How to Do Bleach Art on Clothes

Whether it’s refreshing clothing you already own or turning a thrift store find into a unique art piece, you can use a simple bleach and water solution to create one-of-a-kind designs on your shirts, jeans and even a onesie for a baby. The technique is simple: apply the bleach and water solution, wait a few minutes until you are happy with the results, then use a hydrogen peroxide solution to stop the bleaching action. 

Get creative! To make galaxy art, simply spray the solution lightly onto a t-shirt. Or use stencils to apply stars to blue jeans. Painter’s tape can make perfectly even stripes. Plastic cookie cutters can be used to stamp designs onto fabric. While we’ve written about using bleach to create reverse tie dye effects before, the goal here is to further unleash your creativity — the possibilities are endless!

Some dyes are actually colorfast to bleach and water solutions. You won’t always know just by looking at the color, so before you start test for colorfastness to bleach and make sure the item you want to update actually will change color. 

Fiber type matters, too. Cotton, rayon and linen are more likely to lose or change color than synthetics like polyester, acrylic or nylon. And remember to avoid bleaching wool, silk, mohair, leather and spandex because these fiber types aren’t safe for bleach. Care labels include fiber content, so be sure to read them to confirm the fiber content before you start.