How to lighten jeans with baking soda. How to bleach a denim jacket. How to lighten jeans using citric acid

Jeans do not go out of fashion, do not get boring and can be combined with any clothes and shoes. This is pleasing, but it is not a reason to wear the same jeans for years under the pretext of their enduring relevance. In fact, fashionable jeans change their appearance, style, shade and decor year after year. To keep up with trends, you need to regularly update your wardrobe with trendy jeans. Would you say it's expensive? So, you can make your jeans lighter, brighter, more elegant with your own hands without any special financial costs. If you know how to lighten jeans at home beautifully and stylishly, then no one around you will simply guess about your tricks. But you will look no worse than fashion bloggers!

Interestingly, our mothers knew very well how to lighten jeans themselves, and used these techniques when it was simply impossible to buy fashionable jeans. Nowadays, lightening jeans yourself is no longer associated with a narrow range of clothing stores. Everyone can buy jeans in the right size and style, but they are all the same. But you can make your jeans lighter and more original with your own hands, and create an exclusive model to suit your taste. And even if you are tired of your once favorite ready-made jeans, feel free to make them lighter, bleach the jeans in whole or in part, experiment and enjoy both the process and the result. Even if something goes wrong, you will still have practical experience in lightening jeans and unique pants, from which, in a pinch, you can make summer denim shorts.

Denim shades: how to choose the color of jeans?
Classic jeans cannot boast of a variety of colors. Initially, denim, or denim, was dyed with the chemical pigment indigo. Indigo crystals are deep purple, like blue ink or office ink. Denim trousers, even the darkest ones, have a different shade due to a special technology for dyeing jeans: the warp thread is dyed, but the weft thread remains white (therefore, real jeans are almost white from the inside out). The multi-colored jeans you see in stores and fashion catalogs are not dyed with indigo, but with other pigments, usually sulfur-based. Industrial fabric dyes do not fade or wash off, but may fade slightly.

It is this property of denim that will help us lighten jeans. If you don’t want to be disappointed with the result, consider the following nuances:
You shouldn’t lighten your expensive and/or favorite jeans for the first time; it’s better to experiment with old and no longer needed pants. For training, trial and error, you can buy jeans in a stock store or second-hand store and hone your skills on them.

How to lighten jeans beautifully? How to make washed jeans?
Varenki jeans, a famous hit of the 1980s, have returned to fashion catwalks! To keep the reception authentic, make light wash jeans at home. You can share the fun with your parents, giving them the opportunity to feel nostalgic, or lighten your jeans yourself using traditional technology:
The described method of lightening jeans by boiling is basic. If you wish, you can adapt it and immerse the jeans in boiling water not entirely, but partially (knee-deep, one pant leg, only the upper part, etc.) depending on your creative ideas. You don’t have to twist the jeans, then the light spots will be more blurred, without obvious boundaries and stripes.

How to make jeans a little lighter at home?
Washed jeans are a bright and stylish way to transform boring trousers, but they are not appropriate in every situation. Sometimes you have to make do with modest and discreet light blue jeans that look elegant and gentle. And you can make these jeans yourself too!
The big advantage of this method is the ability to control the result and achieve the finest nuances of light blue. At the same time, plain jeans are lightened evenly, without transitions or stains.

How else can you lighten jeans yourself?
There are other ways to lighten jeans, just for those who are on a creative quest. Previous generations of home-grown clothing designers have come up with and repeatedly tested the following alternative lightening recipes:

• Hydrogen peroxide is added to water to wash jeans. This allows you not only to lighten dark ones, but also to whiten jeans that have turned yellow from time to time. Peroxide does not harm the washing machine, so if you find the substance in powder form, feel free to add it to your automatic washing powder.
  
• Lemon juice is a natural, environmentally friendly fabric bleach. Citric acid has a similar, but more pronounced effect. Acid and/or lemon juice is added to the water when soaking the jeans and left for 30-60 minutes. If the result is weak, the soaking time can be extended.
  
