Before you begin, always check care labels to confirm fiber content before washing; avoid bleaching wool, silk, mohair, leather, spandex and non-fast colors. Also, test for colorfastness to ensure the fabric doesn't become discolored.
Using Bleach to Remove Stains on White Clothes
Factors such as the fabric's fiber content (including silk, wool, mohair and spandex), finishes (such as the flame-retardant finish on children's nightclothes) and certain trims will affect the item's suitability for bleach.
Bleach is safe for many fabrics, however, it should never be used on colored ones, as bleach is a strong oxidizer and it may fade the colors. Pure bleach can destroy the fabric fibers, so always dilute liquid chlorine bleach before adding it to the washer. Never pour it directly on the clothes.
Most coloured clothing can only be bleached with non-chlorine bleach. Can you bleach colored clothes? There's a simple test you can perform that will give you the answer to this question. Apply a small amount of bleach (one drop) to a small, inconspicuous area of your clothing.
Bleach-safe fabrics include whites and colors that are colorfast. Keep in mind that certain fabrics like silk and wool should never be bleached (it will be indicated on the garment care tag). Once you're ready to begin, set your wash cycle for your chosen garment's temperature and add an extra rinse cycle to the end.
Bleach can be used inside your washing machine for cleaning it as well as working well as a washing machine disinfectant. The most important thing to remember is that you must run at least one empty cycle after cleaning, to remove all remaining bleach and help prevent bleaching next time you do a load of laundry.
Nonchlorine (oxygen) bleach is generally good for colored washables, but it will not disinfect, and overbleaching with any kind of bleach may weaken the fibers and make towels less absorbent. Instead, wash them in the hottest water that's indicated safe for colored towels.
White Vinegar
To use vinegar to disinfect your laundry, try adding 1 cup to the rinse cycle. Not only can it kill germs and bacteria, but it's also a great natural deodorizer. White vinegar can be used on colors and whites, keeping clothes bright, and works as an effective fabric softener, too.
When you have colored logos or embroidery on a white shirt, there's a good chance you can safely launder the shirt with bleach. First you need to confirm the shirt is made of bleach-safe fabric, then you can check a hidden part of the embroidery thread for colorfastness to bleach.
Solution dyed fibers, including acrylic, nylon, polyethylene, and polypropylene, and high-energy polyester exhibit strong colorfastness when exposed to bleach. Polyurethane-based fabrics can also be treated with a finish that enables them to withstand both bleach and high concentrations of rubbing alcohol.
You can add bleach to every load of bleach-safe laundry along with your regular detergent to clean, whiten, remove stains and sanitize your clothes. Detergent alone is not enough.
After you run a clean-out cycle or wash a load of clothing with bleach, it should be safe to follow with a regular load. As long as your washing machine is functioning properly there shouldn't be any bleach residue inside, so any non-bleachable items you wash next should be unaffected.
Hydrogen Peroxide: A milder cousin of chlorine bleach, hydrogen peroxide offers disinfecting properties and is effective at whitening without the risk of yellowing fabrics over time. Oxygen-Based Bleach: This color-safe alternative is great for brightening colors and whites alike.
When to Use Hot Water – For whites, typically dirty clothes and diapers, use hot water (130°F or above). Hot water is best to remove germs and heavy soil. However, hot water can shrink, fade and damage some fabrics, so be sure to read your clothing labels before selecting the hot option.
MYTH: If a garment label says don't use bleach, do not bleach it. TRUTH: It's a shame but a lot of manufacturers will actually under-label items to minimize any legal liability. We know almost all cotton whites and most synthetic whites are safe to wash in liquid bleach.
Gagliardi says to never use bleach when washing spandex, wool, silk, mohair or leather; regardless of their color, bleach will ruin them. Always check clothing labels. As for colored fabrics, some are colorfast to bleach; it depends on what dye was used to color the fabric and how it was applied.
OxiClean™ Odor Blasters™ Versatile Odor & Stain Remover is a chlorine-free bleach with odor-removing properties. It does double duty against tough odors, such as sweaty and musty gym towels, as well as stains in laundry and all around the house.
Cleaning advice we've tested
We added half a cup of distilled white vinegar to the washing machine drum with a white load. We washed as normal using detergent and following the care label instructions. It's not only simple, it also won't bleach anything with colour in it.
Instead, liquid chlorine bleach should be added to your washer's bleach dispenser, which automatically dilutes the bleach with water the machine adds to the drum. If your washer doesn't have a bleach dispenser, add it to the wash water as the washer fills, before you add clothing.
Adding vinegar directly to the wash with your laundry detergent may compromise its cleaning performance. Laundry detergents are formulated for specific pH levels, which may be disrupted by the acidity of vinegar, leading to less effective cleaning. It's best to avoid mixing them to ensure optimal results.
White vinegar, also known as distilled vinegar or spirit vinegar, is made by fermenting grain alcohol (ethanol) which then turns into acetic acid. Water is then added to the vinegar, so white vinegar is made of five to ten percent acetic acid and ninety to ninety-five percent water.
Towels should be washed in the warmest water appropriate for the fabric according to the care label. Generally, warm or hot water is recommended for washing towels. Use a cycle specifically for towels or a normal/regular cycle.
When you are buying bleach, be sure to look for non-chlorine bleach that is safe to use on colored clothes. These types of bleach are also called color-safe bleach or oxygen bleach. Avoid using chlorine bleach for colored clothing, since it lifts color from fabric and causes fading and white stains on your clothes.
Bleach has a lot of superpowers, one of which is yellowing (even with white fabrics). “One of the reasons bleach turns some fabrics yellow is because it breaks down dyes, leaving behind yellow compounds,” Ledoux says.