topic Bleaching jeans in Fashion

Bleaching jeans

Judaline — Sat, 20 Jul 2019 14:43:43 GMT

I didn't know where to post this but I want to bleach my jeans to that white washed vintage blue look. Anybody ever done this and how did you do it? I'm not looking for perfection. No luck finding jeans to fit me that are that pale blue color that I'm looking for.

Re: Bleaching jeans

Kachina624 — Sat, 20 Jul 2019 14:53:16 GMT

@Judaline. If you use a lot of bleach like Clorox, you run the risk of weakening and possibly destroying the fibers in your pants. Manufacturers making those pants have access to special chemicals. Rit Dye does make a color remover but it may remove too much...it's a crapshoot. Let us know how it goes.

Re: Bleaching jeans

Chicagosuburbangirl — Sat, 20 Jul 2019 16:27:38 GMT

Maybe you can practice on some thrift store jeans, keeping in mind different brands and fabrics will produce different results.

All items of clothing with a green tag at my local Salvation Army are $.79 today.

Re: Bleaching jeans

Carmie — Sat, 20 Jul 2019 17:16:36 GMT

Back in the 70's when I was a teenager, almost everyone bleached their jeans.

We did it in the bathtub. Use a solution of bleach and water and apply it to the fabric. You can Pour in on, paint it on, or just soak the whole garment.

Sometimes, we even used straight bleach to it some areas to bleach fast.

You need to keep a close watch on the garment. Bleach does weaken the fibers and can even leave a hole in thin fabric.

You will need to rinse the garment well when the desired results are achieved.

We used bleach on 100% cotton jeans. If your new modern jeans have spandex or polyester, it might not a good idea to DIY.

Re: Bleaching jeans

ALRATIBA — Sat, 20 Jul 2019 17:31:44 GMT

Years ago (90s) ... I helped my then teenage niece do that.

We diluted Clorox half and half with water and used a spray bottle.

We laid the jeans out on the picnic table in the backcyard and sprayed the pants to look "splotchy" ... and let them dry and then ran them through the washer and dryer (alone).

She thought they turned out great ..

Re: Bleaching jeans

Imaoldhippie — Sat, 20 Jul 2019 17:45:26 GMT

With todays material you might want to think on that idea.

Re: Bleaching jeans

sidsmom — Sat, 20 Jul 2019 18:04:37 GMT

Of there’s any sort of ‘blend’ or spandex, bleach will

either weaken those threads or turn them to a green tint.

We bleached denim waaay back in the 70’s but it was

100% denim & since the threads were compromised (weakened)

with the harsh bleach, you couldn’t wash them very often.

And when I say not often I mean...dozen (or more) wearings.

When people complain about the high cost for a pair of jeans.....

this is why! It takes a lot of R&D to make the perfect denim

so it lasts.

Re: Bleaching jeans

jellyBEAN — Sat, 20 Jul 2019 19:23:14 GMT

I had wanted to do the same thing some years back. I worked in a fashionable department store at the time and I was talking to my manager about how to lighten up my jeans.

She suggested when I put them in the washing machine let the washer fill up and then add 1 cup of bleach. Let them go thru the wash. It may take a few tries. If you see any results after the first try you can then try it again. You don't want the tye dye effect, just a lightened blue jean.

Some comments regarding the fabrication of the jean may very well come into play though - lots of jeans have 2% spandex or more added to the denim. I never did try her suggestion but it seemed to make sense. Should be 100% cotton denim though I would think.

I always thought Levi's denim faded the best - had the prettiest faded blue color after many washings, too bad they never fit me properly.

Re: Bleaching jeans

Judaline — Sat, 20 Jul 2019 19:48:24 GMT

@jellyBEAN Yeah, you can always trust Levis. None of that stretchy stuff-makes jeans so unnatural if you ask me. So if I can find a size to fit me I'll do one of these methods. Too bad all of my present jeans have some kind of stretchy fabric in them. But maybe if I dig a little deeper I can find a pair in my bottom drawer!!

thanks for all the options and warnings

Re: Bleaching jeans

San Antonio Gal — Sat, 20 Jul 2019 20:16:47 GMT

@Judaline - This is a great idea that @Chicagosuburbangirl had about purchasing a pair at a thrift store and practice before bleaching a good pair of jeans that you own.

