mfad•14mo ago

Experience with bleaching denim?

Hey y'all. Picked up these cool vintage 501s recently with some really lovely fading & honeycombing, I just wish they were a slightly lighter wash.
Has anyone here bleached denim before? I'm thinking of just doing a really weak bleach solution to try and lighten them ever so slightly while still maintaining the contrast, but don't want to just wash all the fades out. Tips appreciated!

tun🌻OP•11/4/24, 9:53 AM

Aiming to replace the gap in my wardrobe from getting rid of these in pic 1. Currently the new ones seem a bit too close to this 2nd pair tho so feel a bit redundant

tun🌻OP•11/4/24, 10:14 AM

Maybe I'll bleach the baggier pair actually??

zeometer•11/4/24, 10:49 AM

yup, and it's fairly easy

zeometer•11/4/24, 10:54 AM

the bleaching ratio i used was 1 cup bleach to 1 gallon water, though you can use less bleach for a weaker solution

zeometer•11/4/24, 10:55 AM

put your bleach solution in a vessel (bathtub, basin, anything nonmetal), dampen the jeans in water, and then submerge them into the bleach

zeometer•11/4/24, 10:56 AM

shift the pants periodically for an even coat, but it won't take long for the bleach to work, maybe 5-10 minutes

zeometer•11/4/24, 10:58 AM

once it hits a color you like, take the jeans out, rinse them (either by hand or in a washing machine with no detergent) and air dry

zeometer•11/4/24, 11:02 AM

and imo i'd bleach the baggier ones, there's always a risk in bleaching that it works too well and it's better to do it on a pair you're less worried about wrecking

Zzeometer shift the pants periodically for an even coat, but it won't take long for the bl...

tun🌻OP•11/4/24, 11:20 AM

Ok cool, less time than I expected so I'm glad I asked haha

tun🌻OP•11/4/24, 11:20 AM

Thanks for the run down, really helpful stuff!

Zzeometer the bleaching ratio i used was 1 cup bleach to 1 gallon water, though you can us...

tun🌻OP•11/4/24, 11:25 AM

Did you use warm or cold water btw?

zeometer•11/4/24, 11:28 AM

cold for the bleach solution and the rinse cycle

CrispySmokyFrazzles•11/4/24, 12:12 PM

I can’t add anything to what’s been posted above, other than I had fun bleaching jeans - was really cool to see them change shade and get new life out of an otherwise unused pair

I did have to do a few washes to get rid of the smell though

CrispySmokyFrazzles•11/4/24, 12:12 PM

I may even do it again and see if I can get them a tad lighter

tun🌻OP•11/4/24, 12:14 PM

I'll try and take some progress pics and post here!

Experience with bleaching denim?

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