How to Bleach a Shirt

Laundry Basics

Jun 30, 2010
Nicky LaMarco

Laundry - Mantas Ruzveltas / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It's all about getting white shirts bleached. This article is great for teens starting to do their own laundry, and anyone who wants more laundry skills.

Bleaching an all white shirt is definitely the easiest to do. You should combine all of your white clothing for a small wash. Make sure every piece of clothing is completely white before washing them together. If you have any colors in there it will bleed and nearly every piece of clothing will be effected by it. For example, if you get a red sock mixed up with your whites, the bleach, water and washing machine's process will make some of the red dye come out of the sock and you'll end up with a lot of pink looking shirts and socks.

Washing Your Whites

So, first you have a laundry basket nearly full of white shirts. It should not be too full, because clothing gets clean better when the wash is smaller. If the load is too large the water and laundry detergent can't get to all of the clothes. The laundry basket should be full, but just under the top lid.

You shouldn't have to push down the load. Keep your wash a good size. The more experience you have doing laundry in the same washer, the better idea you will have on what a good size load is.

Things You Need

So, now that you have a good size load of white clothing you can get ready to go to the washer. You will need some bleach, laundry detergent, a measuring cup, and your whites. Set up everything next to the washing machine. If you use a laundry mat you'll need to enter your money now. First, fill up the washer with your white shirts. Do not put any bleach or laundry detergent in yet. If you do this on dry clothing you will have shirts with bleach spots and laundry detergent spots.

Let The Clothes Soak

First, let the shirts soak up the water. You should be able to hear the water pouring into the washing machine. Some washers will have a knob that will show you which cycle the washer is on. It should say "wash" or "start wash" at this point. You must pay close attention at this point so you can catch it just after it starts to tumble wash. You should hear the washer stop letting water in and start turning the clothes back and forth.

Putting in the Laundry Detergent

When the tumble wash begins you need to stop the process by opening the door. You should see the washer completely filled with water and all of your white shirts completely soaked. You might need to give the washer a helping hand by getting your hands wet and pushing your shirts down so they get soaked. Sometimes you'll find a few with air pockets under them.

Now you can get your laundry detergent ready first. Measure out a regular load using the directions on the back and pour into the water - not directly on your shirts.

Putting in the Bleach

Close the door to allow the detergent to mix up a little. Open it again to pour in the bleach. You must be careful with bleach because it will ruin just about anything it touches. If you have sensitive skin you should wear gloves to protect your skin from the bleach. Measure out the proper amount of bleach into the measuring cup. Most bleach directions recommend about 3/4 a cup for a regular load, but you should check the directions to be sure. Be careful not to spill any.

Once you have the right amount, carefully pour the bleach into the water. Immediately let the lid back down so the washer can mix all of the bleach into the water and your white shirts.

Dryer or Hang Dry

When the washer has completed its cycle it is time to take the clothes out. Check the tags to see what needs to hang dry and what can be put in the dryer. Make sure you add a dryer sheet and keep the dryer's setting on delicates. Let the dryer run through its cycle. Take the white shirts that need to be air dried and hang them on their hangers either outdoors or in to allow them to dry. When the dryer is done be sure to take out the shirts immediately so you can hang them up properly. This will make sure that your shirts won't get marks or get too wrinkled.