Hey there!! Unless you live under a rock, I am sure you have seen the bleach tie-dye or “reverse” tie-dye trend. Although this technique has been around for a while, it seems that quarantine boredom plus excess cleaning supplies really was the perfect recipe for this trend to take off! I can only imagine how many bleached sweatshirts and joggers I’ll be seeing on campus in the fall!
Repurposing old clothes is a lot of fun and very creative. There are so many ways to cut, embellish, embroider, and restyle clothes you might not wear anymore into a fresh new look. Personally, I have always loved to tie-dye (the traditional way in which you add colored dyes to clothes). It’s super easy to do and the final product is always unique. Thanks to summer camp and childhood birthday parties, I have definitely completed my fair share of tie-dye projects. After cleaning out my closet a few weeks ago, I found an old sweatshirt that I thought would be the perfect canvas for my first bleach tie-dye method attempt. After diving into the process, I unfortunately ended up with a barely faded, spotty sweatshirt. Another Pinterest fail in the books. I was a little upset that the project didn’t work out as I had hoped. After doing some research, I learned that the synthetic fabric and dye blend of my sweatshirt didn’t absorb the bleach as well as some other fabrics. You live and you learn, right? Anyway, determined to succeed in this popular trend, I decided to give it another shot.
A rainy weekend prompted me to get out of the house and into a local thrift store. At Plato’s Closet I found two pieces (both in the men’s section!) that I thought might help me out with my ambitious, crafty plans… a $10 royal blue Nike t-shirt and an $8 black Polo crewneck sweatshirt. I was very happy with my purchases and I had a good feeling about them. Curious to see how it all went down? Keep on reading!!
The project was most definitely a success! I am thrilled with the results, especially on the blue t-shirt. To all the clothes I’ve loved before, move on over! There is a new favorite in town. I will definitely be wearing this so much from now on. I was very pleasantly surprised by the faded pink color that complemented the blue so well. There are also some small specks of white where the bleach fully penetrated the fabric, and I think it really brings the whole spiral design together. I had centered my spiral in the lower corner of the t-shirt so as not to block the written words too much, and I think it gives the shirt a really unique look! As for the sweatshirt, I did not follow a specific design. I randomly bunched up the fabric and haphazardly scattered bleach across it. What makes this project so fun is that it doesn’t have to be perfect (or honestly anywhere near that) and that you will be surprised by the final result! My black sweatshirt ended up with orange, red, white, and gray hues. Who would’ve guessed? So, if you’re thinking you want to try your hand in the bleach tie-dye world, I say GO FOR IT!! This is how I did it. . . .FIRST THINGS FIRST:Clean out your closet for some old clothes that you want to bleach. Or do what I did and head to your local thrift or consignment shop to find some cheap pieces! Don’t limit yourself to clothing either. Get creative! Try bed sheets, pillowcases, or even hats! A quick tip is to look for items whose laundry care tags read “DO NOT BLEACH.” This means that the dye will react with the bleach and release from the clothing- which is exactly what we want! GATHER YOUR SUPPLIES & FIND SPACE:For this project you will need -bleach (I used regular Clorox Disinfecting Bleach)-water-a bucket or laundry sink-an old plastic water bottle or spray bottle-rubber bands-rubber gloves-a workspace-washer/dryer I chose to work outside because the bleach smell can get pretty strong indoors. I used a trash bag as a protective layer to work on! I also put on some old clothes that I didn’t mind getting a little messy, just in case some bleach splashed up on me! START THE FUN:When you’re ready to start, soak your clothing items (or sheets, pillowcases, etc.) in water and ring them out so they are damp. I filled a bucket with water so I could soak them outside. Now, it’s time to tie up the pieces. I used a spiral technique on the t-shirt and a completely random technique on the crewneck. Here are two awesome tutorials you can follow to help you tie up your items:
Random Crumple: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xemu-NB2KUk (minute mark 1:35)
Once your items are tied, place them on your worksurface. If you have gloves, put them on before you handle the bleach! Fill the water bottle three quarters of the way with bleach. Then fill the rest of the bottle with water and cap it off. Shake the bottle to mix the solution. Now, carefully apply the bleach solution to the desired parts of your pieces. For the blue and pink spiral, I bleached alternating sections of my tied shirt. For the sweatshirt I randomly applied the bleach! I just let my hand just take control!!!
Allow the bleached pieces to sit for 10 minutes. Looking for a way to pass the time? One of my favorite music artists, Quinn XCII, just released a new album. Listen to two or three of his new tracks and then your clothes will be ready. Plus, you will have listened to some awesome music. Win-win. As the clothes sit, you should see some discoloration where the bleach was applied. Get excited!!! Now it is time to wash the clothes. This step is very important because you don’t want your clothes to bleed dye onto anything else in the wash. I carefully brought my bleached items into my utility sink (a bathtub or outdoor hose works just as well) and began to remove the rubber bands. Before this DIY, I told myself I would not peek at the clothes until the final post-dryer reveal….but….that didn’t happen. I’ll be honest with you, I peeked at the Nike t-shirt. I was too excited not to! 🤓Rinse the clothes until the water runs clear of any excess dye. Place the rinsed items in the washer with your normal detergent for a cycle and then throw them in the dryer or let air dry! While they’re washing, clean up your workspace! And now. . .the moment of truth (and the most rewarding part of this DIY). . .seeing the final product and getting to wear it!!!
This project is a great way to spend some time revamping old clothes and getting crafty at the same time. You can focus on one or two pieces like I did, or you could quite possibly start your own bleach dyed clothing line featuring lots of different items!! My final tips are to be super careful when handling the bleach and to keep an open mind during the project. Surprise endings are often the best in this DIY! No matter what tie-dye technique you choose, you are going to have so much fun creating your own unique clothing items to wear and share! So, what are you waiting for??? Grab some gloves and get bleaching!! Thank you so much for reading and good luck with your tie-dye adventures! 💛
~Katherine
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