How to Transform Old Linens with this DIY Bleaching Technique

Have you ever tried bleaching linen before? It might seem like something you’d only do by accident, but the results are actually really pretty and it’s very easy to do!

You know how, sometimes, you’ll be working through a DIY and then suddenly realize that it’s totally not going to work out and you just have to abandon it? It happens to me at least a couple of times a month. And most recently, it happened with some DIY bleached aprons that I wanted to try out.

Unfortunately, I bought the wrong kind of aprons (aka super cheap ones that were one step above a paper towel, yet they did not absorb liquid?!), and the bleach didn’t work at all.

SO…instead of throwing in the towel on the idea, I switched to linen napkins and had much better results. In fact, it worked like a charm with the colorful linen napkins I had leftover from a workshop. So, I put a quick tutorial together in case you want to make your own.

The results of this process are a little different than your typical bleached textile DIY. It’s a little more understated and more toward the acid wash side of things, which, as it turns out, is my jam right now for some reason.

If you’re looking for another cool project to try with bleach though, check out my reverse tie dye DIY. You can create really beautiful patterns that look like shibori with bleach as well.

Materials for Bleaching Linen

– colorful napkins (or another textile)
– bleach
– spray bottle

How to Bleach Linen

1. This one is super easy. All you need to do is pour a little bit of bleach into a spray bottle.

2. Then, put on some gloves and spray the bleach directly onto the surface of a colorful napkin.

You should start to see the color lifting right away.

With my linen napkins (from West Elm), the color started lifting within 15 seconds. Some textiles may take more time though. It varies based on the material.

3. Then, run the entire napkin under water thoroughly for at least 60 seconds to rinse the bleach away. Wring out the water from the napkin as best you can, then pop it in the dryer, iron it, and it’s ready to use.

Totally doable, right?

Here’s what the napkins looked like after they had all been bleached and washed, but not dried yet. The color looked much more saturated while the linens were still wet.

What kind of color change can I expect from this technique?

After the napkins were rinsed and run through a cycle in the dryer (photo below), I could see the color changes a lot more clearly than when they were still wet (above photos).

For me, the mint linens turned white and off white, depending on how long the bleach was left on. And there are some soft greens and blues that pop through in certain areas, mainly at the edges.

The terra cotta red napkins turned a really pretty pale pink, with a subtle acid wash pattern.

And here’s what they looked like after I ironed them…BIG difference…

How to Bleach Linen (and Other Textiles)

Brittni

Have you ever tried bleaching linen before? It might seem like something you'd only do by accident, but the results are actually really pretty and it's very easy to do!

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Ingredients

  

• colorful napkins or another textile
• bleach
• spray bottle

Instructions

 

• This one is super easy. All you need to do is pour a little bit of bleach into a spray bottle.
• Then, put on some gloves and spray the bleach directly onto the surface of a colorful napkin.
• You should start to see the color lifting right away.
• With my linen napkins (from West Elm), the color started lifting within 15 seconds. Some textiles may take more time though. It varies based on the material.
• Then, run the entire napkin under water thoroughly for at least 60 seconds to rinse the bleach away. Wring out the water from the napkin as best you can, then pop it in the dryer, iron it, and it's ready to use.

Notes

What kind of color change can I expect from this technique?

After the napkins were rinsed and run through a cycle in the dryer (photo below), I could see the color changes a lot more clearly than when they were still wet (above photos).

For me, the mint linens turned white and off white, depending on how long the bleach was left on. And there are some soft greens and blues that pop through in certain areas, mainly at the edges.

The terra cotta red napkins turned a really pretty pale pink, with a subtle acid wash pattern.

Did you make this?Mention @paperandstitch or tag #paperandstitch!

Photography and styling by Brittni Mehlhoff

So what do you think? Do you like the way the napkins looked before the bleach, where the color is flat and saturated? Or do you prefer the more organic / muted after version?