to bleach his own

October 31, 2006 5:09 PM

I need help on bleaching a cotton shirt

I have a light pink cotton shirt that I want to bleach white. I wonder if I can get the color completely white, instead of a lighter shade of pink. Is it possible to bleach something to "right out of the package hanes 5-pack t-shirt" white? If so, what's the best way to do this?

posted by punch_the_mayor to clothing, beauty, & fashion (5 comments total)

Warning: when you bleach cotton it doesn't necessarily go white. It may go a yuck brown color. Trust me.
posted by unSane at 5:37 PM on October 31, 2006

I think you'll have the best luck with dye remover.
posted by sculpin at 6:43 PM on October 31, 2006

You may want to try Rit color remover first. Personally, I wouldn't remove color from a dyed fabric with bleach. It probably isn't going to end up being pure white. Like unSane mentioned, I think it may be yelowed, if not blotchy.

Is dyeing the shirt another color an option?
posted by LoriFLA at 6:51 PM on October 31, 2006

Once you get done with the bleach, think about bluing the shirt to make it seem whiter.
posted by unixrat at 6:54 PM on October 31, 2006

with many T-shirts the cotton may bleach (but it will never be the kind of fresh white you describe) but the stiching may stay the same colour. Thread or yarn used in stitching can be man-made (not natural) and therefore won't bleach.
My best guess from experience is you will end up with a faint pink shirt with stronger pink stitches
posted by Wilder at 7:50 AM on November 1, 2006