Reverse dyeing using bleach is a fun way to breathe new life into an old T-shirt, and there are a lot of ways that you can have fun with bleach to create different designs on your wardrobe.
However, in areas with limited daylight, you may be hesitant to bleach fabric because you’re not sure how the result will turn out without sunlight.
Can you bleach shirts without sunlight? Sunlight can speed up the bleaching process, but it is definitely not a requirement. If you’re working indoors without sunlight, you simply have to wait longer to get the desired effect. A bleach color that takes 5 minutes under the sun will take 20 minutes without sunlight.
If you want to bleach a dark T-shirt but have limited sunlight, don’t worry, you’ve come to the right place. This guide will tell you about various ways you can create interesting designs using bleach.
What You Will Need To Bleach Shirts
Although there are various methods of bleaching a shirt, the tools and materials are quite similar.
If you want to bleach a shirt, here is what you will need:
- A dark shirt. Since bleaching is the process of removing colors from a fabric, it’s best to work with a darker color shirt (like this one). One hundred percent cotton shirts work well with bleach, while other types of fabric will melt, so make sure to check the material before bleaching. If you’re not sure what color to choose, check out our ultimate guide to bleaching fabric colors.
- Household bleach.
- A bucket big enough to mix your bleach solution.
- A spray bottle, if you are spray-bleaching.
- A squeeze bottle, if you prefer this application.
- A pair of gloves to protect your skin. Bleach can irritate your skin if you come in contact with it, so make sure to cover all exposed skin and wear gloves when handling bleach.
- 3% Hydrogen peroxide to stop the bleaching process when you’ve reached the desired color.
- Rubber bands, if you are tie-dyeing.
- Stencils for adding designs using bleach.
- A thick piece of cardboard to prevent the bleach from soaking through to the other side if you are only bleaching one side of the shirt.
- Contact paper to make stencil designs.
How To Bleach Tie-Dye A Shirt
Bleach tie-dyeing is also known as reverse tie-dyeing, where the colors of the shirt will remain the same around the area of the rubber bands while the rest of the shirt is bleached.
Step 1: Mix your bleaching solution.
Mix equal parts of bleach and water in a bucket, or follow the specific instructions of the type of bleach you are using to get the desired result.
You can mix the solution in a bucket, where you can submerge your shirt. Alternatively, you can transfer the mixed solution to a spray bottle to spray the bleach on, which can also create an interesting effect.
Step 2: Prepare your shirt.
This method works best when the shirt is slightly damp, so you can rinse your shirt and squeeze out the excess water. The shirt should be wet but not dripping.
Then, you can use your rubber bands to tie up the shirt in the design that you wish. Remember, the rubber-banded areas will have the color of the shirt, while the other areas will be bleached.
You can go for a classic tie-dye swirl or stripes and patterns just by tying the shirt in various ways. If you want the bleach effects to be sparse, you can go tighter with the rubber bands. If you want to bleach a lot of the shirt, then you can tie the rubber bands loosely.
Step 3: Bleach.
There are various ways to apply bleach. You can use a squeeze bottle or spray bottle to apply the bleach to the shirt, and this technique itself can affect how the result will turn out.
For efficiency, you can also dip the tied shirt directly into the bucket with the mixed bleach solution. This method will produce the neatest result. You can leave the shirt in the solution for about 10 minutes for the bleach to do its job.
Step 4: Neutralize the bleach.
Let the shirt sit with the bleach for about 5 to 20 minutes. The longer you wait, the more colors will be removed. Keep in mind that the shirt will look darker when wet, so it’s best to check the color periodically until it’s almost the color that you want before moving ahead.
While you wait, mix 1 part hydrogen peroxide with ten parts water for the neutralizing solution.
When you have the desired color, spray the shirt with the hydrogen peroxide solution to neutralize the bleach. This step will stop the bleaching process so that the color is just what you want.
Step 5: Remove the rubber bands and wash the shirt.
