains can be removed well with a paste of baking soda.
Any bleaching method leads to tissue destruction, so it is not recommended to use them often.
Basic methods
Once you have selected a product that matches the type of fabric and the characteristics of the stain, you need to decide on its use. There are different ways to bleach a white T-shirt at home. Soaking is most often used, since the longer the product works, the more effective it is. Boiling was popular in the past, when there were few bleaches, but high temperatures are contraindicated for synthetics, delicate fabrics or T-shirts with prints. Minor stains can be removed by regular washing.
Soak
This method can effectively remove any stains and return the whiteness of the T-shirt. Depending on the type of fabric, soak it in hot or cool water. It is not recommended to completely immerse items with prints or embroidery in the bleach solution. Delicate fabrics are not soaked for a long time.
The peculiarity of this bleaching method is that the selected product is diluted in a basin, then a white T-shirt is immersed in it and left for a certain time. Usually the item is soaked for 2-3 hours. Durable cotton items can be left in the solution overnight, and for synthetics 10-20 minutes is enough. After soaking, you need to rub the stain with a soft brush and rinse the item several times. If necessary, you can load it into the machine without treatment and wash it.
It is not recommended to keep T-shirts in a chlorine bleach solution for more than half an hour, as it damages the fibers.
Boiling
This is the most accessible, but aggressive method of bleaching. It is used for durable cotton fabrics, children's clothes. Boiling can not only remove stains and restore color, but also disinfect.
For the process, you need to pour water into an enamel bucket or basin, add washing powder or shavings of laundry soap. For 1 kg of laundry, take at least 10 liters of liquid. To get rid of yellowness or old stains, you can add 2-3 spoons of "Whiteness" or another chlorine bleach.
The T-shirt is immersed in water, then the container is placed on the stove. It is worth noting that if the product is immersed in a boiling solution, stains can be ingrained into the fabric. The water should be brought to a boil, constantly stirring and turning the items over. T-shirts are boiled for 30 minutes to 2 hours. Sometimes, in case of minor contamination, it is recommended to bring the water to 100 degrees and turn off the heat, leaving it to cool. After boiling, rinse the T-shirts in clean water.
Washing
If you don't have enough time to soak or boil, you can try to bleach white items in the washing machine. This method is more suitable for cotton and linen clothes. You need to add bleach along with the powder, set the intensive wash mode. The temperature should be at least 60-70 degrees.
Delicate fabrics can be damaged by intensive washing. In addition, it does not remove old stains very well. To increase the effectiveness of the procedure, before loading things into the drum, you can soap the dirty area with laundry soap or apply bleach. This is especially recommended for collars and underarm areas.
If the T-shirt is made of delicate fabric or synthetics, you can wash the item by hand. This method is also suitable for removing fresh stains. Wash in a solution of powder or bleach. A thin T-shirt can be rubbed with laundry soap and rinsed under the tap.
Effective Home Remedies
There are many recommendations on how to bleach a white T-shirt at home. Folk remedies are very effective. They are affordable and safe, the main thing is to follow the dosage. Recommendations for whitening:
- Cotton or linen T-shirts are washed well with ammonia. It should be diluted in half with regular alcohol and applied to the stain. To refresh the color, soak the item in a solution of ammonia and salt. To do this, you need 2 tablespoons of these products per 1 liter of water.
- Soda is a simple and safe method of bleaching. Add half a glass of alkali to 10 liters of water. Soak the items for 3-4 hours. More durable fabrics can be boiled for 30 minutes. To remove old stains, add 5 tbsp of ammonia to the solution.
- You need to wash the T-shirt in the usual way, then dip it in a solution of boric acid. To do this, mix 1 teaspoon of the product with 1 liter of water. Hold for half an hour, then rinse.
- Citric acid not only refreshes the color, but also softens the fabric. Dissolve 2 tbsp. of this powder in 5 liters of water. You can add another 30 g of detergent. Instead of acid, you can also use fresh lemon juice.
- Dissolve a tablespoon of mustard powder in a liter of boiling water. Let it sit for half an hour, then drain the liquid, leaving the mustard sediment. Soak the T-shirt in this water for 2-3 hours.
- "Aspirin" also effectively whitens fabric. You need to dissolve 5-10 tablets in a basin of hot water. Soak the item for an hour.
After using any folk method, you need to rinse the T-shirt thoroughly. Additionally, you can wash it in the machine with regular powder.
Special compositions
Sometimes there is no time to use folk remedies, or they do not help. Then you need to think about how to bleach a white T-shirt at home quickly. Ready-made products will come to the rescue, which you just need to dilute with water according to the instructions or add to the washing machine along with powder.
Chlorine-containing bleaches are considered the most effective. They are very aggressive, if used frequently, they destroy fabric fibers. Delicate materials cannot be cleaned this way. It is not recommended to use chlorine bleaches for the washing machine. They are often sold as a liquid, gel or powder. The most famous are: "Belizna", ACE Brilliant, Sanfor.
They are used as a last resort when a stain or yellowness cannot be removed by other means. When bleaching, you must first dilute the product in water, and only then dip the item. Do not apply pure chlorine to fabric. The product must be diluted according to the instructions, without exceeding the recommended dosage and soaking time. When washing, protect your hands with gloves.
Chlorine bleaches not only destroy synthetic fibers, they can also cause stains and gray spots to set in such fabric.
Oxygen bleaches are safer, they do not destroy fabric and do not cause allergies. They can be used for hand and machine washing of items made of any materials. They are even suitable for T-shirts with embroidery or color prints. Popular products include Persol, Bos, Oxygen, Mister Dez, Vanish Oxi Action.
Optical brighteners do not actually change the basic color of the fabric. They contain particles with light-reflecting properties that remain between the fibers of the fabric, creating a shining effect. Such bleaches are not suitable for T-shirts with pictures and prints, as they do not help remove stains or yellowness. The most commonly used products are Tricolor, Heitmann, Vanish, sometimes optical brightener is added to the powder.
How to get rid of yellowness
It often happens that white T-shirts turn yellow. This can happen after long-term storage or frequent use of chlorine bleaches. Also, yellow stains often appear from the iron, if you do not clean the scale, or from sweat. You can remove them and return the whiteness to things using folk remedies:
- A yellowed T-shirt is bleached using 3% hydrogen peroxide. The item is soaked in warm water, then this product is applied to the stains. The peroxide reacts with the dirt and begins to fizz. After 20 minutes, the item must be washed.
- This solution works well against yellow stains: add a bar of grated 72% laundry soap to 10 liters of hot water. Bring to a boil and add a glass of a light pink solution of potassium permanganate. Turn off the heat, lower the yellowed T-shirts into the liquid. Cover with a lid and leave for 6-7 hours.
- Soaking in such a solution is effective: for 10 liters of water take 10 tbsp. of soda and 60 ml of ammonia. Leave the T-shirt in the solution for 2-2.5 hours.
There are many ways to bleach white T-shirts. Some are safe, while others can ruin the material. You should try to wash out stains immediately and follow the recommendations for caring for white clothes.
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