If it’s a small stain, take enough solution for that stain and apply it to the stained area. Otherwise, soak the item in the solution. If you see a blank triangle, you can bleach the item with any type of bleach. And if you see a triangle with two diagonal lines going through it, you can only use oxygen bleach on the garment. Powders can be messy to measure out, whereas capsules and tablets make it really simple to know you’re using the correct amount. Gels and liquids usually don’t contain any bleach so while they’re gentler on clothes, there’s more chance of your washing machine getting smelly and needing a regular clean. If you use chlorine bleach on colored clothes, it will leave bleach stains. These can appear as white, off-white, or a faded version of the garment’s original color.

In the GHI's detergent tests, powdered laundry detergent almost always out-performs liquids and gels when it comes to stain removal. But it also comes down to personal preference and your budget. Not necessarily! While the terms “color safe bleach” and “oxygen bleach” are often used interchangeably, they are not always the same thing. For whitening old linens, deodorizing and cleaning trainers, or to get rid of yellow armpit stains on shirts: soak in 2 tablespoons of Sodium Percarbonate per 4L of water for at least one hour, or overnight, then rinse. The hydrogen peroxide becomes the active oxidizing agent, breaking down and removing stains. Hydrogen peroxide is a colour-safe stain remover. It breaks up the colourful chemical bonds of a stain, making it invisible so that your clothes look as good as new. Benefits and uses of oxygen bleach

How to tell if clothing is bleach safe

Below you’ll learn how to use oxygen bleach on your clothes. For some extra dirty items of clothing, you might need to hand wash them in a water-bleach solution before they get cleaned in a washer. Or you could use the hand wash method below as a pre-treatment for extra stained clothes! Hand wash

You can buy oxygen bleach in powder form online from places like the Ethical Superstore and Big Green Smile. You can also find it in supermarkets including Asda, Tesco, Waitrose, and Lidl. For safe use on fabrics, it should be diluted in water. In general, chlorine bleach should be handled with care and kept away from children and pets – learn about safety advice here. Using bleach in the washing machine – is it safe? There are plenty of good products out there, but we recommend using a stain remover that is for use on coloured clothes to make sure no discolouration occurs. Grab Green makes easy-to-use laundry boosters that effortlessly neutralize odors in all temperatures while being safe on colors. The golden rules are to dilute and to test. If you go ahead and don’t do either, you’ll end up with, at best, some silly looking clothes. At worst… well, we won’t go there. Did we mention that bleach is dangerous?Seventh Generation also makes detergents with natural cleaning-enzyme formulas that work well without the use of animal-derived ingredients. It promotes plant-based, healthy, safe, and biodegradable products. As long as you take the right measures beforehand, and you know that the bleach won’t have any negative effects on your clothing, there shouldn’t be a problem using it. Color-Safe bleach contains hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide is found in all color-safe bleach because it’s a powerful cleaning agent.

We recommend using a laundry detergent designed for coloured clothes at this stage, as it will help to protect your clothes during the wash cycle, and hand wash your clothes instead if they’re unsuitable for machine washing. 1. Bicarbonate of soda Oxygen bleach should always be used with care, even if it can be used on coloursafe clothing. So, follow the steps below to safely use oxygen bleach on your colourful laundry. You’ve spilt something down your favourite outfit, but it doesn’t have to mean that item of clothing is now a lost cause. Got a pesky stain on a colourful top that just won’t budge? You’re probably thinking about bleaching the item as a last resort. But should you use bleach on coloured clothes? For liquid color safe bleach, add the appropriate amount to the bleach compartment of your washer. Add detergent to the appropriate compartment then wash your laundry as you regularly do. Line dry stained clothingMeliora doesn't leave residue on clothes or in the washing machine. This effective natural brightener gives your laundry a boost with a combination of sodium percarbonate and sodium carbonate. If you use hydrogen peroxide and chlorine bleach in the same wash then you are wasting your money. Their combination does not double the whiteness of dirty laundry. For all the laundry and disinfecting novices out there, a warning: Never, ever mix bleach with ammonia, which can be found in many cleaning products, including many types of glass and window cleaners, multipurpose cleaners, toilet bowl cleaners, shining waxes or oven and drain cleaners. Mixing bleach with ammonia creates dangerous, toxic fumes that could seriously hurt or kill you. How to tell if clothing is bleach safe The bleach will be released into the water and will be diluted immediately. You shouldn’t pour raw oxygen bleach directly onto your laundry as this could damage it.