Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Is there any way of salvaging bleach splattered clothes

22 replies

broccolibush · 03/09/2022 09:55

Well not bleach splattered as such. The cleaner didn’t put a couple of her cloths in the wash as normal and they weren’t washed with our towels. DH spotted them and threw them in a mixed wash (on a timer delay) and there are bleach marks of varying severity on my bedding, a pair of my dungarees, and one of DH’s shirts.

My dungarees are probably ruined - there are lots of points where the colour/pattern has been stripped right away. I suspect the cloths were right on top of them.

DH’s shirt has a small - 1/2 a 5p coin sized - mark on the chest where the green has been bleached to orange. Is there any way of disguising this?

Am pretty annoyed - not with the cleaner as it’s her mistake, nor with DH as he seems to have no sense of smell - but with the situation. Could do without lovely things being spoiled.

Obviously everything, bar my dungarees, is wearable/usable but I had just spent good money buying us nice things and now they’re tatty.

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 03/09/2022 10:39

You could try dyeing them. You need to add pigment back in.

SchoolInForeignLands · 03/09/2022 10:41

Could you use an iron/stock on decorative patch over them?

SchoolInForeignLands · 03/09/2022 10:43

could try this? Guardian link

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Home improvement
Arenanewbie · 03/09/2022 10:43

I would move the shirt to undersweater category. Could the dungarees be bleached a bit more to make a pattern?

Original poster
broccolibush · 03/09/2022 10:59

I’ll try the guardian tip when it’s dry. Thank you.

DH’s shirt is pretty loud (he’s fond of a lairy shirt) so I’m not sure that it would dye well - I think the pattern would affect how the dye ends up showing. Picture attached from before it got an orange splodge on the chest (and shoulder).

My dungarees are run and fly ones - gold with pink stars. Or rather gold with pink stars and white patches now. They clearly took the brunt of it as the colour is stripped right back in a few patches on the leg, hip, bib and strap. I’m not sure that patches would work as it’s so many areas and again would worry about dye due to original pattern. I can buy them again but was trying so hard not to buy new clothes 😥

Is there any way of salvaging bleach splattered clothes
OP posts:
IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 03/09/2022 12:12

In my, sadly considerable, experience you can't dye over bleach (not with domestic Dylon anyway). The bleach changes the structure of the fabric and the dye molecules don't attach. Despite what the Guardian says, Sharpies don't work either.

Really sorry about your clothes OP, I hope you find a way of salvaging them.

custardbear · 03/09/2022 12:26

Holy shit! That's a very lairy shirt - few things come to mind

  1. You can't see the stain!
  2. Put black stripes and wings on the stain and say it's a bumble bee
  3. Great excuse to bin the shirt
🤪
FlorettaB · 03/09/2022 12:53

are they these?

ZipZapGirl · 03/09/2022 12:57

custardbear · 03/09/2022 12:26

Holy shit! That's a very lairy shirt - few things come to mind

  1. You can't see the stain!
  2. Put black stripes and wings on the stain and say it's a bumble bee
  3. Great excuse to bin the shirt
🤪

This Grin

FlorettaB · 03/09/2022 12:59

I’m very bad at crafty stuff and know sod all about sewing but I think you could put some bigger pink stars randomly across the dungarees. Not just enough to cover the stains but enough that it looks like it’s part of the fabric pattern. You could use stitching to make the stars or use the iron on stars you can buy or a fabric pen.

Original poster
broccolibush · 03/09/2022 13:00

FlorettaB · 03/09/2022 12:53

They are. And I got over myself and ordered a new pair.

And yes @custardbear I suspect #3 is a bright side to look on 😂

Also the gin/vodka trick didn’t work at all. I was very restrained and didn’t neck the glass I poured to try it.