• It is not necessary to lighten the entire jeans. You can avoid getting them wet at all, but soak a cotton swab in concentrated bleach and leave random stains and/or streaks on the legs. This stylistic technique will make your jeans unique. Stains can be applied not randomly, but according to the laws of visual perception, in order to visually improve the figure.
  

Today, light-colored jeans are becoming increasingly popular. They look stylish and harmonious. Their significant advantage is that they harmoniously combine with almost any other clothing, favorably emphasizing the created image.

There are several ways to bleach denim

If you want to have such pants in your wardrobe, but only dark models hang or lie there, you don’t need to immediately run to the store and buy a new product, which, as you know, has a fairly high price. With the help of simple methods and the use of available products, any, even the blackest jeans, can be lightened almost to whiteness.

At the moment, the most relevant means, which are present in almost every home, and which are well suited for solving such a specific issue as bleaching dyed denim, are:

• regular baking soda;
• lemon juice;

All of the above substances are known to have a pronounced whitening effect. However, they must be used wisely. Some products are suitable for removing yellowing from the fabric structure, others help whiten it, and others are used exclusively for thin materials.

The whitening process needs to be approached wisely

Therefore, you need to understand that before you make your jeans lighter, you definitely need to familiarize yourself in detail with the features of using a particular bleaching agent. Otherwise, you risk ruining the item. It will be possible to return the lost shade only with the help of special coloring, and this is already a waste of money. If the fabric structure is damaged, then such pants will have to be thrown away altogether.

Whitening methods

Let's consider the options for using each of the above tools separately.

Perhaps the most common way to make jeans much lighter. Whiteness is a special type of household chemicals that not only has good efficiency, but is also widespread, as well as an attractive price. With its help, you can get a snow-white thing with minimal time and effort. It should be understood that this product is developed on the basis of chlorine-containing components, that is, there is always a risk that the fabric may be damaged. To avoid this, it is strongly recommended to follow the instructions:

• prepare a metal bucket large enough to hold the jeans;
• put on unnecessary clothing or a medical gown, gloves, a respirator or a regular mask, as well as safety glasses - do not forget that Whitening is a chemical;
• pour about 7-8 liters of water into a bucket (depending on its volume) and heat it on the stove to a temperature of 80 degrees (no need to boil yet);
• Then a bleaching agent is added to the heated water - about 350 grams. You need to carefully place it with a wooden spatula, and make sure that there are no undiluted particles left on the bottom or walls;
• after this you need to bring the water to a boil and leave it in this state for about 5-7 minutes;
• the next step is to immerse the pants in a bucket of boiling water. This should not be done with bare hands, but with the same spatula or tongs of sufficient length. If the trouser legs rise, they need to be pressed into the water, and make sure that not a single piece of fabric remains above the surface of the water;
• Jeans are cooked for a quarter of an hour. After this, the pants can be removed from the bucket using tongs.

How to bleach jeans white if just boiling doesn’t help? This, by the way, happens quite often, especially if the pants were very dark. It's okay - you need to add about 50 more grams of Whiteness to the water and send the thing to cook again. This procedure can be repeated until the level of lightness of the product satisfies the owner.

Pour whiteness

After completing all activities, the pants must be placed in a previously prepared clean basin and filled with warm running water. Then a small amount of liquid detergent or shampoo is added. There is no need to wash it yet - just leave the pants in this solution for 10-15 minutes. And only then the item is subjected to intensive washing with very high-quality rinsing.

Drying is the final and very important stage.

It is forbidden to hang bleached jeans in the sun, as this will lead to the appearance of characteristic yellow spots and stains.

Do not dry treated jeans in the sun

You can hang your pants indoors, but make sure they are not exposed to ultraviolet rays. The optimal temperature for drying is room temperature.

A common product such as baking soda can also be used to whiten jeans. Just remember that this method is relevant mainly for pants made of thin fabric, for which the use of chlorine bleaches (the same whiteness) is not appropriate.

