Bleaching Tee shirts for Beginners- So easy, effective, and anyone can do it!

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If you are following my steps-- You need these things:

1) A HEATHERED t- Shirt (My favorites to bleach are heathered Pink, Heathered Purple, and heathered dark grey!) the Gildan G640 Softstyle shirts in ANY heathered color (except graphite heather) will have the 65% poly and 35% cotton make up. 

I suggest these as a great starter pack to try bleaching tees! 

* If you are using sublimation-- You must use a higher count of Polyester. %65 percent or more will give you the best results. Sublimation adheres to the poly so as long as the shirt has anything over 40% polyester you should be fine BUT the lower the poly count the more distressed your sublimation will look. So keep that in mind. I ALWAYS recommend HTVRONT Sublimation paper- You can get it in the 13x19 size (Must have a printer that supports larger paper), The 11x17, or the most standard size 8.5x11 and I love this sublimation ink

For more on sublimation printing tips, you can check my tips out right here!

* You can really use any shirt-- These just bleach the best to me. BUT DO NOT use sublimation prints on cotton! Cotton is more for Vinyl, DTF transfers, or Screen print transfers. Also, 100 percent cotton can get holes!

2) A plastic bin lid, a cutting board, a Thick piece of card board--- This will act as a barrier for you! You can also use parchment, a trash bag, etc.. I just like a harder surface. Another great way to create a barrier is to use a flat cookie sheet... This is the one we use daily in the shop 

3) 100 percent bleach

4) A spray bottle (LABEL this bottle well and keep it away from everyone so it doesn't get used for things its not intended for!) Use my Amazon referral link for this weed sprayer! I would recommend this weed sprayer for bleach projects!

5) sunlight

6) peroxide/water mixture. Equal parts in a bucket or in your tub. You could even grab ANOTHER spray bottle, and add equal parts to saturate your shirt. Here is the spray bottle of peroxide we use in the store!

For my Instructions-- 

So, After I have placed my barrier inside of the t shirt-- I lay it flat OUTSIDE. I Then spray it exactly where I want the bleach to lay. Use a "stream" on your spray bottle to control the design better, but the "Mist" if you really don't mind where it will go! 

 I usually let it sit about15-25 minutes in the sun (Just watch for your desired briughtness), and THEN, I dunk it in my Peroxide water mixture (Or the spray bottle method). The peroxide will stop the bleaching process. At this point, you can throw it in the washer by itself. Wash on delicate cycle with two rinses. I hung mine to dry but you can dry it just on low temperature. Be very careful with bleach as it can put holes in your shirt. 

 *The speed will determine on how Sunny (AND HOT!) it is outside. You have to keep checking on it-- Do not let the bleach dry up on your shirt! It is a good way to thin the shirt. 

 It is much easier to just do 10-12 shirts at once to save your time and supplies! 

This is a very good DIY craft! Anyone can do it, and its trending right now with T-shirt makers. Some tee shirt makers do not have the time to do it, and if you get good at it-- You could sell the blank bleached tees wholesale! 

When you figure out how long/sun exposure/ect--- You could Even do different designs like you would a tie dye shirt! 

 PLEASE submit your bleach projects! I am curious to see your creations! 

If you didn't know, My name is Emily Ollangg, and I own How About That Boutique by Mrs. Ollangg located in central Ohio! My shop showcases lots of artisans in my area and if you are ever close, PLEASE stop in! I started blogging a form of therapy as I find solitude in showing you some cool, new, or at a great deal! I am an Amazon Affiliate and I can earn commissions on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you!

This is a photo of my husband and I! We have 4 beautiful children, and 3 cats! When I am not working- I enjoy every moment I can with my family and friends, but I also LOVE couponing, online shopping, designing graphics and more.