Washing Clothing With Bleach (Without Having Them Smell Like Bleach)

By

xstchr92

Thank you to all who responded to my problem! The only items I was trying to bleach were whites and ended up having to rewash them about four times (with oxi-clean and vinegar alternately) before the smell dissapated. I'm in Florida and we are now in our rainy season so drying outdoors is out of the question since we have (almost) daily downpours. I will keep in mind all of your suggestions and I repeat Thank You again. This is a great resource for many problems and I believe we are all grateful.

By

Kephirra

Put clothes that have been bleached back through for a second wash and rinse cycle with no soap or additives to get as much bleach residue out as possible. Also, the next time you need to get a stain out of his clothes, try using hydrogen peroxide instead of bleach. I am very sensitive to bleach and have been using it for several years now as a bleach substitute. Make sure you test the peroxide on a small place that doesn't show before using it. It can sometimes fade black, blue and dark green.

By

Mythi

Try Oxiclean and put the clothes on the soak cycle for a while. Baking soda also works well.

By

c t

Yes, after washing as normal, in the last rinse, add something you can get from a pet/fish store. It takes chlorine out of water, really changes it to an amino acid, but it's really good at this.

By

Deeli

Here's a very good bleach alternative:

Add 1/2 cup of vinegar and a 1/2 cup of baking soda to your wash.

Your clothes will be brighter then ever, stains will disappear, and you will be doing your hubby a favor ;-)

By

Cyinda

Chlorine will dissipate in fresh air & also evaporate from water in a day or two... Just hang the clothes outside in the sunshine! They can also be rinsed in your machine's rinse water with half a cup of vinegar added. But the fresh air is best!

Here is something I discovered by accident. When washing items that require bleach, let them go through the wash cycle as usual. When you come to the rinse, be sure to put your softener in the water after it is full and let it swish around a few times, about a minute. Then turn the machine off and let it sit in the mixture for a few hours. Then turn on the machine to continue the cycle and dry as you would normally. I found that there was no bleach smell on the clothes, yet they smelled fresh.