How to Bleach White Clothes. Clorox has built its reputation on helping people keep white clothes as clean and bright as possible. If you’ve noticed that your laundry isn’t as vibrant as it could be, we’ll show you how easy it is to clean and brighten them up.
If your white clothes tend to turn slightly off-white or yellowish over time, standard bleach in your wash may not do the trick. Here are a few possible issues that you may need to address.
Choosing a detergent
Make sure you’re using a good detergent that contains brighteners and enzymes in addition to surfactants and builders.
Tip
The better detergents will often list the purpose of active ingredients.
Use the right amount of detergent
Underutilizing laundry detergent will result in poor performance, especially if you have heavily soiled shirts, do extra-large loads, or use hard water. Try adding a little extra detergent.
Dial up the temperature
Choose a hot wash temperature on your machine. The higher the wash temperature, the better the cleaning.
Properly load your washer
Clothes need to circulate/tumble freely through the wash water for optimum cleaning.
Use the right amount of bleach
That’s ¾ cup for a regular load, and 1¼ cup for an extra-large or heavily soiled load.
Tip
Does your washer limit bleach to ⅓ cup? Wash in smaller loads and fill the dispenser to the “max fill” line.
Steps to whiten white cotton clothes
If your clothing doesn’t contain any spandex, here’s how we recommend using bleach to brighten them up.
Soak your clothing
Soak clothes in a solution of ¼ cup Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach per gallon of water. Fully submerge for 5 minutes.
Machine wash in hot water
Wash in hot water using detergent and 1/3 cup bleach (or fill the dispenser to the max-fill line) to remove dingy yellow buildup.
Steps to whiten white clothes with spandex
If your white clothing contains any spandex, you’ll want to use Clorox 2® for Colors 3-in-1 Liquid instead of regular bleach.
Pre-soak your clothing
Mix 1 cup of Clorox 2® for Colors to 2 gallons of water, and submerge clothing. You can soak up to 1 hour with liquid Clorox 2®, or 8 hours when using the powder as directed.
Rinse and wash in hot water
Pour off the soaking solution, then machine wash in hot water using detergent and additional Clorox 2®.
Frequently asked questions
Should you bleach white clothes?
Check your garment’s care label to confirm if it’s bleach safe.Can bleach discolor my clothes?
There are a few situations when using Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach can discolor white fabrics. If a fabric or a fabric’s finish isn’t bleach-safe, bleach can cause damage and yellowing. Even cotton can yellow if exposed to undiluted or extremely concentrated bleach solutions. Additionally, household water supplies can contain high levels of metal that react with bleach and discolor clothing.
