Bleach Thickener: Discharging with Household Bleach
The Bleach Thickener is designed to be used with bleach to produce a thickened paste which can be applied to fabric to remove color. The paste can be painted or printed onto the fabric and remains stable in bleach for 24 to 36 hours. For use on cellulose fibers such as cotton, linen, and rayon — not recommended for protein fibers such as wool and silk.
Mixing Ratios
Solution for Painting:
- 12 grams (1 Tbsp) Thickener
- 25 ml (1/16 to 1/8 cup) bleach
Screen or Block Printing Solution:
- 25 grams (approx. 1 Tbsp + 2 tsp) Thickener
- 37 ml (approx. 1/8 cup) bleach
Adjust thickener amounts for desired consistency. Bleach can be added up to 50%. Always add thickener to the bleach, not the other way around. Mix until smooth — a small wire whisk works well. Be careful not to splash! Water can also be added to thin the consistency or slow the reaction.
Application
Paint or print the mixture onto previously dyed fabric and leave to dry. The longer the mixture is left on and the thicker the application, the more dye will be removed. However, do not leave on for several hours as the bleach may weaken the fabric.
Once dry or discharged to your liking: rinse, then soak in Bleach Stop (or something similar to deactivate the bleach), then wash to remove the thickener.
Results & Discharge Chart
Results will vary depending on the type of dye and background color used. We recommend our Procion MX Dyes for cellulose fibers. Many dyes will not discharge to white, but rather to a lighter version of the same color — and sometimes to a different color entirely. Some colors and dye types will not discharge at all. A little experimenting is required!
The chart below is older information and formulas or MX colors have changed over the years, so results may differ.
Procion on Cotton — Discharge Chart
Low Dischargeable Colors
- Lemon Yellow #1 → light yellow
- Golden Yellow #3 → lighter golden yellow
- Fuchsia #13 → light magenta
- Turquoise #25 → light turquoise
- Kelly Green #66 → light aqua
- Burgundy #17 → light burgundy
- Better Black #44 → light burgundy
- Aquamarine #29 → light aqua
- Avocado #33 → bright yellow
- Lilac #19A → gray
- Robins Egg Blue #80 → light aqua
High Dischargeable Colors
- Rust Orange #8 → light rust orange
- Bright Orange #6 → off white
- Reds #9, #10, #10A, #11A, #12 → varying degrees of beige
- Deep Purple #18 → beige
- Ultra Violet #18A → gray
- Cobalt Blue #22 → gray
- Cerulean Blue #23 → almost white
- Navy #24 → gray
- Forest Green #31A → gray
- Bronze #37 → beige
- Maroon Brown #36 → pinkish beige
- Hot Pink #14A → off white
- Raspberry #65 → beige
- Midnight Blue #27 → gray
- Dark Green #31 → light gold
- Chocolate Brown #35A → off white
- Ecru #6A → cream
- Peach #7A → pinkish cream
- Bubble Gum #98 → white
- Ice Blue #61 → light blue
