How to Whiten Clothes With Bleach – Naturally!
This post was last updated in 2024
Hello there my eco-conscious warriors 😊
Let’s face it—brightening your whites can be tricky, especially when they start to yellow. But did you know there’s a way to learn how to whiten white clothes that have yellowed without bleach?
A Google of natural bleach or natural stain removers led me to various recipes – but there was a problem. A lot of them were in imperial measurements – not metric. It was never clear what needed to be diluted, what could be used for soaking and what could be added straight to the wash. The ingredients were always the same but it was so confusing to work out the best way to combine them all.
So for this blog post, I thought I would compile different recipes I have found on the internet but organise them in a way that makes them easier to compare. I have separated the blog post into recipes for soaking clothes and recipes you can use in your washing machine. And for my Australian readers, all recipes are in metric units. I’ve also added a section on the common ingredients found in these recipes and where you can normally find them.
If you want to whiten clothes with natual bleaching agents you typically want to use hydrogen peroxide, washing soda and lemon essential oil. Hydrogen peroxide breaks down into water after releasing an oxygen atom, and washing soda turns into soda ash, helping to lift stains while lemon essential oil has citric acid which helps lift stains and provides a concentrated, fresh-smelling alternative to lemon juice.
I focused on recipes from bloggers who have tested their mixes. I plan to test these out myself over the next couple of weeks, to see what works best. They really are very similar, but they do vary in quantities, so I will play around.
\I’ve also added some simple “recipes” to this blog post. I won’t be testing these out as I don’t think they are strong enough to work, but they are there in case you want to try them out.
Here’s a link to everything you will find:
Jump to what interests you and let’s get into how to whiten clothes with bleach – natually.
Natural bleach recipes – for soaking
Here you will find five recipes that make up a 4L soak. Of course, if you need more water to soak what you have, increase the quantities as needed.
Live Simply
- 4 L hot/warm water
- 1 cup hydrogen peroxide
- 1/2 cup washing soda or baking soda
- Add all the ingredients to a large bucket or sink.
- Whisk the ingredients into the water to dissolve.
- Soak your garment(s) in the solution for at least 30 minutes, ideally overnight, for dingy or stained garments.
- Remove the garments from the soaking solution.
- Wash the garment with warm/hot water and laundry soap in the washing machine.
Mommypotamus
- 1L hot water and 3L room temperature water
- 1 cup washing soda
- 1 cup hydrogen peroxide
- 10 drops of lemon essential oil
- Add the lemon essential oil to washing soda and stir thoroughly until the drops are well distributed.
- Add the washing soda mixture to hot water and stir until the washing soda is completely dissolved.
- Add the room-temperature water and the liquid hydrogen peroxide.
- Place laundry in the bucket and soak overnight.
- Wash as normal (or repeat the process for old, set-in stains)
Mommypotamus
- 1L hot water and 3L room temperature water
- 1 cup washing soda
- 1 cup sodium percarbonate
- 10 drops of lemon essential oil
- Add the lemon essential oil to washing soda and stir thoroughly until the drops are well distributed.
- Add the washing soda mixture and sodium percarbonate to the hot water and stir until the mixture is completely dissolved.
- Add room temperature water.
- Place laundry in the bucket and soak overnight.
- Wash as normal (or repeat the process for old, set-in stains
Going Zero Waste
- 4L of very hot water
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide
- 1 tablespoon of castile soap
- Combine all ingredients in a bucket.
- Submerge your stains items and let them soak.
- Agitate them and rinse them under cool running water
- Hang them to dry in the sun.
Hello Glow
- 4L water
- 2 cups hydrogen peroxide
- 3/4 cup lemon juice
Natural bleach recipes – for your washing machine
Here you will find five recipes to make up a solution that you can add directly to your wash cycle, as an alternative to not-so-natural bleach.
Live Simply
- 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide
- Add the hydrogen peroxide directly to your washer machine bleach compartment or directly to the drum of your washing machine after it fills with water (so it is not added to your clothes directly).
One Good Thing by Jilee
- 2-4 tbsp hydrogen peroxide
- 1 drop of lemon essential oil
- Add the hydrogen peroxide and the lemon essential oil directly to your washing machine’s bleach dispenser, where it will be diluted with water and added to the wash cycle.
- If you don’t have a leach dispenser add the peroxide and lemon oil to 3 cups of water and pour it into the wash drum, either while the drum is filling or before adding your clothes.
(I know, only a very slight variation of the recipe above – and the lemon essential oil is noted as optional in the original recipe, so yeah).
Note: The next three recipes aren’t going to work for a front-loader. They involve mixing up a liquid solution to add while your machine is filling up with water.
Most of the original recipes I refer to below recommend making a solution, storing it and using a cup or so in the washing machine, as needed.
Because I’m unsure how long these ingredients will last when mixed (more on that below), I have converted the measurements to quantities that can be used in one wash load. Of course, if the idea of making a new mix each time you need to run a load doesn’t appeal to you, increase the quantities and store the solution in a glass bottle (if possible) or a plastic container and use the amount specified below in your wash load.
There’s nothing wrong with making a solution in advance – it just doesn’t suit me for the reason I get into below.
Mommypotamus
- 1L water
- 1 cup washing soda
- 1 cup hydrogen peroxide or 1 cup sodium percarbonate
- 10 drops of lemon essential oil
- Add the lemon essential oil to the washing soda and stir thoroughly until the drops are well distributed. If you’re using powdered sodium percarbonate add it in as well.
- Add the washing soda mixture to hot water and stir until it is completely dissolved.