Remove the rubber bands and wash your shirt with laundry detergent. Since the bleach is neutralized, you can toss the shirt in the washing machine as normal, as long as you wash it on its own to avoid affecting other clothes in your laundry.
After drying, you will see the final color of the reverse tie-dye and proudly wear it as a new shirt in your collection!
How To Add A Design To Your Shirt With Bleach
If you want to add a cool design to your shirt, using bleach and a stencil can be a fun way to do so.
If you are using a stencil, please note that only the outline of the stencil will show up and not any of the details. Therefore, you should use a very simple design with sharp outlines and not a lot of small details for the best result. Stars, hearts, or simple silhouettes are the most suitable.
Step 1: Trace the design.
Trace your design on a sheet of contact paper, and once you are happy with the design, you can use a pair of scissors or an Exacto knife to cut out the design.
There are two ways to go about this. If you want to create a solid shape on your fabric, you will need to cut out the heart shape from the contact paper, and the remaining paper will be used as a stencil.
If you want to create an outline of the design using bleach, you can use a solid heart shape and spray the bleach around the shape, so the final design will show up as an outline of the heart.
Step 2: Use the cardboard.
Place the cardboard inside the shirt so that it lays flat, and the bleach won’t be able to soak through to the backside of the shirt.
When you have the design cut out, peel off the adhesive side of the contact paper and stick the design on the shirt. The adhesive will prevent the bleach from soaking beyond the outline of the design, so it’s important that the stencil is properly sticking to the shirt.
Step 3: Mix the bleach.
Mix your bleach solution using equal parts bleach and water in a spray bottle. The spray bottle is the easiest method of application for this, but you can also use a squeeze bottle, which is faster when you want to create a solid shape.
Step 4: Apply the bleach.
Apply the bleach to your shirt. If you want to outline the stencil, you should focus on the edges because the middle of the stencil cannot be bleached.
You can create a ‘fade out’ effect by focusing a lot of bleach on the outline and thinning out the spraying as you move further from the stencil.
Make sure that the bleach is not dripping from your shirt since it can bleed through to other areas that you don’t want to bleach and even damage the adhesive in the contact paper.
Step 5: Wait for the bleach to set.
Wait for 5 to 20 minutes for the bleach to do its job. The color will get lighter with time, and it will look darker when wet, so you can gauge when to neutralize the bleach.
Mix the neutralizing solution in a spray bottle with 1 part hydrogen peroxide and ten parts water. When you are ready, spray the shirt with the neutralizing solution to stop the bleaching process.
Step 6: Wash and dry.
Remove the stencil and the cardboard from the shirt, and wash with mild detergent to remove any bleach residue.
After the shirt is dry, you can start to show off your design!
We love this cool space design by LSD Tie Dye TV on Youtube. Check it out.
How To Create Designs On A Dark T-Shirt With Bleach
With the methods mentioned above, you can use various tools and materials to create a few different unique designs with bleach.
Let’s take a look at some clever ways to achieve these effects:
- Galaxy Effect. To create a galaxy effect, simply use a spray bottle to apply your bleach solution if you hold the bottle a bit away from the shirt to get the best result.
- Splashes of Paint Effect. If you want to add splashes of ‘paint’ to your T-shirt design, you can use a stiff bristle brush dipped in the bleach solution, then use a gloved finger to flick the splashes on your T-shirt. For this method, the closer you hold the brush, the bigger the splashes will be.
- Draw Designs Directly on Your Shirt. If you love doodling by hand, you will love this method. To draw designs directly on your shirt, all you will need is a bleach pen! Then, you can use the bleach pen to doodle directly on your shirt to create your own unique designs.
- Create Stripes Using Masking Tape. If you want to create simple stripes, there’s no need for stencils; masking tape is your friend. You can use the tape to create different vertical and horizontal patterns and follow the steps above to bleach the shirt.
For more reverse tie tye inspiration, check out this video by I Got Dye On It on Youtube.
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