How to remove the marks left by bleach

It is inevitable that you need to use bleach in your life, but one who accidentally dyes fabrics, cushions and even carpets white and fades, it seems that nothing can be saved. In fact, as long as you act quickly, you may be able to smoothly reverse or dilute the bleach traces before they solidify. If it is a dark fabric or a small area of ​​bleach traces, you can use a transparent alcohol treatment. Large areas of bleach traces can be treated with diluted sodium thiosulfate; as for fabrics, cushions and carpets, they can be treated with dishwashing liquid or white vinegar.

Method 1: use clear alcohol

1. Rinse the fabric with cold water to remove residual bleach. To avoid mixing bleach and clear alcohol, rinse the clothes thoroughly with cold water until the smell of bleach dissipates. Transparent alcohol will penetrate into the dyes of the fabric and diffuse the color of the dye. If there is bleach remaining on the fabric, it will also diffuse with the dye.

2. Dip a cotton ball into transparent alcohol, such as gin or vodka. Transparent alcohol is suitable for removing traces of bleach or dark fabrics in a small area. Alcohol will dilute the dyes in the fabric, allowing them to redistribute to the bleached area.
Transparent alcohol is not suitable for large areas of bleach traces or light-colored fabrics because there is not enough dye to redistribute to the bleached area. In this case, try other methods.

3. Use a cotton ball soaked in alcohol to wipe the traces of bleach and the surrounding fabric. The dye in the fabric will spread to the bleached area again. Continue to wipe until the bleach traces are covered to your satisfaction.

4. Let the fabric air dry naturally, and then wash off the residual alcohol. Allow sufficient time for the dye in the fabric to solidify, and then wash off the remaining transparent alcohol. Once the fabric is dry, the fabric can be washed as usual to prevent the remaining transparent alcohol from continuing to play a role and darken the color of the clothes.

Method 2: Use diluted sodium thiosulfate

1. Buy sodium thiosulfate at a local department store. This is a photographic fixer that can be used to neutralize traces of bleach. You can buy it at your local department store, pet store, supermarket or online.
Look for products labeled as chlorine neutralizers. They contain the sodium thiosulfate needed to deal with traces of bleach.
As long as it is used in time, it can play a very good role. If it is a trace that has been formed for a while, the diluted sodium thiosulfate may not completely eliminate it, but it can make it less conspicuous.

2. Mix 1 tablespoon (14 grams) of sodium thiosulfate with 1 cup (240 ml) of warm water. Pour them into a special clean bowl or plastic basin and mix well with a disposable spoon until all the sodium thiosulfate is dissolved in the water.

3. Dip a clean white cloth into the diluted sodium thiosulfate. It is not necessary to use white cloth, any color cloth will do. However, since traces of bleach will be transferred to this cloth, it will be particularly conspicuous on non-white cloth.
If you don’t have a clean cloth, you can use cotton balls instead.

4. Wipe the marks with a damp cloth until the fabric absorbs the solution. Do not wipe the fabric hard to avoid damaging it.
If the traces of bleach are still obvious, rinse the fabric with cold water and then treat it with sodium thiosulfate. Repeat this until the traces of bleach fade to your satisfaction.

5. Wash and dry the fabric as usual. Even if the fabric has been washed with cold water before, it is necessary to wash it again to make sure to wash away all the remaining sodium thiosulfate. Wash the fabric separately, wash it well, and wear it again at any time.

Method 3: Use diluted dishwashing liquid

1. Mix the dishwashing liquid and water well. Diluted dishwashing liquid can neutralize traces of bleach on fabrics, cushions and carpets. In order to ensure that this method can work effectively, different materials require different water temperatures.
For fabrics and cushions, mix 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of dishwashing liquid with 2 cups (470 ml) of cold water.
For carpets, mix 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of dishwashing liquid with 2 cups (470 ml) of warm water. Warm water is more effective than cold water to remove dirt and residual liquid from carpet fibers. Most cleaning experts only use warm water to clean the carpet.

