How to Remove Jeans

Bleaching is an effective way to lighten dark jeans. Moreover, jeans after bleaching are also softer. After buying bleached jeans at the store, you can still perform the bleaching process at home. With good process control and careful handling, you can bleach your jeans to the color you want and avoid burning holes.

Table of Contents

Prepare before bleaching

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Spread newspaper to avoid staining the floor. Before you begin the bleaching process, spread newspaper in the area used to bleach the jeans. Most surfaces, especially carpets, are easily soiled by bleach. ^{[1] X Research Source} Don’t forget to spread newspaper around the washing machine, as you will have to wash your jeans immediately after bleaching.

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Change clothes that you don’t worry about getting dirty. You should choose old clothes that don’t make you worry about getting bleach, such as sweatpants and t-shirts. You can also wear an apron if you like.

Wear thick rubber gloves to avoid skin irritation from the bleach solution. ^{[2] X Research Source} Wear extra goggles to prevent bleach from getting into your eyes.

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Choose a well-ventilated area to avoid inhaling the smell of bleach. Smelling bleach is not usually harmful to health, but it can make some people uncomfortable. If you feel dizzy, leave the bleach area immediately and call 911. Keep product labels close to you (if possible) for medical staff to know. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Do not mix bleach with other chemicals. Some chemicals when mixed with bleach can produce toxic gases. You need to avoid mixing bleach with ammonia, or ammonia and rubbing alcohol. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Pour 1 part water and 1 part bleach into a bucket or tub. You can mix the bleach solution in a bucket, but when you’re in the tub, it’s easier to turn on the fan to blow away the bleach smell. Avoid using concentrated bleach solutions. While you’ll get quick results, the solution will be corrosive to the fabric and can leave burn holes.

Test first. If you haven’t bleached your jeans before, prepare some old jeans or denim. You should test the bleach solution on old jeans before using it on your favorite pair of jeans. That way, you’ll know how bright your jeans will be after the bleach treatment and whether the bleach solution is too concentrated.

Each color of jeans will give you different results. So choose old jeans that are close in color to your favorite pants for accurate results.

Use an eraser instead of bleach. If using bleach makes you uncomfortable, you can also choose an eraser pen (this is available in many stores). Eraser pens don’t produce the same natural effect as bleach, but are easy to use and don’t require a lot of cleanup. You can also use an eraser to draw intricate patterns or letters on jeans. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Erase jeans

Wet jeans. The bleaching effect will be higher on wet jeans. So, remember to wet your jeans with cold water before handling. Jeans don’t have to be soaked, so don’t forget to wring them out.

Use a sponge, brush, or spray bottle to treat the jeans with bleach. If you want to create a texture on your jeans, don’t just put them in the bleach solution. Instead, you should use one of the following:

To create an even bleaching effect on a large area of fabric, simply dab the bleach onto the fabric using a sponge.
To create a splashing effect, you will use a brush or toothbrush. Use a brush to dab the bleach, then move your thumb back and forth over the bristles to create a splash of color.
If you want a quick action, pour the solution into a cheap spray bottle and spray on the fabric to be removed.

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Process each side in turn. You will work on the front or back, then flip the jeans to work on the other side. If you don’t want to bleach a certain face, you can simply stuff newspaper into your jeans before treating. Newspaper will prevent bleach from seeping into the other side.

Soak jeans in a bleach solution for an even effect. If you want to bleach a whole pair of jeans, soak the jeans in bleach for about 20-30 minutes. Turn the jeans and stir the solution every few minutes to prevent a portion of the fabric from being too long in contact with the bleach. Check for color change each time you rotate the jeans, and remove the jeans from the solution when you are satisfied with the result. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Squeeze the jeans so that the water runs into the bucket or basin to avoid staining the floor.
To create a tie dye effect, you’ll tie an elastic band to your jeans before soaking in bleach. This way the jeans have a floral pattern. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Complete

Rinse off the bleach after 5 minutes. After treating or soaking the jeans in bleach, you will place the jeans on the newspaper for about 5 minutes. The next step is to rinse the jeans with cold water in the sink or tub.

While the jeans are still wet, you won’t know the bleaching effect. Please rate the color when the jeans are dry.

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Wash jeans in the washing machine but do not use detergent. Take the jeans wrapped in newspaper to the washing machine so they don’t stain the floor. You will wash the jeans in the washing machine without detergent or fabric softener so the jeans don’t turn yellow. This will help rinse off the bleach and you can then wash the jeans with other clothes.

Only put jeans in the washing machine so you don’t accidentally bleach other clothes.

Advice

For bleach, you should use as little as possible. Stop bleaching when you are satisfied with the results. Remember that you can always bleach more, but once the jeans have been bleached, you cannot restore the original color.
Handle with care to avoid soiling the clothing you are wearing or the floor.

Warning

Do not mix bleach with ammonia or vinegar to avoid creating harmful gases.
If you feel dizzy, leave the bleach area immediately.

Things you need

Jeans
Bleach (liquid or pen)
Elastic band (optional)
Bucket, basin or tub
Water
Glove
Goggles
Tools used to handle bleach: sponge, brush, toothbrush or spray bottle

Steps