What do we have to do:

• take about 200 g of soda and mix it with regular washing powder in equal proportions - this is the mixture that will give the best result;
• stir the resulting mass in a bowl of warm water using a suitable tool, for example, the same wooden spatula. All crystals should dissolve;
• after that, jeans are immersed in the basin, which are first turned inside out;
• You need to keep your pants in the solution for at least an hour. Next, you will need to wash them thoroughly and rinse them more than once;
• drying involves hanging the product in the fresh air, but without exposing it to direct sunlight.

This procedure can be repeated several times. With each subsequent wash using baking soda, the shade of the pants will become lighter. It is also very important to monitor the temperature of the water in the basin - it should not be cold or too hot. The optimal temperature is approximately 30-40 degrees. To find out what the temperature of the water is, you can lower a regular thermometer into it.

Another quite effective way. Lemon is known for its whitening properties. Its juice is actively used not only in the food industry, but also in the cosmetics industry. To whiten jeans using this substance, you need to prepare an appropriate solution based on it.

To do this, take about 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, which is mixed in one liter of water. If you need, for example, 4-5 liters to soak your pants, then take the appropriate amount of lemon juice. Next, the item is immersed in a solution poured into a basin and kept there for several hours.

Then everything is standard - washing and thorough rinsing in running water. The event ends with drying, avoiding direct sunlight on clothes.

This product is not only a high-quality antiseptic, but also a good bleach. Today, this is perhaps the cheapest way to make jeans much lighter. You can perform this activity as follows:

• The pants fit in the washing machine. It is not necessary to turn them inside out;
• two tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide are added to the compartment for detergents;
• the delicate mode and rinse are activated;
• Not too intense spinning is allowed.

After removal there is no need to re-wash the product. It can be dried indoors, but it is preferable to hang it in the fresh air. Of course, ultraviolet rays should not reach the structure of the bleached fabric.

How to bleach jeans at home without damaging them? When working with chlorine bleaches, you need to remember that violating the time limits for cooking pants can lead to irreversible consequences. Otherwise, the fibers will begin to dissolve, and this will lead to the fact that the thing will simply become full of holes.

Wear protective gloves when bleaching

If you want to bleach only the outside or back of your trousers, you can take a foam sponge, soak it generously in Bleach and wipe the fabric. After five minutes, the pants will need to be thoroughly rinsed and dried in the manner described above.

A similar method can be used to make stains on the surface of pants - for this it is recommended to use a regular spray bottle, with which bleach is sprayed onto the desired places.

If you bleach jeans using baking soda, then you need to remember that it must be mixed with washing powder. In modern washing machines, there are several compartments in the tray. The decision to load powder into one and soda into the other is incorrect. The fact is that soda is an active chemical substance with an abrasive structure. That is, it can damage the internal elements of expensive household appliances and significantly reduce their service life.

By the way, this warning does not apply to hydrogen peroxide. It is completely safe for the washing machine and the clothes themselves - this is a very important advantage.

If you don’t have fresh lemon on hand to squeeze juice from, it is recommended to replace it with concentrated citric acid. But instead of one tablespoon, in this case you will have to use 1 teaspoon.

For fashion lovers, it will be interesting to know that even the oldest jeans can always be transformed. And for this you will need a minimum of effort and resources - a saucepan, water, gloves and whitewash. The convenience of working with such a thing is that the fabric has good density, so you can bleach it safely without fear of damaging the fabric.

How to lighten denim using one of the most common methods

Before you bleach your jeans at home using bleach, you need to choose them correctly.

The fact is that not all fabric will look impressive when finished, so it is advisable to choose things that are sewn from the thickest fabric possible.

In addition, for girls who have a wild imagination and love interesting patterns, it will be useful to know that the more intense the base color, the more intricate patterns the bleach will leave.

So, the work of giving pants a new life begins with preparing a working “tool”:

• whiteness;
• a metal bucket, or alternatively a large kitchen pan;
• clothespins (the more there are, the more streaks you will get);
• thick rubber gloves;
• fixing rubber bands for banknotes;
• Well, of course, the pants themselves.

