The Difference Between Chlorine and Non-Chlorine Bleach. The bleach instructions on a garment care label will tell you if “any bleach,” “only non-chlorine bleach” or “do not bleach” is recommended. Here’s what that means.
Using bleach on whites
Laundry bleaches have a long history of home consumer use. First, there was regular bleach (sodium hypochlorite, NaOCl) which was first used for white cotton fabrics. The hypochlorite bleach active (–OCl) in regular bleach is often referred to as “chlorine bleach” even though there’s no elemental or free chlorine in a bottle of bleach or in the laundry when the bleach is added.
Regular bleach is not safe for some dyes and fabric types, including spandex, wool, silk, mohair and leather. However, it is safe for cotton, linen, rayon, polyester, nylon and acrylic fibers, unless a dye or finish on the fabric is not compatible with bleach.
Tip
Laundry bleach is always added along with detergent to improve cleaning, brightening, whitening and stain removal.
Using bleach on colors
Next came oxygen bleaches (hydrogen peroxide, sodium perborate, sodium carbonate) that are safe for virtually all machine washable fabrics. Peroxide bleach doesn’t contain chlorine, and is referred to on garment care labels as “non-chlorine bleach”.
Tip
If unsure bleach is safe for an item, test on a hidden area before washing with bleach. Always avoid bleaching wool, silk, mohair, leather, spandex, and non-fast colors.
Oxygen bleaches are also referred to as color-safe or all-fabric bleaches. These products are also ideal for washing white items with spandex that can’t be washed with regular bleach.