Please keep us posted on your outcome!

@Chicagosuburbangirl wrote:
Maybe you can practice on some thrift store jeans, keeping in mind different brands and fabrics will produce different results.

All items of clothing with a green tag at my local Salvation Army are $.79 today.

Re: Bleaching jeans

chrystaltree — Sat, 20 Jul 2019 21:37:17 GMT

I did it when I was in high school but back then they were supposed to look like you did it yourself. They didn't come out like bleached look we wear now, they were blotchy. I'm sure if you search Google or Youtube, you'll find what you are looking for. They have how to's for everything anyone can think of. Of course, that was real denim, there was no stretch and they were 100% denim in those days.

Re: Bleaching jeans

Judaline — Sat, 20 Jul 2019 23:34:45 GMT

@chrystaltree wrote:
I did it when I was in high school but back then they were supposed to look like you did it yourself. They didn't come out like bleached look we wear now, they were blotchy. I'm sure if you search Google or Youtube, you'll find what you are looking for. They have how to's for everything anyone can think of. Of course, that was real denim, there was no stretch and they were 100% denim in those days.

I thought of google or How to, but I wanted to talk to someone who's done it and their results. I don't always believe "strangers" hahahaha.

Re: Bleaching jeans

ROMARY — Sun, 21 Jul 2019 15:51:32 GMT

Actually, I like the idea of purchasing a pair or two of thrift store jeans in your (my) size and diluting bleach with water in the bath tub.

Just lay down the jeans, turning over as necessary with prongs or gloved hands.

And because it's bleach, no need to worry about whatever germs, etc.

Excellent, and inexpensive idea.

Re: Bleaching jeans

CatsyCline — Sun, 21 Jul 2019 18:19:50 GMT

i tried bleaching standard blue jeans once in the washer - just plain Lee jeans. i put in a cup of clorox!! They faded a bit and came out flat charcoal gray!! All the blue dye was removed.

Jeans manufacturers use special washes and additives to get a faded broken in look. They use pumice stones soaked in clorine for acid wash, enzyme washes which use cellulase enzymes to eat away the cellulose fiber on denim and for mineral wash styles, bleaching agent sprayed on foam blocks and then the jeans are washed with the blocks..

These treatments use a TON of water. Up to 300 or more gallons of water may be used to create one pair of specialty washed jeans.

Re: Bleaching jeans

Judaline — Sun, 21 Jul 2019 18:21:00 GMT

@ROMARY wrote:
Actually, I like the idea of purchasing a pair or two of thrift store jeans in your (my) size and diluting bleach with water in the bath tub.

Just lay down the jeans, turning over as necessary with prongs or gloved hands.

And because it's bleach, no need to worry about whatever germs, etc.

Excellent, and inexpensive idea.

The only problem with that is, they don't make them like they used to. The older ones were probably all cotton but there probably isn't a tag inside saying so because it wasn't a law back then (given that thrift store jeans are that old). If I can find some all cotton jeans that fit me (doubtful 'cause Levis don't fit me) I will use the bathtub method. I have plenty of jeans right now but I'm afraid they all have some stretch. I may try it anyway since I don't want to spend any more money on jeans unless they are what I want and they fit which is why I started this whole thread, lol.

Re: Bleaching jeans

Snicks1 — Sun, 21 Jul 2019 19:07:40 GMT

@Judaline, I know exactly what you mean about not spending more money on jeans, UNLESS it's exactly what you want. Probably 30+ years ago, when I was a single mom with 1 child still at home and another barely gone, but needing a bit of help now and then, I had lost some weight and bought jeans for work wear, they were my new size and fit well, but were stiff (they were just some cheap brand, for work). I wanted to wear them, but they were stiff so I did the bathtub with bleach method. Now I don't remember the fabric blend after all these years, but that method worked. I just checked them till I liked the color they had become, and when I liked the color, drained the tub, hand wrung them out and straight into the washer. The only problem I had was that they didn't last long, like maybe 2-3 months till they started to become what these days is the very distressed look. It wasn't an ok look for me to wear to work, or anywhere, really. So I didn't try that method again. Perhaps I used too much bleach, or left them in the bleach solution too long. But I did like them for the couple months I wore them, lol Good luck.