2. Dip a clean white cloth into the solution, and then lightly wipe the traces of bleach. Wipe from the outside to the inside, focusing on cleaning the edges, where there is less bleach and it is easier to remove.
If there is no white cloth, you can also use colored cloth or cotton balls. Remember, traces of bleach will be transferred to it.

3. Let stand for 5 minutes. Give the dishwashing liquid time to remove traces of bleach. Make sure the mark is soaked in dishwashing liquid, and then let it stand for 5 minutes.

4. Dip a clean cloth into cold water, and gently wipe the treated area to remove the remaining bleach. Repeat until the traces are wiped dry or the cloth can no longer absorb more bleach.
Use more solution to lightly wipe the traces, and then rinse with more clean water until it becomes inconspicuous or to the effect you are satisfied with.

5. After the carpet is dry, vacuum it again to restore its natural texture. The treated carpet may be a bit hard or dull in color. Let it sit overnight, let it air dry, and clean it with a vacuum cleaner the next morning. To speed up the drying process, you can press the carpet with a paper towel to absorb excess liquid.

Method 4: use diluted white vinegar

1. Mix the white vinegar and water well. This natural formula is very effective in removing traces of bleach. You can use only white vinegar, or after using dishwashing liquid, use white vinegar to treat it again. Note that the water temperature required for different materials is different.
For fabrics and cushions, mix 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of white vinegar with 2 cups (470 ml) of cold water.
For carpets, mix 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of white vinegar with 2 cups (470 ml) of warm water. Warm water can remove more traces of bleach, as well as other dirt and grease adhering to the carpet. Therefore, steam carpet cleaners are usually operated with warm water.

2. Dip a clean white cloth into cold water, and lightly wipe the traces. Pre-treat the traces with water first to remove as much bleach as possible, otherwise the mixture of white vinegar and bleach will produce toxic chlorine gas. Continue to wipe until the bleach odor has completely dissipated.
If you have treated the traces with diluted dishwashing liquid before, you must wash off all the dishwashing liquid before applying white vinegar.

3. Dip a cloth into the diluted white vinegar, and then gently wipe the traces. The vinegar solution will remove the remaining bleach and dilute the traces left by the bleach. Continue to apply until the vinegar solution is soaked up in the mark area.
Be careful not to use too much white vinegar, otherwise some materials may be damaged or disintegrated.

4. Dip a clean cloth into cold water, and lightly wipe the treated parts. The water will remove residual bleach and coarse. Continue to wipe until the cloth can no longer absorb more bleach or the vinegar smell dissipates.
If you are not satisfied with the cleaning effect, you can repeat the above steps with more solution. Be sure to wipe the marks with a clean damp cloth, and don’t let the vinegar remain on it.

You need to prepare

Items accidentally contaminated with bleach
Gin, or clear alcohol such as vodka, sodium thiosulfate, dishwashing liquid or white vinegar
Warm or cold water
Rubber gloves
At least two clean white cloth or cotton balls
Bowl or basin for mixing chemicals
Disposable spoon

Hint

After correcting the traces of bleach, you may be able to cover the remaining white marks with a fabric marker. You can buy fabric markers at your local hardware store, cloth store or handicraft store.
If the traces of bleach on the carpet have been formed for a long time, don’t try to eliminate it yourself. Leave it to professionals to handle or patch.

Warn

When handling chemicals, be sure to wear rubber gloves, especially bleach, and don’t let your skin touch them to avoid burns or irritation.
First find a small area where the traces are to test the solution of your choice to make sure it will not damage the fabric. If the delicate fabric is accidentally contaminated with bleach, you don’t want it to be further damaged.
Long-formed traces of bleach cannot be eliminated and will cause permanent discoloration of the area. Some fabrics and dyes are easier to handle when they are stained with bleach. As long as you act quickly, you may be able to remove them before the bleach destroys the color of the fabric. As long as you act quickly, you can remove the bleach before it destroys the color of the fabric. In any case, you need to treat the faded area and remove the remaining bleach to prevent the bleach from oxidizing and forming yellowing marks.
Be careful when mixing chemicals, especially white vinegar. Mixing white vinegar and bleach will produce toxic chlorine gas. Be sure to pre-treat the traces of bleach with clean water before using other cleaning solutions.