I Tried 4 Ways to Bleach White T-Shirts, and This Method Removed Every Yellow Stain

I love white cotton T-shirts in theory for how classic and versatile they are, but they’re also one of my biggest laundry nightmares. Besides being a magnet for all the ordinary types of clothing stains, it’s like they age in dog years: After just a few wears, even the best white T-shirts suddenly look so dingy and sad. To turn back the clock, you need to know how to bleach white clothes.

I wanted to learn how to take yellow-y shirts back to mint condition, so I decided to put two different types of bleach (chlorine bleach and non-chlorine bleach) to the test to find the actual best way to bleach white clothes. Here’s how it went — including some results that surprised me.

For my test, I asked friends to donate to me their old white cotton T-shirts that were headed for the garbage bin. I got four perfect test subjects: 100% white cotton undershirts with a smattering of yellow stains that were particularly pronounced in the armpit areas.

There are two main types of bleach you can use to remove stains in white clothes.

• Regular chlorine bleach: This is what you probably think of when you hear the word “bleach.” It’s sold in liquid form by the bottle, and you can use it to bleach clothes and sanitize solid surfaces. You can use chlorine bleach as a pre-soak for white clothes (followed by a regular laundry cycle), or you can add it directly to the wash.
• Oxygen bleach (also called non-chlorine bleach): Most people probably know this as OxiClean, but there are plenty of others on the market; you’ll see them usually sold as powders rather than liquids. As with chlorine bleach, you can use oxygen bleach to pre-soak clothes (followed by a regular laundry cycle), or you can add it directly to the wash. 

Each T-shirt was used to test a different bleaching method, so I ran four laundry cycles in total. The four methods I tested were as mentioned:

• Soaking the shirt in chlorine bleach (I used Clorox)
• Putting a shirt directly into the washing machine and using Clorox in the cycle
• Soaking the shirt with oxygen bleach (I used OxiClean)
• Putting a shirt directly into the washing machine and using OxiClean in the cycle

The ratings: For each method, I gave two ratings: one for the results (how well did it work?), and one for the ease of use. Both ratings are on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest and 1 being the lowest.

Results: 3/5

Ease of Use: 2/5 

Method: I filled a bucket with 1 gallon of water and added 1/4 cup of chlorine bleach. After mixing, I submerged a T-shirt in the solution for 5 minutes. Then I rinsed the T-shirt and washed it in a load with detergent as usual.

How it went: It’s pretty easy to fit a 5-minute pre-soak into your laundry routine, but because chlorine bleach is so harsh, you’ll need to make sure to protect both your skin and any clothes you’re wearing. Unfortunately, even though this was a relatively straightforward process, I didn’t really see the results I wanted or expected. I’ve always thought of chlorine bleach as an instant whitener, but the yellowed armpits seemed only a little lighter after a full laundry cycle than they were before. However, I did see some lightening of the body of the shirt.

Results: 4/5

Ease of Use: 4/5

Method: I filled a bucket with 1 gallon of hot water from my tub and added two scoops of oxygen bleach, per the instructions on the container (the scoop came with the bleach; it’s equal to 1/2 cup). I stirred the mixture until the powder dissolved in the water, then fully submerged a T-shirt for the recommended 6 hours.

How it went: Waiting 6 hours to wash a shirt is a little annoying, but this method makes up for it by being so darn effective. After a 6-hour soak, I pulled the shirt out of the bucket to find that the water it left behind was already dingy brown — promising! After washing, the overall appearance of the shirt was brighter, but some of the heavier stains in the armpits were definitely still visible.

While the packaging for my oxygen bleach suggested a 6-hour soak, laundry experts say that you could extend a soak overnight for really bad stains (but more on that below). That will be the next thing I try for these shirts to see if a little more time in the bleach will help further break up the discoloration.

Results: 2/5

Ease of Use: 4/5

Method: I put a T-shirt into the wash with detergent as usual, then added 1/3 cup of bleach to the dispenser before starting the cycle, as instructed on the bottle. If you don’t have a detergent dispenser, you can add the bleach directly to the drum.

