FAQs
These are the questions I get literally every single day about bleach painting. I’ve answered them here as simply and clearly as I can — and if you want to go deeper, I cover all of this (and more) in detail inside the Bleach Painting Club.
Now to answer your questions...
Q: What dilution do you use?
A: For line designs, I usually go with undiluted bleach (3.5% active chlorine). For shaded work, I dilute it about 1:4 or 1:5 and build up in layers. Always test your mix on a hidden spot first (like an armpit). I share more about finding the “right” mix inside the Bleach Painting Club.
Q: What bleach do you use?
A: Brand doesn’t matter — I just use cheap store-brand bleach. What matters is that it has sodium hypochlorite (active chlorine). I mostly use liquid bleach, though a lot of beginners prefer gel. I go into gel vs liquid vs powder and the meaning of active chlorine % in more detail inside the club.
Q: What material shirts do you paint on?
A: 100% cotton is always best, though cotton blends with a high cotton content can work. Denim also reacts nicely but is too rough for fine detail. I explain how different fabrics react with bleach in the club.
Q: How do you neutralize?
A: Rinse in running water, then soak 10–15 min in 1 part hydrogen peroxide + 9–10 parts water (depending on the strenght of the hidrogen peroxide). Rinse again, wash gently with mild detergent in the washing machine, then air-dry. I have a full step-by-step breakdown in the Bleach Painting Club.
Q: Should I neutralize between layers or if I work over several days?
A: I usually only neutralize once I’m completely done. That said, I wouldn’t recommend leaving bleach sitting on your fabric for too long without neutralizing, because the longer it stays, the more likely it is to cause holes. Personally, I don’t take longer than 2 (sometimes 3 at most) days to finish a piece.
If I’m working overnight, I’ll never leave undiluted bleach sitting — I’ll only leave diluted layers (like 1:4 or 1:5). For example: I might do two diluted layers on day one, let it dry, then finish and neutralize on day two.
If you’re working with undiluted bleach and you know you won’t finish until much later (like in a week or more), it’s better to neutralize at the end of your painting session and then neutralize again once the piece is finished.
⚠️ Keep in mind: even if you neutralize in between, undiluted bleach is still harsh and damaging to fabric. I never do two layers of straight bleach on the same spot of the shirt — one layer is usually fine if the fabric is sturdy, but more than that and you’re really pushing the limits.
I break this all down with step-by-step examples in the Bleach Painting Club, but the short version is: work as quickly as you reasonably can, don’t leave undiluted bleach sitting, and always neutralize properly at the end.
Q: Doesn’t hydrogen peroxide also bleach fabric?
A: Good question! Hydrogen peroxide can bleach fabric — but not in the same way as chlorine bleach. At the low concentration we use for neutralizing (3–4%), its main job is to stop the bleach reaction, not strip color.
Q: What kind of pencil and paper do you use to transfer your design?
A: I use a white pastel pencil. I’ll print out the design on normal printer paper, trace it with the pencil, then place it chalk-side down on the fabric and press evenly to transfer. Super simple. I also have a quick tutorial pinned on my social media, and inside the Bleach Painting Club I give a full step-by-step guide plus other transfer techniques.