Lightening Colors with Bleach

Advice from Dr. Laundry

I have used Rit color remover to lighten the rose color in my cotton blend valances. It did lighten the color, but I would like to remove more color in order to turn them off-white or cream-colored. Do you have a bleach solution you would recommend for a washer, and could you tell me how long to keep the valances in the solution? Would you use regular bleach or perhaps Clorox^® Oxi Magic Powder?

Based on your description of the results after the Rit treatment, I would probably recommend another Rit treatment over the use of a bleach solution. If the curtains are a cotton blend, the dyes are definitely more stable/harder to remove than if they were all cotton. If you try the Clorox^® Oxi Magic Powder, it isn’t strong enough to “bleach” out any more color. If you try a bleach solution, it is difficult to predict the final outcome as the remaining dye(s) may not come out uniformly and/or you could get a blotchy appearance if the curtains get tangled.

If I were to try a bleach solution, it probably would be like our recommended presoak procedure:

Create a solution of ¼ cup of Clorox^® Regular-Bleach₂ with CLOROMAX® per gallon of cool water, and soak the item for 5–10 minutes.
Follow up with a regular wash of detergent and 3/4 cup Clorox^® Regular-Bleach₂ with CLOROMAX®.

You could also estimate the bleaching effect by doing our Bleachability Test: Add 2 tsp. Clorox^® Regular-Bleach₂ with CLOROMAX® to 1/4 cup water; apply a drop on a hidden area like inside seam or hemline; wait 1 minute, and then blot with towel. Any color change will show you the amount of change you should expect if you proceed with the bleach usage.