Bleach Jeans
Want to add a trendy, bleached look to a pair of jeans? Bleach helps give your pants a worn, softer look, resulting in a style that is very boho-chic. Luckily, this style is also very easy to recreate at home. Bleaching your jeans is a quick and simple process that only requires some bleach, a bucket, and a little time.
Steps
- Mix a bleach solution, or buy a bleach pen. Here's two different ways to get the bleach you need:
- Don't just pour undiluted bleach onto your jeans - mix up a dilution. Use 1 part bleach for 3 parts water, or (at most) 1 part bleach for 1 part water. You'll appreciate the lack of noxious fumes as you work.
- Buy a bleach pen at the grocery store. You won't get the same splattered look you would from pouring liquid bleach onto your jeans, but you'll have more control. Additionally, you won't have to deal with as much clean-up.
- Set up your work space. If you're using liquid bleach, find somewhere safe to do your work. The bottom of a bathtub works well (and also makes it easy to turn on the fan and dispel fumes).
- Prepare your clothing. Don't wear anything you don't want bleached as you do this. If you'd be heartbroken over losing an article of clothing, leave it in the closet and wear sweatpants and an old T-shirt. Additionally, if you think you might get bleach on your hands, wear rubber gloves.
- Wet the jeans. Dampen the pair of jeans before you begin working - the bleach will process better this way.
- Experiment first (optional). If you're unsure about how the look will turn out, try your solution on a ruined pair of jeans, or buy a cheap pair to experiment on.
- Choose how you're going to apply the bleach to your jeans. You don't have to just pour the bleach onto the denim (though you can). Here are a few potential options you can mix and match:
- Use a sponge to dab the bleach on.
- Apply bleach to an old toothbrush, then pull your thumb back along the bristles to achieve a splattered effect.
- Find an old paintbrush
- Use an old eyedropper (that you never use on your eyes again)
- Find a cheap plastic spray bottle to spray bleach onto jeans.
- Work one side at a time. Do either the front or back first, let flip over to the other side.
- If you don't want bleach on the opposite side of your pants, stuff them with newspaper.
- Rinse the bleach off within 5 minutes. After you've let the bleach process, rinse the jeans in cold water.
- Machine wash the jeans. You can throw in a few light-colored towels, if they need to be refreshed by a little bleach. Fill half the washing machine with water, for adequate dilution, before adding your jeans and towels. Place your jeans at the bottom of the washing machine with the towels on top.
- Finished.
Tips
- Less is more! When you like the design you’ve made, STOP! Remember, you can always do more, but you can't undo bleach.
- Try bleaching different colors of jeans. For instance, black jeans could turn orange if you only let the bleach sit for a minute.
- If you find that bleach is somehow not working for you or you want to try something different, blonde hair dye provides a similar effect.
- You may wish to research a few Tie Dye Anything Made from Natural Fabric techniques.
Warnings
- Never mix bleach with ammonia or vinegar. These create a potentially lethal gas.
- Don't discard bleach water outside - pour it down the bathtub drain instead.
- If you start to feel faint, leave the area immediately and get some fresh air.
- Take precautionary measures to prevent accidental spills or stains.
Things You'll Need
- Jeans
- Bleach (liquid or pen)
- Water
- Tools for applying bleach
