Fashion

[Judaline]

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.

[Kachina624]

@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.

  .

[Chicagosuburbangirl]

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.

[Carmie]

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.

[ALRATIBA]

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 .. 

[Imaoldhippie]

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

[sidsmom]

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. 

[jellyBEAN]

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.

[Judaline]

@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

[San Antonio Gal]

@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!   

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@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.

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