To whiten jeans using whitening, you should follow very simple steps:

At first the pants curl well. Probably, many have seen how they create stains on T-shirts - with the help of a stick they begin to twist from the center, then the resulting lump is tightened with a rope or elastic band, and then poured over with paint. The result is a beautiful printed T-shirt. Here you should do the same. Jeans should be rolled correctly:

1. with simple twisting and clamping, white streaks will have a vertical direction;
2. and if you use clamps after twisting, the pattern will be horizontal;
3. Using clothespins will help create a star pattern.

A little trick-advice: for women with wide hips, it is better to leave the top untouched, and work with white only with the legs below the knees.

Well, now, you can wear jeans freely and show off to your friends with a “new” thing.

What else will help give your jeans a fresh look?

For many girls, jeans are their favorite wardrobe item. Therefore, they quickly lose their presentable appearance. But it’s a shame to throw away a good thing.

And in such situations, the following methods of “resuscitation” will help, and doing them yourself at home will not be difficult:

In general, housewives will be interested to know that oxygen bleach, which is added every time things are washed, helps not only jeans, but also other things, remain bright for as long as possible.

As can be seen from all of the above, you can bleach jeans without using whitening.

Little secrets to note

In fact, bleaching jeans yourself only seems easy. Of course, the pants will become lighter, but the question is: how much? And will the pattern be acceptable?

In order not to be disappointed, you should know about the following points:

If you want to do bleaching in places, then before starting work or, in general, instead of doing it, you should walk over such areas with a sponge soaked in white. Next, the jeans are left in the solution for 5 minutes, but no more, otherwise the whiteness will begin to corrode the fabric.

There is another way that will allow you to bleach your jeans white, but without boiling. To do this, pour the product into a spray bottle and cover the fabric with the desired pattern. But in both the first and second cases, after 5 minutes the product must be washed immediately.

Jeans have firmly established themselves in the wardrobe of every modern person. Due to their practicality, products made from such fabric are approved by people of all ages. Every year, famous designers put on public display trousers of various colors with elements of fraying. Lightened jeans look stylish and can be easily made at home. To carry out the procedure, you will only need available tools, ingenuity and patience. So let's get started.

How to bleach jeans white

You can get an exclusive item using whiteness, spending a minimum of time and effort. It is important to understand that chlorine-containing preparations have a negative effect on fabric fibers, so you should not increase the exposure time or concentration of the solution.

Preparation
Follow the instructions and choose dark or bright colors to achieve the desired contrast.

Prepare in advance a metal bucket and “Whiteness”, which is sold at any hardware store.

Before carrying out the whitening procedure, put on protective gloves, a mini-respirator or medical mask, goggles, and a gown.

Technology

1. Choose a metal bucket so that the jeans will float freely in the composition. Pour 7-10 liters of water into it, place it on the stove and heat the liquid to 85 degrees.
2. After this, add 300-350 ml to the water. “Whiteness”, mix the solution well with a wooden spatula. You can also use bleach in powder form, in which case the amount increases to 320-370 g.
3. When the mixture turns into a homogeneous solution, reduce the heat and boil it for about 5 minutes. At the same time, do not forget to constantly stir the mixture to avoid clarifier sediment on the walls and bottom of the container.
4. At the end of the boiling period, start cooking the denim trousers. As mentioned earlier, protect the skin of your hands and body, eyes, and respiratory tract. Take the product with tongs, lower it into the solution and press with a spatula.
5. When you leave your trousers to cook, the legs will begin to rise up, do not allow this to happen. Press the item with a spoon or tongs so that it bleaches evenly.
6. Boil the trousers for about a quarter of an hour. If at the end of the period you do not notice any changes in the shade, take out the product and add 50 ml./60 g. bleach, send the item to cook again. Simmer the clothes on the stove until you are completely satisfied with the final shade.
7. After the procedure, remove the jeans from the bucket using tongs and carefully place them in a bathtub or large basin. Fill the trousers with warm running water with the addition of liquid soap or shampoo, leave for 10 minutes.
8. After the time has passed, wash the item clean and dry it naturally away from ultraviolet rays. Do not hang the product in the sun, otherwise you risk getting yellow spots or streaks.

