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Yes, you can bleach 50 cotton and 50 polyester fabrics. And the bleaching process is pretty easy if you follow it carefully. In this article, I will tell you exactly how you can bleach your 50 kinds of cotton and 50 polyester blend fabric.
So, first of all, what are 50 cotton and 50 polyesters?
50 cotton and 50 polyester is a shirt that is made from 50% cotton and 50% polyester material. This type of shirt is usually a blend of two fabrics.
Why do you bleach your clothes?
Now, before starting the bleaching process, do you want to bleach for the cleanliness of your fabric, or do you want to remove the color from the fabric?
It’s an important question to ask before bleaching because the answer to this question will change the course of the bleaching process.
If you want to remove stains and marks from your clothes and make them cleaner then the process will be slightly different than bleaching to remove color.
You can also read: Are Scent Boosters the Same as Fabric Softener
Can you use colored clothes for bleaching?
First of all, it is better to use full white clothes when bleaching as the bleach can strip down the colors of the fabric.
And if you choose to bleach a shirt that is colorful just to remove a certain stain or to not remove color but improve cleanliness, you should try bleaching in the bleach dispenser of your washing machine.
How do bleached clothes improve cleanliness without removing the color?
When you are washing your clothes, you just need to put the bleach in the bleach dispenser according to the instructions that are given in the package and roll with it. This will not strip down any color and will give you a nice stain-free fabric.
But if you want to remove the color from the shirt then the process is a bit different.
The process of bleaching 50 cotton and 50 polyester
The process of bleaching 50-50 cotton and polyester is similar to the process of dying most blended fabrics. There are a few steps that you need to follow while bleaching our 50 cotton and 50 polyesters. I’m going to describe the steps to you so that you can easily follow these steps and bleach your fabrics.
- Liquid Bleach: The first step of bleaching will be making a solution of bleach and water. You need to dilute the bleach with some water. You can also use undiluted bleach. For that, you’ll need liquid bleach.
- Undiluted Bleach: You should always try diluted bleach first and if the diluted bleach doesn’t work then you can slowly start to change the ratio of bleach and water to achieve your desired results. And if you don’t think the result of diluted bleach is enough then you can go and grab the liquid bleach. To make the solution of bleach and water, you can use 50-50 water and bleach. And from there, you can increase or decrease the ratio of bleach and water.
- Selecting design: You need to select the design for bleaching your shirt. Do you want to bleach the entire shirt or do you want to bleach certain parts of it in certain cutouts? If you want to bleach the entire shirt then you have to pour the bleach solution all over the shirt. But if you want to bleach certain parts then there are a few methods that you should use.
- Selecting the method of bleaching: You can use a spray bottle, or a paintbrush or you can also try out the masking technique. You can simply use a spray bottle and spray on the places where you want to bleach or you can also use a paintbrush and treat the bleach just like paint and treat the fabric like your canvas.
- The Masking Technique: You can also try out the masking technique. What is the masking technique you may ask? The masking technique is using a cutout of the design that you want to bleach on your fabric. You can make a cutout with cardboard and align that with your shirt to get a clean canvas that you can just lay your bleach on. You can use a spray bottle or paintbrush in that cutout to bleach. This method helps a lot as it creates very less chance of messing up your design. I like to go with the spray bottle after I’ve done the masking technique to just rough out the edges. It gives off a more rustic and edgy look which I love and thinks that you should try as well.
- Washing: You must wash the cloth after bleaching. You have to wash the clothes a few times before wearing them. And you can also add a bit of bleach to the dispenser if you want to give it the extra shine. But you cannot wear the cloth right after bleach as it can severely harm your skin.
Which Bleach should I use for cotton and polyester blends?
It depends on the type of fabric that you’re using. There are four types of bleach. But when bleaching your fabrics, there are two bleaches that we talk about. Chlorine bleach and oxygen bleach.
We are talking about 50-50 cotton and polyester fabric. And polyester is a synthetic fabric. The chemicals in chlorine fabric do not go well with polyester as it is synthetic. It has a high chance of damaging the fibers of your polyester.
Chlorine Bleach VS Oxygen Bleach
I’m going to present to you a table using chlorine bleach and oxygen bleach so that you can easily choose which one you would like to use.
| Chlorine Bleach | Oxygen Bleach |
| Using chlorine bleach in polyester and cotton bleach has a high chance of damaging your fabric. | Using oxygen bleach on your cotton and polyester bleach is safe and won’t damage your clothes at all. |
| The chemicals in chlorine bleach react with the polyester fabric which can lead to a yellowish tint after bleaching. | When you use oxygen bleach, there is no fear of any tints. |
| Chlorine bleach can make the fiber of the fabric thin and possibly give a higher chance of a tear to happen. | Oxygen bleach will give you cleanliness and remove stains without damaging the fibers. |
Now, you know which one to choose from. I suggest you go with oxygen bleach as it is safer to work with it.
How long should you let the bleach sit?
If you choose to use chlorine bleach then you just need 5 minutes. You will let the bleach sit for 5 minutes and then throw it for a wash. And you must not let the bleach sit for more than 5 minutes.
But if you choose the oxygen bleach then you have to let it sit for about an hour. And you can let it sit for more than an hour as well. You can let it sit for however long you want till you receive your desired bleached point. You can also leave it overnight.
Tips to follow while bleaching
This was the process of bleaching your 50-50 cotton and polyester blend. And see, this process is pretty easy if you follow it correctly. There are some tips for you to follow while bleaching which I’m going to mention below.
- Safety Garments: Always make sure to wear your safety garments while bleaching. Bleach is an active chemical that will harm your body if it comes into contact. So, make sure to wear gloves and your safety goggles.
- Wash before Using: Never wear your clothes right after bleaching. Make sure to wash your clothes a few times before wearing them to get rid of the excess chemicals.
- Reading Instruction: Always read the instructions on your care label. Some bleaches are manufactured differently that may not need dilution or may not work as I’ve mentioned. So, never forget to read the care label just to be sure of what you’re doing.
- Use the right type of bleach: Chlorine bleach has a very high chance of damaging polyester. So, don’t go near any polyester or polyester and cotton blends with chlorine bleach.
Conclusion
Now you know how to bleach 5o cotton and 5o polyester. The process is fairly easy if you follow the steps. Just try to make sure that you read the instructions and follow the process that I’ve shown.
If you follow this article word by word, you can easily bleach your 50-50 cotton and polyester without any problem.
There is everything you need to know on how to bleach 50-50 cotton and polyester here in this article. I hope this was helpful to you. Thank you.