- Once dissolved, add the mixture to the washing machine. If you’re using liquid hydrogen peroxide, add this to the liquid washing soda mixture before adding the whole lot to the washing machine as it fills with water.
Ideally, you would add the mixture to the washer and let it soak before running it. To do that add a small load of clothes to the washing machine and choose cool/room temperature water and the “small” setting for your load size.
Healthy Home Cleaning
- 4L distilled water (yikes I know a lot!)
- 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 4 drops of lemon essential oil (optional)
- Pour the hydrogen peroxide, lemon juice, and essential oil into a jug, then fill to the top with distilled water.
- Gently shake to combine.
- Add to the washing cycle
- If you can, hang your clothes to dry in the sun
Fresh Bites Daily
- 1 cup water
- 1.5 tbsp hydrogen peroxide
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- pinch citric acid
- 2 drops of essential oil
- Mix all the ingredients well and add to the washing machine
Simple Recipes
Here are some other pieces of advice you will find across many different websites, using common household items to help whiten clothes.
Lemon Juice and Sunlight
Lemon juice is touted as one of the easiest and most effective natural whiteners. Lemons are full of citric acid, which acts as a gentle bleaching agent. Here’s how you can use it:
- What you’ll need: ½ cup of lemon juice, a bucket of hot water, and a sunny day.
- How to do it: Soak your clothes in a mixture of hot water and lemon juice for at least an hour. Once soaked, lay them out in the sun to dry. The combination of the sun’s UV rays and the lemon will work on yellowed whites.
Baking Soda and Vinegar
Baking soda and vinegar are the ultimate natural cleaning power couple and they can work in your laundry as well. Both work together to lift stains and brighten whites without causing any damage to the fabric.
- What you’ll need: ½ cup of baking soda and ½ cup of white vinegar.
- How to do it: Add the baking soda directly into your washing machine drum with your clothes. Then pour the vinegar into the detergent compartment and run your washing machine on a normal cycle.
Natural Ingredients Explained
Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is a gentle, eco-friendly alternative to bleach, often called “oxygen bleach.” When hydrogen peroxide breaks down, it releases an extra oxygen atom, which helps lift stains and whiten fabrics. What’s great is that after this process, it breaks down into plain water, leaving no harmful chemicals behind—just cleaner, whiter clothes!
You can buy hydrogen peroxide at different strengths. The recipes listed above are all based on using 3% strength oxygen bleach. You can often find this at the very botttom or top shelf in the cleaning asile at your supermarket but they only sell in 200 mL quanties. If you want to buy in bulk try the Good Clean Health Co.
Storage Tip: Store hydrogen peroxide in a cool, dark place, ideally in its original container (which is usually opaque). Exposure to light can cause it to degrade and lose its effectiveness. Also, keep the bottle tightly sealed to prevent it from breaking down too quickly.
Washing Soda
Washing soda, also known as sodium carbonate, is another natural powerhouse for whitening clothes. When added to water, it breaks down into soda ash, which helps soften water and lift stains, making it easier for detergent to do its job. It’s especially useful for hard water areas, where mineral build-up can dull your whites.
This you can also buy at the supermarket and is fairly inexpensive. Its usually in the middle shelves in the cleaning aisle.
Storage Tip: Washing soda should be stored in an airtight container, as it tends to absorb moisture from the air and can harden over time. Keep it in a dry, cool cupboard and away from direct sunlight.
Lemon Essential Oil
If you love the smell of lemon but find using fresh lemons a bit too messy, lemon essential oil is a fantastic alternative. It contains all the natural bleaching power of lemon juice but in a more concentrated form. Plus, it leaves your clothes smelling beautifully fresh without any artificial fragrances.
I get my essential oils from Doterra. There are many brands out there – make sure it is a brand you can trust and stay away from the cheap stuff as it is unlikely to be real essential oil.
Storage Tip: Essential oils like lemon should be kept in dark, glass bottles (usually amber or cobalt blue) to protect them from light. Store them in a cool, dry place to maintain their potency and fragrance over time.
Sodium Percarbonate
Sodium percarbonate, (also often called “oxygen bleach” – I know, confusing!) is another excellent natural whitener. When dissolved in water, it breaks down into hydrogen peroxide and soda ash, making it a powerful stain remover and brightener. It’s especially effective for stubborn stains like sweat or food, and it’s safe for most fabrics.
This one is a little harder to find. I buy mine from Biome.
Storage Tip: Store sodium percarbonate in an airtight container to keep moisture out, as exposure to humidity can cause it to break down. Keep it in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.
If you are to mix these ingredients together into a natural bleach solution and you intend to use the mixture over a couple of weeks, you will need to ensure you store the mixture in a dark/opaque bottle that is air-tight and kept out of sunlight.
You could risk storing it in a clear plastic bottle – the only risk you are facing is that the ingredients become less potent. Not a big deal.
Still, my preference would be to create a solution each time for use if I had to follow the recipes I’ve outlined above. I don’t think these mixtures would store well.
As I mentioned, I will be trying out these recipes to see how to get white laundry white again. I will will report back.
But this shows whitening clothes doesn’t have to mean reaching for chemical-heavy bleaches. With natural alternatives like hydrogen peroxide, sodium percarbonate, washing soda, and lemon essential oil, we can brighten your whites while being kinder to the environment.
Hopefully, you’ve been inspired to give these methods a try because it is through these conscious choices we can collectively work towards a more sustainable future 🌎
xxx Tahsin
A Heads Up: This post may contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission at no additional cost to you. Also as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I only recommend products and services that will help you take steps towards a more sustainable life and will not recommend anything that does not align, in some way, with these values.
