Can You Bleach Chiffon? (How to Bleach a Chiffon Dress)
Get your whites white, that's usually the goal when people do their laundry. To help then get their clothes clean many people turn to chlorine bleach. Unfortunately, that cleaning liquid is not the best for many fabrics, even when they are white in color.
Can you bleach chiffon? Chiffon is usually made from silk or polyester. Those fibers hate chlorine bleach because that cleaning liquid destroys them. You may try using an oxygen bleach as that is supposed to be gentler on the fibers. Follow instructions on the bottle to do this task right.
To learn more about bleaching chiffon just continue reading our article. Not all of it is bad news and there may be some good news for you once you read it all. Chiffon is a delicate fabric while chlorine bleach is not delicate at all.
Will Chiffon Bleach?
This will depend on what fibers the chiffon fabric is made from. When you see yellow stains on your chiffon items the natural tendency is to reach for the chlorine bleach bottle. Stop yourself as bleach will only ruin dry clean only chiffon.
If your cleaning label says dry clean only then resist the temptation to wash and bleach your chiffon materials. Send those to the dry cleaners pointing out any spots you want to be removed from the garments.
Washable chiffon may be able to handle some bleach but not the chlorine variety. You should test a hidden part on your washable chiffon clothing before submitting it to the oxygen bleach alternative.
If your garments can handle the oxygen bleach then use only a cap full in a tub of water. Then soak the garments for an hour. For really white results, you may have to do that process several times.
Keep your eye on your clothing as you do not want to soak them for too long. Even oxygen bleach can harm your chiffon clothing.
What Happens When You Bleach Chiffon
If you use the wrong bleach or bleach the wrong chiffon dress or blouse, you may be on your way to the store to replace what you just let bleach ruin. That is the reality when you use the wrong bleach on such a delicate fabric.
Even if your chiffon is made from polyester fibers, bleach is not recommended as a cleaning agent. The chemicals inside chlorine bleach react with the chemicals in the polyester fibers and will degrade your poly chiffon outfit in no time.
You can try to substitute oxygen bleach for chlorine bleach but even that change is risky. If your chiffon clothing says do not bleach, oxygen bleach is not a good alternative in that situation.
The recommended amount of bleach is 1/2 cup to every gallon of water you are using if the bleach comes n a powder form. That is also if you can bleach your washable chiffon clothing.
Can You Bleach Chiffon White?
It is possible but it may take some time. Of course, you have to watch what type of bleach you do use, and not all chiffon styles can be cleaned by bleach. Silk and poly chiffon should not come in contact with that cleaning agent at all. Nor should crepe chiffon.
If you can bleach your washable chiffon items then follow the procedure mentioned above. Fill a tub half full of water and use about a cap full of oxygen bleach. Make sure to use cool water as heat will ruin the fabric.
Next place the chiffon items you want to whiten inside the tub and let them soak for about an hour. Before you do that, do a bleach test first to make sure it is safe to submerge your clothing.
Rinse carefully and then remove the excess water even more carefully. Roll up in a towel to remove that water and then lay flat to dry. If you really want whiter than white color, you may have to do this process a few more times. Just be careful though as chiffon is very delicate.
Can You Bleach Polyester Chiffon?
It is not always recommended as bleach and polyester are not on the best of terms. The chemicals use din making chlorine bleach react negatively to the chemicals used to create polyester fibers.
When you mix the two the end result is not always pretty and you may not be able to wear that poly chiffon item again. You really have to check the cleaning label to make sure you are allowed to bleach that particular chiffon style.
While poly chiffon is washable it is not always able to endure a bleach additive and that includes oxygen bleach. When the label says do not bleach, do not risk it. It is too great a chance that something will go wrong and you will be at the store looking for a replacement item.
When it comes to delicate fabrics like chiffon, it is always better to be safe than sorry. Especially when any form of bleach is involved in the cleaning process.
How to Bleach a Chiffon Dress
Generally, the answer to that question would be do not even try. That is because chiffon is just too delicate of a fabric to endure the harsh realities of chlorine bleach. Even some bleach alternatives may be too strong for the material leaving you with less than desirable results.
You can try the process mentioned above and use the oxygen bleach alternative but be careful. If the cleaning label on the dress says do not bleach then do not bleach the dress. Send it to the dry cleaners and make sure they know what you want to be done.
If it doesn’t say do not bleach then do not use chlorine bleach. Stick with a cap full of oxygen bleach and a half-filled tub of water then soaking the dress for an hour. If that does the trick, rinse and dry the dress the proper way. If not, then you may have to repeat the process until it does do the job right.
Bleaching chiffon is more of a play it by ear when you do not have the warning do not bleach. It will depend on the fibers your dress is made of before you can safely bleach the item.
Chiffon Fabric Facts
Getting to know a little bit about this fabric will help you appreciate it a little bit more. Here are some chiffon facts that will help you decide to buy it or not:
- 1. Breathability- high
- 2. Fibers used- silk, cotton, polyester, rayon, and nylon
- 3. Moisture-wicking prowess- medium
- 4. Retaining heat- low
- 5. Ability to stretch- medium
- 6. Pill ability- low
- 7. The country that produces the most- China
- 8. Country of origin- France
- 9. Clothing used in- evening wear, nightgowns, blouses, scarves, lingerie, wedding dresses, and ribbons
- 10. Meaning of the word chiffon- it is a French word that means cloth or rag
- 11. First non-silk chiffon clothing- was introduced in 1938
- 12. The first polyester fiber used in making chiffon- 1958, most Chiffon outfits are made from polyester these days.
The Cost of Chiffon Fabric
This will depend on a variety of factors. First, silk is the most expensive version often costing twice as much as polyester or rayon versions. Cotton chiffon is not that expensive but may be more than polyester and rayon as well.
If you buy it wholesale then you are going to save a lot of money no matter which version you use. The retail mark up is quite substantial and if you plan on using a lot of chiffon over the coming months, then look at wholesale to save you some money.
Each retailer will have different prices as well and the cost they put on their chiffon products will be influenced by which city you live in. The price in New York and LA or Chicago will be significantly higher than it would be in Cheyenne Wyoming or Butte Montana.
Then the price will fluctuate between retailers like Joann’s., Michael’s or Hobby Lobby in comparison to the big box stores like Walmart, Target, and so on. The internet may have the lowest chiffon prices you can get.
It pays to check out your options so you can stretch your budget a little bit further.
Some Final Words
A word to the wise, just because you can bleach doe snot mean that you should. Even washable chiffon should not automatically be exposed to one type of bleach or another. Read the label to make sure you can bleach and then decide if you want to risk it or not.
Dry cleaning is always the best option when trying to get stains out of the chiffon fibers. But if you cannot afford the bill, then try the safest bleach method possible. Bleach is not that friendly to crepe, silk, or polyester.
