The Cleaners

Garment care tips

Bleach: Part Three: Steps after Bleaching

If you are happy with the results from bleaching, great! You are almost done with the process. If not, then repeat the process — or ask your drycleaner to do it for you.

After Bleaching
You must rinse or wash the bleach from the garment, or you may see discoloration or premature wear.

First:

• If the garment is susceptible to stretching, then put it in a mesh wash net to minimize distortion, before removing from the sink or bucket. At minimum, “cradle” the garment in your hands and gently push the garment against the wall of the sink or bucket until most of the water is removed. Do NOT squeeze, as you may cause breaks or hard wrinkles in the fabric.
• Drain the bleach water from the sink and gently remove the garment from the bleach “bath.”
• After refilling the sink with fresh warm water, immerse the garment to rinse out the bleach and soap. Rinse twice if needed.
• Inspect the garment for stains or discolorations. If it’s clean and bright — and it meets your expectations — then you just need to rinse or re-wash. In most cases, it is best to re-wash the garment, rather than simply rinsing.
• After washing or rinsing, use the washing machine to “spin” the garment to remove the excess moisture.
• Then lay the garment flat, or hang as usual. 

Note: Stains and discolorations look darker when the garment is wet, so you may want to let it dry, before electing to re-bleach! 

This tip is © The Clothing Doctor and used with permission. May not be reproduced in any form without permission.