Being a person with a proper grooming routine and fond of skin-caring will know the importance of basic rulings like a regular face-wash and moisturizing.
Along with that, a weekly twice of complementary exfoliation is a must to incorporate inside the routine. It is due to the prevention of dead cells and dirt that gather inside the skin. The ultimate result is a fresh and whitened skin tone.
Bleaching is also compared with exfoliation. Even many access to beauty parlors will give you direct bleach as a part of various facials.
And, this bleaching is also extended for a variety of other purposes, such as whitening out your clothes.
That brings the specific topic on the internet, can polyester be bleached?
Today, we will be discussing all this exact topic.
here is the short answer to can polyester be bleached?
Polyester is not a bleach-tolerant substance as it is made out of synthetic processes. As a result, fibers inside the polyester get damaged in contact with chlorine bleaches due to their final chemical reaction.
Under such cases, oxygenated bleach is a better option if you need to bleach out polyesters.
Can I use bleach on polyester fabric?
Yes, use it how much you want but before all of that, try to interpret what bleach is!
With that being said, you won’t ever want any unknown material to access your precious components, like in your wardrobe full of fabrics made out of polyester. Because, if anyhow the part manages to cause any damage, there will be no other option but to repent.
For the same reason, bleach is described in brief to you with mainly two of its criteria. Bleach especially comes in chlorine version and oxygen version. Both of them work differently yet with a similar kind of result.
Of course, there remain some fundamental differences between them as both the compounds are chemically different as a whole.
The ultimate result with both of them is to wash and bleach out your fabrics. But the type of result may vary for each of the cases in terms of every different material.
That is to say; chlorine bleach is chemically known as NaClO. The chemical abbreviation is needed for all such compounds as they are originated from the background of chemistry. In a chlorine bleach, there remains one mole of sodium, one mole of chlorine, and a single mole of oxygen in total. The ultimate combination gives rises to a powerful bleaching agent.
The bleaching works when NaClO comes in contact with the water. When it happens so, active oxygen [O] is released that is responsible for making the colorful substance of your clothes colorless. As a result, chlorine bleach is also known as a cloth whitener.
On the other hand, an oxygenated bleach comprises a combination of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. Many times, individual baking soda or hydrogen peroxide can also be used as the oxygen bleach.
The other name for baking soda is NaHCO3 and for hydrogen peroxide is H2O2. For both of the compounds, you can see the presence of oxygen. The only differences are in the mole number, which stands for three and two for each combination.
The oxygen moles break into nascent oxygen and therefore works like bleach for your desired clothes.
Now, coming towards the synthetic fabrics or the polyesters, such fibers do not come naturally and therefore have some contradictions with the reaction. Such rejection is seen in the reaction with chlorine, whose ultimate result is not preferable for the polyester fibers.
Although chlorine bleach is even more potent than bleach compared to the oxygenated versions, it may even exacerbate the case instead of doing any good. The point is applicable in polyester only as synthetic, and the internal particles become weak after the collision with chlorine.
The result can also be yellow stains on your white polyester due to the chlorine bleach instead of whitening them. This is because the reaction between fibers and chlorine releases a chemical responsible for the yellowish mark.
What happens if you breach polyester?
The result varies according to the type of bleach you use for your polyester. Remember, polyesters are not natural fabrics manufactured from the plant’s source, such as cotton. Instead, they are human-made artificial synthetic compounds with lots of mixtures.
One of that many mixtures can react negatively with the elements of bleach-like chlorine. And, chlorine is such a substance whose reaction with the wrong compounds can bring catastrophe.
As a result, the scenario will become different rather than carrying out the main job of bleach. The difference can also lead to creating a stain, whereas the position of bleach is to remove the stain. So, the ultimate result can be even your worst nightmare in terms of the bleach, especially the chlorine-based for your polyester fabrics.
How do you lighten the color of polyester?
There is nothing much to say on this topic other than the below-mentioned procedures for lightening up the color from the polyesters:
- Turn your polyester cloth inside-out to let them wash properly inside the gentle cycles of a washing machine.
- Then, fill the machine with lukewarm water without switching on the washing cycle for your clothes. There are some more things left before the starting of the process.
- The most important thing about this point is applying the oxygen-bleach powder into the machine to make a dilute solution.
- Stir the bleach until a proper solution is a build-up for the wash.
- Put the polyester clothes inside the solution of the washing machine and let them soak inside for about 10 minutes.
- Switch on the machine to its washing cycle to wash out the clothes thoroughly.
- Would you please take off the clothes from the washing machine and let them air-dry? Here you go with the whitened version of your polyester fabric by lightening it up through the bleach.
Can you lighten polyester?
Indeed, through washing and using suitable washing agents, you may not be able to shrink or stretch them but can surely lighten them out.
As a matter of fact, for the synthetic fabrics, use oxygen-based bleaching products, harshness detergents, dish-washer, soap, and such agents for lightening up the polyester.
Can you bleach 100% polyester?
Yes, you can! But, the result may be more devastating in case of the wrong type of bleach is already harmful to your polyester fabrics. By more devastating, we tried to mean that 100% polyester fabrics contain nothing except pure and 100% concentration of the polyester.
When the polyester itself opposes the bleaching tendency of chlorine, so a fabric without the mixture of any other natural compounds will surely be more likely towards damages.
So, it is as usual, suggested going for the oxygen bleach options. Also, in the case when you don’t want to take any risk through incorporating bleach, you can follow other whitening options for your 100% polyester:
Step 1:
Go for laundry detergents instead of bleach. Use half a cup of the dish detergents for a gallon full of water.
Step 2:
Secondly, soak your polyester clothes into detergent solution and let it stay overnight.
Step 3:
The third and final step is to rinse off the clothes. While doing so, make sure to apply vinegar during the process of rinsing. Then wash and dry out the cloth naturally as you do.
Can you bleach 50% cotton 50% polyester?
Most definitely! Indeed the 50% cotton polyester blend is way more suitable for the bleach wash without any side effects and for the best result.
Cotton is a natural fabric, whereas polyester is synthetic. Therefore, the presence of the natural fibers with the synthetic one makes the total combination more prone to bleach, which is also applicable for chlorine.
Chlorine bleach comes in liquid form, whereas the oxygen-bleach is more available in powdered options. Both the liquid and the powder will whiten the 50% cotton 50% polyester blend without having the issue of yellow stains or whatsoever.
FAQ about Can polyester be bleached
1. Does cotton blend fade?
For most of the cases, no! The cotton blend will not fade that quickly. Cotton and polyester are more favorable to endurance against fading and losing shape. So, if the cotton blend is with polyester, then there remains nothing more to argue with!
2. What fabrics are bleach-proof!
All the colorfast fabrics are incredibly bleached proof that mainly includes the natural ones. However, among the synthetic materials, acrylic, polyethylene, nylon, etc., holds higher colorfastness, and therefore, are better bleach-proof.
Our verdict on Can polyester be bleached
Finally, you can go for the oxygen bleach in this circumstance to whiten your polyester and get rid of the yellowish tone that has emerged due to earlier chlorine usage.
Emily’s passion for crafting knows no bounds. She has spent years perfecting her skills, from mastering intricate knitting patterns to sculpting beautiful ceramics and everything in between. Her artistic talents have made her a force to be reckoned with in the crafting community.