How and what to bleach curtains at home

Beautifully designed windows add completeness and style to the room. But only if the window tulle has retained whiteness and a feeling of freshness. Unfortunately, under the influence of the sun, as well as due to dust and other contaminants, the curtains often acquire a grayish or yellowish tint. You should not immediately review the budget in order to allocate funds for new window decorations. Tulle can be bleached, returning it to its original whiteness.

Ways to bleach curtains

There are several ways to help make the tulle snow-white again. A good result is provided by both hand washing and the use of a washing machine. As a detergent, you can use not only synthetic detergents, but also proven alternative methods. Many housewives have already chosen "their" means, effective and reliable.

Important! Before bleaching, you must first carefully shake off the fabric to remove dust. Whitening dusty fabrics will be uneven, and spots will appear on the curtains.

If you have not tried to bleach the curtains at home, we will tell you how to do it so that the result will please you.

Bleach the curtains in the washing machine

The thin and delicate fabric that is used when sewing tulle curtains does not exclude the use of a washing machine for washing and bleaching them. So that the procedure returns whiteness, but does not spoil the fabric, you need to choose the right regimen and detergent.

Pre soaking

The washing result will not disappoint if you pre-soak the curtains. First, dust off the curtains well. Then immerse them in a basin with warm soapy water and leave for several hours or overnight.

Mode

After soaking, the tulle can be washed. For delicate fabrics, only the delicate wash mode with a minimum temperature (30 °), double rinse, a small number of revolutions (400) is suitable.

Important! To avoid creases on the material and to facilitate its smoothing, you need to carefully roll up the tulle before sending it to the drum of the washing machine.

Chemicals

An important point for achieving the result is the choice of detergent. You can use any chemical product suitable for your machine, but only if one condition is met: there should be no chlorine in the substance. In this case, washing can clean the material without damage.

Manual whitening

You can also wash the tulle manually. With the right choice of the right tool, this is not difficult. For this, not only special synthetics are suitable, but also simple substances that every housewife has.

Simple tools

Salt

Salt can bleach different materials well, so experienced housewives often use it when washing. Salt does not harm the delicate fabric of window curtains if it is properly diluted in warm water. The proportions of the solution: salt - 1-2 tbsp. l., water - 5 l. The curtains are immersed in water with salt and left there for 0.5 hours. Do not rub the fabric, you can gently turn it over, trying to keep all the material under water. Then the curtains are rinsed in cool water and dried.

Blue

It will return to the curtains the former whiteness rinse in the blue water.

Important! When using blue, the curtains are washed first. Blueing of material that has not been washed may leave stains on it.

The washed curtains can be rinsed in a special solution. Blue is poured into cold water (8–10 l) (1 cap), mixed thoroughly so that the water turns blue. Curtains are immersed in water and rinsed properly. After that, it will remain to dry the tulle and hang it on the windows.

Hydrogen peroxide and ammonia

In many first-aid kits, there is such a disinfectant as hydrogen peroxide. It can be successfully used for household purposes, for bleaching curtains. Particularly effective is peroxide in combination with ammonia. Method of using the preparations: peroxide (2 tbsp.) And ammonia (1 tbsp. L.) Are added to 5 liters of cold water. All stirred until smooth, and then dipped in a solution of tulle. After complete immersion of the tissue in the liquid, the material is kept for half an hour. During this time, bleaching of the tissue occurs, it remains only to rinse it.

Zelenka

Another medicine from the first-aid kit is a solution of diamond greens. Zelenka also copes well with the task and makes the curtains snow-white. You should be careful when breeding zielonki. First, the substance is diluted in a small amount of water: for 1 glass, from 10 to 15 drops of diamond greens are enough. Thoroughly mix the broth and water, and then leave the glass for 5-10 minutes to check if a precipitate appears in the liquid.

Important! If the drops of brilliant green did not completely dissolve during initial stirring, stir the liquid again or strain it.

A glass with a completely dissolved green broth is added to the washing container (basin, bucket) with a sufficient amount (8–10 l) of warm water and again thoroughly stirred. Now curtains are immersed in the green liquid, which must be pre-washed. It is not necessary to leave the fabric for a long time in a solution of brilliant green, 3-5 minutes are enough. During this time, it will be useful to carefully flip the material several times. When using greens, additional rinsing of the curtains is not required.

Shop Facilities

Modern industry produces various synthetic products that can be used to bleach tulle curtains.

Bleach

When choosing a bleach, you need to be attentive to its composition and properties. The use of chlorine-containing substances is not recommended: they can lead to rapid wear of delicate material. But the use of oxygen bleach will return the material a white color, and at the same time will not harm the structure of the fabric. A good result will be obtained when using optical brightener.

Important! Optical brightener is not recommended for fabrics with a pattern; it is most suitable for smooth materials.

The use of bleaches is simple. Whitening can be combined with washing. In this case, the bleach is added to the machine, like the detergent, only in another compartment. And you can dilute the bleach in water and soak the washed curtain. In any case, you must strictly follow the instructions for use of a particular substance. So it will be possible to safely return tissue freshness.

White

White is the only reliable bleach for the older generation. Of course, you can keep traditions and use this composition today. Reliable whiteness, copes with any dirt and stains. However, choosing this tool, it should be borne in mind: by removing stains from the fabric, whiteness has a destructive effect on the structure of materials. Delicate tulle will not be able to interact with whiteness, remaining unchanged. Any careless action, slight tension will lead to rupture of the structure, damaged by whiteness.

Important! If you still decide to use whiteness for whitening, do not use it constantly. Optimal for the fabric will be a single application of whiteness.

Stain removers

You can also use one of the modern stain removers to return the snow-white curtains to the tulle curtains. These compounds are designed to remove stains and dirt from various fabrics, including tulle. Use these chemicals in strict accordance with the instructions for a specific substance. When stains are removed, stain removers are applied only to problem areas, and then the entire curtain is erased. It is also possible to bleach with a stain remover. In this case, the substance must be added to the water in which the fabric will be soaked. After soaking and subsequent washing, the tulle will become noticeably whiter.

Tips for whitening different fabrics

Interior designers recommend using different fabrics for window decoration. Caring for various materials at home has nuances.

  • Kapron fabrics are well bleached with the help of dissolved greens, salt, blue, and also laundry soap. Hot water is undesirable for kapron, the optimum temperature should not be higher than 30 °, both manual and machine washable.
  • Silk and chiffon fabrics prefer hand washing. For bleaching, it is best to add salt to the water, you can mix it with laundry soap.
  • Cotton fabrics respond well to machine wash, you can also soak and wash them by hand, with the addition of peroxide and ammonia.
  • Organza fabrics are best bleached using simple means (salt, brilliant green, blue), which are added to warm (not higher than 30 °) water. Stain removers are not recommended, whiteness.

Timely care and care of a proven product will help your curtains to be snow-white all year round!