Important!
Do not violate the time frame for soaking jeans in bleach; follow the instructions. Otherwise, keeping trousers in “Whiteness” for a long time can dissolve the fibers, which will render the clothes unusable.

Design options for white bleaching

You can bleach jeans unevenly, thereby creating streaks. In the end, you will end up with an original pattern created by yourself. Let's look at popular designs using rubber bands, clothespins and hairdresser's clips.

1. To get vertical streaks, twist your jeans and secure the twist with colorless hair ties (silicone). Do not remove them until the procedure is completed; remove the available products before rinsing the product.
2. To get some kind of “stars”, fasten wooden clothespins in a chaotic manner before sending the jeans to boil. As in the previous method, remove them before the final rinse.
3. Hairdressing clips with an extended base will help you get horizontal lines on your jeans. Lay the pants out on a flat surface, then secure the tools to the sides of the pant leg.

Important!
The more you twist the jeans, the fewer streaks you will get. You can wrap the product in a loose rope or give the legs wide spreads by twisting them several times.

The amount of bleach used directly depends on the original color of the pants, the quality of the dye and the density of the fabric. Watch the result during the cooking process, if necessary, increase the amount of the drug.

At first glance, it may seem that the whitening procedure does not present any particular difficulties. In practice, the process is not always effective. Of course, the jeans will take on a light shade, but there is no guarantee that the result will suit you. The same applies to patterns using clothespins and clips.

1. You can whiten jeans and create a beautiful pattern using the pure “Whiteness” composition. Pour the drug into a spray bottle, spray on the desired parts of the trousers, leave for 5 minutes. Rinse with warm water and machine wash the product.
2. If you need to bleach, for example, the front of your trousers, use a foam sponge. Dip it into “Whiteness”, wipe the area you like, wait 5 minutes. After the time has passed, machine or hand wash with added rinse aid.
3. Using the same foam sponge, you can make a smooth transition from bottom to top or vice versa. This effect looks beautiful on women's skinny jeans. In this case, it will be relevant to use rhinestones to decorate the product.

The technique is designed for processing trousers made of thin material, when the use of hard bleaches is inappropriate.

1. Baking soda will give good results if used in combination with washing powder. Mix the cleaning composition and food product in a 1:1 ratio, pour warm water into a basin, and add the bulk mixture into it.
2. Once the crystals have dissolved, turn the jeans inside out and submerge them in the solution. In this case, you need to monitor the temperature of the water; it should not be cold or hot. The optimal indicator ranges from 35-45 degrees.
3. Leave the product in the solution for about an hour, then hand wash and rinse. Dry the item only in the fresh air, avoid direct sunlight. The procedure can be repeated regularly, after each subsequent wash the shade of the jeans will lighten.

Important!
Some housewives add soda when washing trousers in a household machine, pouring it into the second compartment. You can try this technology if you don’t mind the components of the device. When exposed to baking soda, they will wear out, and you will not be able to control the bleaching process to the desired shade.

Whitening jeans is not difficult if you have sufficient knowledge and follow practical recommendations. Use white, which is sold in any household chemicals department. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle or dip a sponge into it, and then begin processing the trousers.

Video: how to dye jeans at home

The most indispensable and practical type of clothing is jeans. This wardrobe item differs in models, styles, fabrics, and colors. If you want to give your old jeans a makeover and turn them into a trendy item, we'll show you how to whiten jeans at home.

How to whiten jeans?

Since denim trousers will need to undergo bleaching, we suggest using the following bleaching agents:

• white;
• soda;
• hydrogen peroxide;
• lemon juice.

How to bleach jeans white?

