But when it comes to laundry–specifically brightening and whitening clothes as well as sanitizing– bleach is a good, dependable ingredient if you’ve already exhausted household items like vinegar and baking soda. Bleach can be used in laundry to help brighten and whiten clothing, fight tough stains, and sanitize.

What Is Bleach?

Bleach is the name given to the chemical mixture that is typically water and sodium hypochlorite.  “Sodium hypochlorite works best when it’s part of a complete formula with ingredients to enhance the bleach active,” The Clorox Company, a manufacturer of products including bleach, states on their website. “In addition to sodium hypochlorite and water, small amounts of sodium chloride, sodium carbonate, and sodium hydroxide are included for product stability and to maintain pH.”

Bleach can be used to remove stains from fabric, as well as whiten fabric, and is sometimes used in industrial applications for cleaning and disinfecting.

Best Bleach To Use In Laundry

The American Cleaning Institute states that there are two types of bleach that can be used in laundry: chlorine, or sodium hypochlorite, bleach and non-chlorine, or oxygen, bleach.

Chlorine BLeach

Chlorine bleach, which is traditional liquid bleach and sometimes referred to as household bleach, works by using the active ingredient sodium hypochlorite. This bleach is a powerful concentrate that removes stains and brightens white fabric. Be very careful with this bleach as it will lift color from fabric, and chlorine bleach should never be used to treat stains on colored clothing.

Non-Chlorine Bleach

Non-chlorine bleach, sometimes referred to as oxygen or color-safe bleach, is a more gentle bleach that can be used in laundry. Unlike chlorine bleach, non-chlorine bleach is safe to use on color fabrics and will not lift the color. Most often, the active ingredient in color-safe bleach is hydrogen peroxide. Always check the label on bleach to make sure it is safe to use on fabric. Fabrics that should never be bleached include: leather, spandex, wool, and silk.

How Much Bleach To Use In Laundry

How much bleach to use in a load of laundry is dependent upon the size of the load, soil level, and washer size. It’s important to read the label on the bleach to determine the appropriate amount of bleach to use for stains.  The Clorox Company recommends:

• For sanitizing: ½ cup of bleach for a standard washing machine or ¼ cup bleach for high efficiency washing machines.
• For light stains and soiling: ⅓ cup of bleach for a standard washing machine or filling to the max line a high efficiency washing machine’s dispenser
• For heavy stains and soiling: ⅔ cup of bleach for a standard washing machine or filling to the max line a high efficiency washing machine’s dispenser.

How To Dilute Bleach For Laundry

Bleach should always be diluted before it comes into contact with any fabric, but the good news is that laundry dispensers do this automatically. If your washing machine does not have a bleach dispenser, simply add bleach to the water as the machine fills.

How To Use Bleach To Treat Stains On White Clothes

Bleach can be used to remove stains from white clothing, but it must be done carefully. It’s important to read the fabric care tag on the clothing prior to using. Once confirmed it is safe to use bleach on the fabric, do a test spot on an inside seam to ensure the fabric does not react.

Spot treating stains using bleach on white clothes should be done slowly, making sure the bleach is only touching the stain and not seeping through the fabric, or to other areas of the garment. Rinse with cool water when done treating the stain.

Tips For Using Bleach

The Centers for Disease Control warns consumers of important safety tips when using bleach to clean or sanitize:

• Bleach should never be mixed with ammonia or other cleaners.
• Wear protective gloves and eye protection when handling bleach.
• When using bleach, try not to inhale any of the fumes and open windows when possible.

“Use regular, unscented household bleach with a sodium hypochlorite concentration between 5% and 9%,” the CDC website states, adding that this concentration is the most common concentration in the U.S.