Question
Would it be okay to use bleach on my white baseball pants if they have two blue stripes on the sides?
Answer
There’s a good chance you can as long as the blue stripes are colorfast to bleach, but first you need to check the fiber content of the baseball pants and confirm that there is no spandex (also called Lycra and Elastane) in them because spandex should never be washed with any products that contain sodium hypochlorite, even garments with only a small percentage of spandex.
Once you know the pants are made of bleach safe fibers like polyester or nylon, then you can check the stripes for colorfastness to bleach. Ideally you’ll be able to find a hidden area on the inside at the hem or waistband and test the stripes for bleachability where it won’t show if the blue stripes aren’t bleach-safe. To do this, add 2 teaspoons Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach to ¼ cup water and apply a drop of that solution to a hidden part of the stripe. Wait one minute, then rinse and blot dry. No color change means you can safely launder the baseball pants.
Assuming they pass, wash them in the hottest water recommended on the care label using detergent and ⅓ cup Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach.
If the pants do include a little spandex, or if the blue stripe doesn’t pass the bleachability test, then try pre-soaking the baseball pants in Clorox 2® For Colors Powder prior to washing. If you aren’t familiar with Clorox 2® you can learn more here.