If you use white for whitening, you will achieve maximum effect. If, in addition to bleaching, you also want to get a fashionable print from lightened patterns, then select something of a rich color for the experiment.

To work you will need:

• metal bucket or large saucepan;
• white.

To obtain divorces:

• elastic bands;
• clothespins;
• clamps.

Important! To bleach jeans at home and not harm yourself, carry out the entire procedure with rubber gloves.

Instructions for using whiteness:

1. Mix a cup of bleach in a bucket of water.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil.
3. Lower the product until it is completely dissolved in the chlorine solution.
4. Leave the jeans in the product for 5-20 minutes.
5. After boiling, remove the jeans and place them under running cold water. Remove all clothespins, elastic bands and clips.
6. Rinse the product.
7. Wash and dry.

Important! Leaving an item in bleach for too long can destroy it completely. Therefore, when thinking about bleaching jeans at home, do not try to get the best result by violating the time frame for exposure to the solution.

Another practical tip: If your jeans float when bleaching, use a large spoon or stick to push them back down.

Artistic design of jeans when bleaching

To create interesting stains on jeans, you need to twist them, but not too tightly. The shape of the print directly depends on the method of curling:

• vertical streaks will result if the jeans are simply folded and pinched;
• horizontal - if the product is fixed;
• star patterns will appear if the jeans are compressed using clothespins.

Bleach Solution Recipe Options

The amount of bleach used depends on the density of the material, the original color, and the desired result. Adding two cups of the product will give you a light blue tint.

Important! If after a few minutes the shade of the jeans does not change, then add more white.

How to bleach jeans with soda?

If you need to lighten jeans made of thin fabric, then do not use aggressive bleaches, but use regular soda. This is the simplest method of bleaching and will produce a lighter shade of fabric that will change with each wash.

Important! It is better to carry out the lightening operation manually, since the inner surface of the washing machine wears out with prolonged contact with soda. In addition, you will have the opportunity to control the bleaching process and the intensity of the change in the original color of the product.

Add baking soda to washing powder when washing.

Transforming things with hydrogen peroxide

This product is a lifesaver for many housewives who don’t have time to boil their pants and don’t want to torment their washing machine with baking soda. In order to whiten jeans at home, wash the product in an automatic washing machine with the addition of powder and two tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide (load it all into a ditch).

Important! If you add 3 tbsp. l. peroxide in a small bowl with water and powder and wash the denim by hand, you will get rid of the yellowness.

The secret of artistic coloring

Jeans treated with peroxide can be made more exclusive by rubbing them with a pumice stone, a stiff brush or fine-grained sandpaper.

Making beautiful jeans with your own hands

Instead of peroxide, you can use Domestos: dilute ½ cup of the product in 3 liters of water and soak the jeans in the solution until they lighten to the desired level, after which rinse the product thoroughly and dry. The procedure can be repeated as needed.

Important! Work with chemicals only with rubber gloves.

Using lemon juice for whitening

Lemon juice has a brightening effect, which means it can also be used to whiten jeans at home. For this:

1. 1 tbsp. l. lemon juice or 1 tsp. Dilute citric acid in 1 liter of water.
2. Soak the item in the solution for several hours.
3. After the time has passed, remove the product.
4. Rinse and dry.

• To get the effect of partial bleaching, treat the desired areas of the product with a sponge soaked in bleach. After the procedure, leave the clothes for 5 minutes, but no more, so that the fabric does not become loose and tear. With this method, you can use all your imagination: lighten only one leg or create a smooth color transition from bottom to top or vice versa. You can even spray your jeans with bleach from a spray bottle. After all “washing”, thoroughly rinse the treated areas of fabric with running water and wash the product thoroughly.
• If the method of bleaching with peroxide or chlorine seems uninteresting to you, then draw patterns using citric acid, after diluting it in clean water. To work, use a regular paint brush.
• In addition to folk remedies, store-bought products can also be used for whitening. We'll have to empirically figure out what's best. The downside of household chemicals is that repeated use of bleaches wears out the fabric, especially denim.