How to Bleach Design Clothes

Co-authored by Amy Guerrero and Hannah Madden

Last Updated: November 17, 2020 References

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Making designs with bleach is super fun and it’s a great way to show your sense of style and personality. If you’d like to add some pizzazz to your clothes, you can use freezer paper to make a stencil and create an intricate design. Or, you can use a tie-dye method with bleach instead of dye to make interesting, eye-catching patterns.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Making Stencils and Designs

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1
Grab a clothing item that is made of mostly cotton or linen. Bleach works the best on articles of clothing that are made up of cotton or linen, since bleach adheres well to those fibers. Avoid using high-quality materials like silk or velvet.^{[1]
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- You can use any color clothing item that you’d like besides white.
2
Print out or draw a design onto normal paper. Choose any design that you’d like to and either draw in pencil or print it out onto a plain sheet of white paper. Make your design large and not too intricate so that it shows up well on your item of clothing.^{[2]
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- If you have a Cricut maker, you can use it to cut letters and designs out of freezer paper. This is great for more intricate, detailed designs.
Tip: If you are using any words in your design, it is best to stick with block letters.

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3
Turn the paper over and lay it face down on a sheet of freezer paper. Freezer paper has 2 sides to it. 1 side is plain paper that you can write on and the other has a waxy coating on it. Lay your paper with a design on it on the waxy side of the freezer paper.^{[3]
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- You can find freezer paper in the baking section of most grocery stores.
4
Cut out your design in freezer paper using a razor blade. Set your freezer paper and design onto a rubber cutting mat so that you don’t damage any surfaces in your home. Use a razor blade to carefully cut your design out in the freezer paper.^{[4]
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- A razor blade will help you get the most detail in your design.
5
Use painter’s tape for a geometric design. If you want to make stripes, squares, or triangles on your clothing item, place thin pieces of painter’s tape onto your shirt or pants instead of a stencil. Make sure you press your tape fully onto the clothing item so that no bleach can leak through.^{[5]
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- You can also use painter’s tape to make simple letters.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Bleaching Your Design

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Lay your item of clothing out on a flat surface. Put a piece of cardboard in between the front and the back of your clothing item. This will help to protect the other side of your shirt, pants, or sweatshirt.^{[6]
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Lay your design onto your clothing item and pass over it with an iron. Position your design in the area where you’d like it to go on your clothing item. Pass a hot iron over the design gently to stick the freezer paper onto your item of clothing. Use the iron 1 to 2 times until the design is stuck to the cloth.^{[7]
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- This will help the design stay in place as you spray it with bleach and reduce smudging.
3
Make a 1:1 ratio of water and bleach in a spray bottle. Use a spray bottle that can produce a fine mist. Mix 1 part bleach and 1 part water in the spray bottle. Watering down the bleach will help it to spread more easily and create a prettier design.^{[8]
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- Put on gloves to protect your hands before you pour the bleach.
4
Mist the area of your design lightly with the bleach spray. Hold the spray bottle about 6 inches (15 cm) away from your clothing item. Gently press down on the spray bottle until the bleach solution comes out. Cover your entire area of design with the bleach spray until it is the color that you want.^{[9]
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- The more layers of bleach that you add, the lighter your design will be.
Tip: If there is a lot of liquid bleach sitting on top of your design, dab it off with a paper towel.
5
Sprinkle bleach onto your clothes with a paintbrush for a splatter effect. If you don’t want a full block of bleach in your design or you want to spice up the edges, dip a paintbrush in your bleach solution. Flick the paintbrush over your clothing item to create random drops of bleach. The more bleach you use, the bigger the drops will be.^{[10]
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- Rinse your paintbrush out well after you use it to get rid of all the bleach.
6
Draw designs with a bleach pen for more control. Purchase a bleach pen made for removing stains. Use this pen to draw on your clothing item and make shapes, words, or intricate patterns. The small tip of the bleach pen will give you more control over your design.^{[11]
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- You can buy bleach pens at most home goods stores.
7
Take off the stencil and rinse your clothing in cold water. If you let the bleach sit on your item of clothing, it will turn lighter and lighter as it dries. Remove the stencil and rinse your item in cold water to stop the bleach from lightening anymore. Let your item of clothing dry and then show it off to your friends!^{[12]
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- You can wash and dry your clothing item like you normally would after you wear it.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Tie-Dying with Bleach

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Tie-dying with bleach shows up the best on a black item of clothing. Lay it out on a flat surface, like a table, where you can work with it easily.^{[13]
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Tip: You can use a black item of clothing that has a design on it if you want a pop of color.
2
Grab the middle of the clothing item and twist it inwards and around itself. Use 1 hand to pinch the middle section of your clothing item and pull it slightly upwards. Wrap the item of clothing around this middle section until it creates a loose circle.^{[14]
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- You can also roll the item of clothing up in on itself to create a different pattern with your bleach.
3
Wrap 5 to 10 rubber bands around your item to keep it twisted. Use large, thick rubber bands that are sturdy enough to stay in place. Wrap a few around your item of clothing until it stays in place and isn’t likely to come undone as you work on it.^{[15]
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- You can buy rubber bands at most home goods or office supply stores.
Put on gloves to protect your hands. Use a squirt bottle with a small opening so that you can control the spray of bleach. Pour 1 part bleach and 1 part water into your squirt bottle.^{[16]
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Pour your bleach mixture over your item of clothing. Protect your surfaces by placing your clothing item into a container that won’t be harmed by bleach, like a plastic bucket or tub. Use your squirt bottle to pour your bleach mixture onto your clothing item. You can do as much or as little as you’d like depending on how much bleach you’d like to be on your item.^{[17]
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- Make sure you hit all sides of your clothing item with bleach so that it looks even.
Allow the bleach to soak into the fabric by letting it sit. You can speed up this process by placing your bleached item in the sun. If your item is starting to get lighter than you want it to, unwrap it and rinse it right away.^{[18]
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7
Unwrap your item of clothing and rinse it out with cold water. Take the rubber bands off of your clothing item and discard of them. Rinse your item out under a tap with cold water for 1 to 2 minutes. Let the item dry before you wear it.^{[19]
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- You may want to wash your item on its own the first few times it gets dirty so that the bleach doesn’t transfer to any of your other clothes.