How To Use Bleach In Laundry?

By following these simple instructions, you can learn how to use bleach in the laundry for the best possible results – leaving your whites looking whiter than ever before and getting tough stains out of coloured fabrics too.

3 Steps On How To Bleach Your White Laundry

Adding bleach to laundry is as easy as following a few steps. The biggest no-no to remember when working with bleach for laundry is never to pour bleach directly onto clothing or fabric. Using bleach neat on fabric will immediately cause it to lose its colour and possibly even damage the fabric too. Always dilute bleach when soaking or washing with it.

#1 - Test Fabric for Colourfastness

Before adding bleach to your load of coloured laundry, do a little colour fast test first on a hidden seam. After diluting the bleach to the correct strength – you’ll find out how to do this on the usage details on the packaging of any bleach product. Choose a small area that is not easily seen, like on an inside seam, and add a drop of the diluted bleach to see if anything drastic happens. Ideally, nothing should happen to the colour of the garment which will confirm that it is safe to use the bleach.

#2 – Add Diluted Bleach At The Correct Time

When you want to add bleach and laundry detergent at the same time, the best way to do it is to add the correct amount of detergent in your detergent dispenser, add fabric softener to your fabric softener dispenser, and then add the diluted bleach to the pre-wash dispenser on your machine. Your washing machine will be able to add the correct detergent at the correct time when you use the right dispensing trays.

#3 – Use As Pre-Treatment Stain Remover

Bleach works well as a whitener for white clothing that has gone dull or yellow over time. All you have to do is make a solution of ¼ cup of OMO Multipurpose Bleach (in the fragrance you love) into a 5l bucket of cold water. Add the white garments into the solution and allow to soak for 10 – 15 minutes. Rinse well after soaking and wash normally in your washing machine with your preferred laundry detergent and fabric softener.

Keen to know how to keep your white sheets and bedding white? Read our blog on How to Keep White Sheets White and Bright for more tips now.

Storing Clothes Washed With Bleach

When you’ve soaked or washed clothing with chlorine bleach, the active chlorine can remain in the fabric fibres of the garments which have a tendency to go yellow over time if not correctly stored. As with most clothing, there are a few ways to store your garments correctly to ensure they stay clean, bright, white and fresh for longer.

• Always make sure your clothing is completely dry before hanging or folding it.

• Make sure your hands are clean and free from creams and oils when folding your white or coloured clothing that has been washed with bleach.

• Fold well and store neatly in a cool, dry cupboard or drawer

• If you’re storing the garment for an extended period of time – like for the winter or summer – then you can use acid-free tissue paper to place in between the folds of the clothing which will help to keep the fabric in even better condition.

How Often to Wash Clothes With Bleach?

There isn’t a right or wrong amount of time or use when using laundry bleach. However, it’s important to remember that a bleach product, like OMO Bleach, contains active ingredients like chlorine. It is wise to use bleach when you absolutely need it, like when your white clothing needs to be whitened or when you need to brighten up your colours.

For more clothing care tips and tricks, visit Cleanipedia today.