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DIY Bleach Tie Dye

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Last summer, we were obsessed with shibori indigo tie dying. No, really . . . we just about dyed anything white in sight. So when Free People asked us to include a DIY in their guest blogger series, we knew a new tie dye project was absolutely in order. And as the weather is beginning to warm up, what better time than now to start experimenting with reverse tie dye using bleach! Black tees and tops: watch out!

You’ll need:
- a 100% cotton black shirt (we used this Free People tee)
- a few cups of bleach
- a bucket
- a pair of gloves
- a few rubber bands
- 2 flat shaped objects used for binding

To make a grid-like pattern, fold the shirt like an accordion and bind it between two pieces of wood or other flat shaped objects. Hold the shirt in place by wrapping a series of rubber bands around the bind. Anything used to bind the clothing will prevent the bleach from penetrating, and the rest of the exposed fabric will bleach and turn color. Click here for more binding alternatives.

Before you start bleaching, make sure you are wearing gloves and working outdoors or in a well ventilated area. Dilute approximately 4 cups of bleach with 1 cup of water. Submerge the shirt into the bleach for only a couple of seconds. Watch it very carefully because depending on the thread count of the clothing, the color can turn very quickly and the bleach may start to erode the fabric. As soon as the black transforms into a rusty brown color, immediately remove it from the bleach. Give it a quick rinse, unbind it, and then hang it. (Click images to enlarge)

The rusty brown color will slowly fade into a beautiful lighter shade as it begins to set. Once its dry, wash the shirt in a washing machine.

Your reverse bleach tie dye shirt is ready to wear!

(top image from here, rest of images by HonestlyWTF)

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81 Comments

  5. Karen    March 16, 2011

    Have wanted to try this for a long time! I did once use bleach to paint a design on a dark shirt. It looked good but the shirt developed holes where it had been bleached after a few months.
    So I would highly recommend not leaving the bleach on too long and treating the bleached garment very delicately. On the other hand, its so easy to do, if the first one falls apart, you can always make another!

  11. Michelle    March 16, 2011

    i love that grid pattern but i can’t seem to figure out how you folded it. it looks like a lot of shirt got bleached but it turned out that only bits of it was. how did you do it??

  12. sarah    March 16, 2011

    I totally tackled a similar DIY recently, not tie dye, but bleach spattering a black garment. I love the results of bleach on a colored garment! If anyone wants to see how I did my bleach treatment you can follow this link. http://huntgatherfashion.com/diy/

  18. Andrea    March 16, 2011

    I dip dyed a plain black tank top dress that I had bought second hand, and it turned out amazing. The hem stayed black but the fabric turned into a lovely rose/creme/brown array of colors. I splattered a little bit of bleach around too for effect. It reminds me of gypsies and looks great with other tops layered over it. Bleaching is so easy and cheap!

  19. Lia    March 16, 2011

    This is incredibly amazing! I cannot WAIT to do this! Killer ideas as always ladies!
    xoxo
    Lia

  25. Scarlett    March 16, 2011

    Oh my gosh, thank you!! I have had a plain boring black kaftan and it needed spicing up. So, with your powers combined, I am going to shibori bleach tie-dye it!
    YAY!!! thanks for refreshing my wardrobe. :)

  28. Nina P    March 17, 2011

    Ahh! OMFG! All your DIYs are so friggin cheap and easy. Its eating up all my spare time. But frankly, I LOVE IT!!! :-D

  29. Miranda    March 17, 2011

    Aaaaa! Now my shopping list includes black t-shirts, rubber bands and hex nuts to make that bracelet DIY. I will be visiting your site daily now! Thanks!

  30. Aubrey    March 17, 2011

    Adding this to the list of DIY projects I need to do over spring break. Love you guys!!

  32. jamie    March 18, 2011

    GAH!! I love love love this!! I have been looking for the perfect top top tie dye but I wasnt exactly going to do it this way. I LOVE how yours came out though so I am totally stealing the stick method!!

    http://www.glamlatte.com

  33. Kujaku    March 18, 2011

    Really adore this. I bought a black shirt for another project the other day, then realized that I couldn’t use it. So now I know what I’ll be doing with it instead. Thanks so much for the DIY. :D

  37. Kenners    March 21, 2011

    Oh So Pretty. And I love your one Nomadic D – it turned out beautiful, even if unexpected :)

  41. Barbara    June 19, 2011

    http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/FAQ/neutralizingdischarge.shtml

    This is a great project and to make it even better, read the info at the link above. Be sure to read the part about using Hydrogen peroxide (readily available at your local drug store) to neutralize the bleach so you fabric will not be weakened. If you read Paula Birch’s site you can learn all kinds of things about dye and discharge. (she is a chemist)

  42. Tia    June 20, 2011

    I have been working with bleach dye ever since I saw this tutorial– the results are fantastic and I can’t thank you enough! However, I do have a couple of questions…

    Q1: How long does it take for the bleach to usually fade to a white?
    Q2: Is there anyway (other than bleaching again) to aid in the fading process?
    Q3: Is there any way to stop the fading?

    Thanks!

  43. K    June 22, 2011

    do the shibori techniques also work for bleach tie dying? For example the one with stones?

  45. Elaine    July 6, 2011

    Can you give more step by step instructions on folding please? I made two shirts and did the accordion style, but they both did not come out with the grid pattern as the example above. the first time I did not bind the boards together tightly enough and the second shirt came out with only vertical stripes. Love this idea, but I need a bit more help. Thanks!

  46. Erica    July 6, 2011

    @Elaine, make sure you’re not doing a straight fold but an accordion/zig zag fold. once you’ve folded the shirt from top to bottom, fold the shirt left to right (accordion once again). be sure to bind tightly and you should be good! hope that helps!!

  47. AmyO    July 17, 2011

    To stop the caustic effects of bleach on fabric, you have to use something to neutralize the bleach. The easiest thing to use is hydrogen peroxide. Rinse your fabric after bleaching and just pour the peroxide right on, enough to saturate all the bleached areas. This won’t do a whole lot to stop the degradation of synthetic fibers, pure cellulose fabrics work best (cotton, for example) but it will slow it down a little.

    Don’t use vinegar! It can combine with the bleach to make a toxic gas. If you really get into bleaching, there is a product called Anti-Chlor that is excellent.

    Excellent tutorial, by the way. Love the look.

  49. Megan Leone    August 2, 2011

    Ventilation is key. I became obsessed with this process a few years back when we lived in a tiny studio in Seattle with no windows in the bathroom. I apparently did it for too long and ended up loosing my sense of smell for a few hours. Really freaked me out!!!

  50. Serena    September 1, 2011

    this turned out amazing, i did an american apparel dress and its so cute! thanks

  52. steph    September 29, 2011

    woooooooooooow this is awesome!! i’ll definitely try this one i love you guys for sharing such amazing stuff :)

  53. Rochelle    October 19, 2011

    This is a great idea for a colored shirt you accidentally got a bleech spot on. You can revitalize your closet! Perfect

  54. Anne    October 19, 2011

    How do I get the pattern to come out as white as the shirt in the picture? Every time I try it comes out very red instead.

  55. Dawn    October 29, 2011

    Would this work on brown? I have a cute brown summer dress that has a bleach spot on it and I’d love to recreate the same effect as the black top. Would I need to do anything differenty?

  58. Charlotte    February 3, 2012

    love it!! tried it myself today, so easy and a great effect!! thx

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