OP posts:
Original poster
broccolibush · 03/09/2022 13:05

FlorettaB · 03/09/2022 12:59

I’m very bad at crafty stuff and know sod all about sewing but I think you could put some bigger pink stars randomly across the dungarees. Not just enough to cover the stains but enough that it looks like it’s part of the fabric pattern. You could use stitching to make the stars or use the iron on stars you can buy or a fabric pen.

That would have been a marvellous plan if I were at all able to think rationally. Unfortunately I got myself in a tizz and threw money at the issue.

OP posts:
FlorettaB · 03/09/2022 13:09

Now you’ll have two pairs! I’d just keep the bleached pair for wearing around the house.

Ariela · 03/09/2022 14:06

I have successfully recoloured clothing stripped by bleach with a Sharpie pen.
I had a checked cotton shirt, loud and multicoloured, an absolute favourite of mine and somehow got bleach splatters on it on one side on the front. Very noticeable.
I bought the large pack of different shades of Sharpie pen (about 30 of them I think, so all colours covered). I practised on a piece of old white sheet to get the amount of ink to colour each spatter enough, and there were a couple I had to colour using 2 different sharpies - you have to Sharpie a small gap from the other colour to allow for spread and have to be quick and precise as it was straight lines the sharpie spreads a bit too so you need to allow for that and not go too close to the edge. Anyhow I wore my shirt for a good few more years with a bit more Sharpie topping up till the previously bleached bits eventually started falling in holes and fraying, As one bit was on the boob I sadly had to give up as it looked a bit wrong! Up till then nobody seemed to spot the damage as it hid well with the checked fabric.

custardbear · 03/09/2022 15:06

FlorettaB · 03/09/2022 12:53

So Jane from Rod Jane and Freddy is now a fashion model for EBay! Wow!

bloodyplanes · 03/09/2022 15:13

I always seem to do this to my leggings or jeans when i am washing the floors! I always just colour it in with a permanent marker, it works just fine.

Chikapu · 03/09/2022 15:21

Are you married to early 80s Morrissey?

Divebar2021 · 03/09/2022 15:22

I dripped bleach on the knee of my wide legged Cos trousers - bloody annoying. I tried re-dying which didn’t work and did re-colour with a sharpie which covered it sufficiently to disguise it. Unfortunately it would fade every time I washed them so I was always having to re-do it. I haven’t tried it but I know Rit dye have a product for removing colour… I wonder if you removed the colour and re-dyed then it would work or whether the area that was bleached would always be stripped. You could tie dye as an alternative or introduce stitching / embroidery / patches over the top as part of the “visible mending” trend.

migmogmash · 03/09/2022 17:37

custardbear · 03/09/2022 12:26

Holy shit! That's a very lairy shirt - few things come to mind

  1. You can't see the stain!
  2. Put black stripes and wings on the stain and say it's a bumble bee
  3. Great excuse to bin the shirt
🤪

I have been looking at it for the past 5mins and genuinely can't work out where the stain is...it's like one of those magic eye puzzles 😂

mathanxiety · 03/09/2022 17:40

There's nothing you can do except turn the lot into gardening/ painting clothes.

ExH used to destroy clothes with bleach. I've tried lots of tips.

threepointonefourone · 03/09/2022 17:47

Have you tried the dungaree appreciation Facebook group?

www.facebook.com/groups/2134725523300182/

they are very knowledgeable and very into customisation of dungas. If they can’t suggest a fix I can guarantee someone will buy them off you.

Original poster
broccolibush · 05/09/2022 15:27

I'm not on Facebook @threepointonefourone otherwise I would have done. I put them in the fabric recycling bin.

DH's shirt has been salvaged with some fabric pens from Amazon. I've managed to cover the worst mark so it blends in, and frankly the shirt has so much going on that I doubt even if someone were looking very hard they'd spot the slightly lighter patch (certainly not when there are parrots and crabs and lobsters and all sorts to draw the eye). For those who couldn't see the mark it's because the picture is from before the incident. He's most put out at the suggestions to bin the shirt too 😂

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page