Neutralize Bleach

Bleach is an amazingly cheap and effective disinfectant and clothes’ brightener, and it also comes in handy when stripping and cleaning wood. But bleach is an extremely corrosive substance, capable of damaging fabrics, carpets, and even hard surfaces such as stainless steel. In order to keep it from damaging your items, you need to take care to neutralize bleach’s effects.

Since the term "bleach" doesn't always refer to chlorine bleach, it's important to know what you're dealing with first; this will make a difference to how you neutralize it. Once you know what kind of bleach you're trying to neutralize, pick an appropriate method from the options below.

Steps

Neutralizing Bleach on Fabric

  1. Buy a neutralizing agent. There are several cost-effective choices for neutralizing chlorine bleach (commonly sold under the brand name Clorox), which is the kind used in washing and for decorating or changing the color of fabric products. It also contains sodium hydroxide (lye) to stabilize the hypochlorite. The lye is difficult to rinse out completely and will slowly destroy cotton. To fully neutralize the lingering effects of chlorine bleach the hypochlorite and the lye must be neutralized, too. If you’re using bleach for decorative effects on cotton, denim, or other natural fabrics, you can try one of these options:
    • Bisulfite/metabisulfite is very inexpensive. It is sold under the brand name Anti-Chlor, and you only need to use a small amount to neutralize bleach. You can usually find bisulfite at dye suppliers or you can get Camden Tablets (which have the same ingredient) from a wine brewing supply company.[1]
    • Thiosulfate, which is called Bleach Stop, can typically be found at a local photography supply store, as it is commonly used in developing photographs. This is a more expensive option than bisulfite, and it’s not as strong so you’ll need to use more.[1]
    • Hydrogen peroxide is the most easily obtainable of the three neutralizers; you can find it at drugstores and grocery stores. This is an inexpensive choice, and it works well for people with asthma, who may be sensitive to the other compounds, which contain sulfur. Opt for the 3% solution.[1]
  2. Measure your neutralizing agent. The amount of neutralizing agent required will depend on which one you’ve chosen.
    • Anti-Chlor: use 1 teaspoon per quart of water.[2]
    • Bleach Stop: 1 ounce by weight (30 grams) per gallon of water.[1]
    • Hydrogen peroxide: 1 part hydrogen peroxide to 10 parts water.[2]
    • Vitamin C/Absorbic acid: Absorbic acid neutralizes both the hypochlorite and the lye. You will find it in most food stores or pharmacies under its common name, vitamin C. Yes, get the cheapest vitamin C you can find and grind the tablets up into powder to dissolve in your rinse water. You may not know the exact quantity of ascorbic acid to use, because you almost certainly won't know exactly how much sodium hypochlorite and sodium hydroxide you are neutralizing. Just use plenty and rinse the excess out along with the products of the neutralizing chemical reaction. If some remains, it will certainly smell better than any of the sulphites or thiosulphate.
  3. Bleach your fabric. Following the directions on the bottle, use the bleach to achieve the desired effect/shade on your fabric.
  4. Rinse the fabric. Before you use your neutralizer, you want to rinse the fabric well with warm water to remove all of the bleach.[3]
    • Fill your bucket or stationary tub with rinse water ‘‘before’’ you begin bleaching.[1] This way, you can be sure to get the bleach off your fabric as soon as necessary so you don’t remove more than the desired amount of color.
  5. Soak bleached fabric in neutralizer. Soak your fabric in the neutralizing agent mixed with the appropriate amount of warm water. Depending on the size of the fabric item(s) you may want to use a bucket or a stationary tub. It may or may not be cost-effective for you to do your neutralizing in the washing machine.
    • Whatever neutralizing agent you use, the quantity needed depends upon the quantity of bleach remaining in the material that has been bleached, not the amount of water.
    • Fabric should soak in the neutralizer for about 10 minutes.
  6. Wash and rinse. Wash your neutralized fabric in warm water with laundry detergent and rinse well.

Neutralizing Bleach on Wood

  1. Determine what neutralizing agent you need. Different types of wood bleaching processes require different types of bleach, and different types of bleach, in turn, call for different types of agents to neutralize their action.
    • If you’ve used alkali peroxide—which is popular for lightening the color of wood—you will want to neutralize with white vinegar.[4] This is an inexpensive neutralizer that you can find at your local grocery store.
    • When bleaching with oxalic acid, which is good for removing stains such as iron, you want to use baking soda as a neutralizer.[5] Like white vinegar, baking soda is cheap and can be easily found at the grocery store.
    • Chlorine bleach used on wood only needs to be rinsed several times with distilled water.[5]
  2. Bleach your wood. Use your chosen bleach to remove the stain from your piece of wood, or to lighten its color, allowing the bleach to sit for the recommended amount of time.
  3. Rinse the wood. Once you have achieved your cleaning or color lightening goal, rinse the wood several times using distilled water before you move on to any neutralizing methods.
    • This will be sufficient for neutralizing the effects of chlorine bleach.
  4. Mix your neutralizer. If you are using vinegar to neutralize peroxide bleach, mix one part vinegar to two parts water. To neutralize oxalic acid, mix two tablespoons of baking soda with a half pint of hot water.[4]
  5. Apply your neutralizing agent. Use a sponge or a rag to apply the neutralizing agent to your wood in any place that the bleach has touched and allow it to dry.

Tips

  • Avoid using chlorine bleach on synthetic fibers (e.g., polyester, nylon, spandex); the damage that bleach does to these fabrics is irreversible.[1]
  • Always read clothing labels—they will tell you whether bleach is suitable for the fabric.
  • If you spill bleach on carpet, your ability to neutralize will depend the fabric the carpet is made of. Some fabrics, like olefin, are not affected by bleach, so a spill will not cause color loss and you won’t have to neutralize. If your carpet is made of a material affected by bleach, you will need to use one of the neutralizing agents for fabrics listed above.[6] Once the color is gone, however, neutralizing the bleach won’t bring it back; to get the color back into the carpet, you will have to contact a carpet professional.
  • When you add bleach to a load of laundry, the water rinse after the wash cycle is generally sufficient to neutralize the bleach. That said, bleach is still corrosive, and used consistently over time, it will break down your fabrics.

Warnings

  • Many bleach neutralizers are non-toxic, but you should still make sure to carefully follow instructions and store products out of reach of children or animals.
  • Never use vinegar to neutralize chlorine bleach. The same goes for any acidic solution. The mixture of chlorine bleach and acidic substances can cause dangerous chemical reactions.[1]
  • If using multiple bleaches on wood because you don’t get the desired results from your first attempt, be sure to neutralize each bleach before moving on to the next one. Otherwise the residual bleach could mix with the next bleach and create harmful vapors.[5]

Things You'll Need

  • Bleach
  • Neutralizing agent such as bisulfite, hydrogen peroxide, or baking soda

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/FAQ/neutralizingdischarge.shtml
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://www.clorox.com/dr-laundry/neutralizing-rinse/
  3. ↑ www.emich.edu/textiles/PDFs/bleach.pdf
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/39201/home_improvement/bleaches_in_wood_finishing_the_good_and_the_bad.html
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 http://www.woodcentral.com/bparticles/woodbleach.shtml
  6. ↑ http://www.cmmonline.com/articles/bleach-discoloration-2
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