How it went: Is it easy to add bleach to the dispenser in your washer? Yes, but be sure to watch your hands and clothes. However, the results were so negligible that I’m not sure I’d bother. Although the body of the shirt might have seen some slight improvement, the armpit stains were just as bad after washing.

Results: 2/5

Ease of Use: 5/5

Method: I put a T-shirt into the wash with detergent as usual, then added 1/4 scoop of oxygen bleach (equal to 2 tablespoons) to the drum before starting the cycle. 

How it went: Scooping some oxygen bleach into the drum takes about 5 seconds and is much cleaner and safer than pouring chlorine bleach into your washer. It wasn’t quite powerful enough to deal with the yellowing on this particular T-shirt, but I did see a little bit of overall brightening that seemed encouraging. If you had a slightly dulled white shirt, I think this method would do a decent job of bringing it back to life. But if you’re dealing with heavily soiled clothes like I had here, a 1/4 scoop of oxygen bleach sadly won’t make much of a dent.

When it comes to bleaching white clothes, chlorine bleach certainly has a reputation for being a hard hitter — but I found that oxygen bleach performed better on the heavily soiled T-shirts in my test. The key, though, is to invest in a pre-soak for 6 hours (or even overnight). That gives the oxygen bleach plenty of time to break down the stains before you launder your clothes with detergent.

One bonus to oxygen bleach: Unlike chlorine bleach, which should only be used on white fabric, oxygen bleach is generally safe for colors, too. If you only have room to stock one laundry room tool, I’d make it this one. Read on for cleaning experts’ tips on how to safely use bleach.

Bleach contains powerful chemicals and, when used incorrectly, it can be dangerous to your health. So before you even open a package containing bleach, you should be aware of its strength and practice precautions. “Bleach safety involves wearing appropriate clothing and eye protection,” says Mary Gagliardi, also known as Dr. Laundry, Clorox’s in-house scientist and cleaning expert.

You’ll want to wear clothes you wouldn’t mind potentially discoloring, as well as gloves and even a pair of goggles if your eyes are sensitive. Work in a ventilated room, and use a measuring cup to dilute bleach with water according to the directions. 

“Make sure the item you want to bleach is bleach-safe, wipe up any spills or drips immediately with a paper towel or rag, and properly store the bottle when not in use in a dry place that’s away from children,” Gagliardi says. “When stored as directed, bleach has a one-year shelf life and should be replaced after that.”

Bleach should never be mixed with other household cleaners like vinegar, ammonia, or rubbing alcohol, so always be sure to check the labels of your cleaning products to ensure it is safe to use with bleach.

If you have a high-efficiency washer, Gagliardi says that you should pour laundry detergent into the detergent dispenser, and then bleach into the bleach dispenser, filling it to the “max-fill” line. No bleach dispenser? Opt for zero-splash bleach that can be tossed in the washer directly.

If you haven’t been using bleach during the wash cycles of bleach-safe white clothing, Gagliardi notes, the yellowing is likely due to the cumulative effects of going without it — and can be solved by pre-soaking your clothing in bleach.

For oil-based yellow stains, pre-treat it with a little dish detergent first and wash it out completely. Then use bleach as directed to remove the stain, recommends Gagliardi. “But if the yellowing is due to misuse, then bleach will not restore the items.” Make sure you use a dish detergent that does not have ammonia. 

Now that you know the best method for bleaching clothes, it’s critical to note that you can’t bleach every white clothing item. Flip the care tag on your item to read its instructions, and follow the rules — with two interesting caveats. 

“Always avoid bleaching wool, silk, mohair, leather, spandex, and non-fast colors,” Gagliardi says. “An all-cotton or polyester-cotton blend T-shirt typically can be safely bleached, even if it’s labeled ‘do not bleach.’ But a white shirt that’s 97% cotton and 3% spandex labeled ‘only non-chlorine bleach when needed’ is correctly labeled, and should not be included in your bleach load.”

Patric Richardson, aka The Laundry Evangelist, only uses oxygen bleach on his clothes, and if you want to go a more natural route, he has this suggestion: “Some stains can be removed by squeezing a lemon in the stain and then setting it in the sun. It’s remarkably effective.”