Using Hydrogen Peroxide to Lighten Fabric Color
Peroxide offers a gentler route to toning down garment shades than caustic bleach, which can destroy textiles. The task calls for basic supplies and the low-cost 3-percent peroxide sold in supermarkets, and it can be completed without specialized equipment.
By Jordan Lewis13 steps
Fading clothing with peroxide can breathe new life into the fabric.
Peroxide provides a less aggressive way to alter fabric color than caustic bleach, which may rapidly break down textiles until they cannot be salvaged. Lightening garments with peroxide is a straightforward process, and the inexpensive 3-percent hydrogen peroxide found in grocery stores is sufficient for the job.
Step 1
Pour water into a stockpot, using enough so the fabric being lightened can move around without restriction. Set the pot on the stove and heat the water until it boils. Switch off the heat and allow the water to drop to 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 2
Add soda ash and synthrapol, stirring them in. For each pound of dry fabric being lightened, measure 1/2 teaspoon of each.
Step 3
Place the fabric into the water and agitate it gently for a few seconds.
Step 4
Take the fabric out of the pot and rinse it well under clean water. Empty the pot of its water.
Step 5
Refill the stockpot with cool water, using enough to submerge the fabric.
Step 6
Measure in 6 pints of 3-percent hydrogen peroxide. As a substitute for the 3-percent peroxide, you may use either 3 1/2 cups of 10-percent hydrogen peroxide or 1 cup of 35-percent hydrogen peroxide.
Step 7
Stir in 7 1/2 tablespoons of soda ash along with 1 teaspoon of synthrapol. Warm the water on the stove until it reaches 130 degrees Fahrenheit, then turn off the heat.
Step 8
Put the fabric into the water. If it floats, a glass jar filled with water can be used as a weight to hold the fabric fully beneath the peroxide solution.
Step 9
Allow the fabric to remain in the hydrogen peroxide mixture for a minimum of 16 hours and a maximum of 24 hours. Throughout this period, the room where the fabric soaks should stay at 70 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer.
Step 10
Lift the fabric out of the hydrogen peroxide mixture and rinse it thoroughly with warm water. Pour out the remaining mixture from the stockpot.
Step 11
Add warm water to the stockpot until the fabric is covered. For every gallon of water in the pot, stir in 11 tablespoons of 5-percent distilled white vinegar.
Step 12
Place the fabric into the diluted vinegar and leave it to soak for 10 minutes. The vinegar stops the hydrogen peroxide from continuing to bleach the fabric by neutralizing it.
Step 13
Take the fabric out of the diluted vinegar and rinse it well with clean water. Launder and dry the fabric in your usual manner.
