How to DIY an Awesome Bleach Jacket

Dariacreative
by Dariacreative
6 Materials
$10
1 Hour
Easy

Did you know that you can use bleach as paint and create very complicated artwork on your clothes using it?


In this tutorial, I’m going to show you how to customize a denim jacket using only bleach.


Disclaimer: Please proceed with caution with DIYing with bleach.

Tools and materials:

  • Denim jacket
  • Bleach
  • Chalk
  • Cardboard
  • Small brush
  • Textile dyes
Sketching out design

1. Sketch out design

First, sketch out your design on the jacket with chalk. It’s easy to erase the lines with water if you made a mistake. I’m drawing on a phoenix, one of my favorite mythological creatures.


You could also use carbon paper to transfer your design from paper onto a jacket.


Make sure you have a very detailed sketch of your design on the denim before you go in with the bleach. A very good detailed sketch is a guarantee of your success. Once you have clear lines on your jacket, all you'll need to do is just use bleach to outline those lines.


2. Place cardboard inside

Place cardboard inside the jacket to prevent the bleach from bleeding through to the other side.

Painting with bleach

3. Paint with bleach

Dip a small brush into some bleach and use it to go over the chalk lines that you draw.


I want to talk a bit about the pros and cons of bleach customization. 

Pros:

  • You can find bleach anywhere, you may even have a bottle of it at home already. It is much easier to source than fabric paints.


  • Bleach customization is also much more affordable than fabric paints.


  • I find it much easier to paint with bleach rather than with fabric paints, especially on denim, because denim is a very rough fabric, and it takes a lot of effort to apply fabric paint on such rough fabric. Bleach is a liquid, so it's pretty easy to paint with.


  • With bleach, you are able to create soft artwork on dark clothes. When you use fabric paints for dark clothes, it's impossible to create such soft artwork because you have to use paints with good coverage and apply at least two layers of paint. These multiple layers of paint can make the design look a bit thick, but with bleach, you only need to apply one layer.


  • Bleach customization is perfect for people who don't want to take extra care of their clothes. Clothes customized with fabric paints require extra care, you can't wash them at high degrees and you won't be able to use the dryer. With clothes customized with bleach, you can do whatever you want like and wash them like all other clothes.


So what are the cons?


  • First of all, bleach is toxic, so you have to be very careful in the process of painting. You have to open windows and use a protective mask and glasses to protect your eyes. And you need to be very careful not to accidentally get bleach on your hands, face, or clothes.


  • If your artwork design is very complicated or you are not able to paint quickly, you'll have to wash off the bleach from your item of clothing completely every two to three hours because bleach can create holes if you leave it on your clothing for too long. (Although because denim is thicker, you can leave the bleach on it for longer than, say, a t-shirt).


  • Bleach is limiting because as it creates just one color, you aren’t able to create colorful artwork. 


Back to the painting…

You can create very thin lines using a small brush, and you can create smooth transitions by adding water to bleach to make the color less intense.


Because denim is thick, sometimes you may have to apply two layers of bleach, as one layer might not be enough.

Washing off the bleach

4. Wash off the bleach

When you are finished painting, wash off the bleach and dry the jacket.

Dying the jacket

5. Dye the jacket (optional)

I wasn’t happy with the color of the bleach as I was expecting it to be in a more coppery shade than a yellow shade.


To remedy this, I used some orange and red textile dyes. The dyes will not affect the color of the jacket because it is very dark, but it will change the color of the bleach artwork.


I added a little bit of dye to some water (not too much, as I’m not going for an intense look). I boiled the water on the stove and then dipped the jacket in.


All textile dyes are different, so read the instructions on your dye to see how to use it. 

Completed DIY bleach jacket

Bleach jacket

Here is the finished jacket. I love the phoenix design, and dyeing the jacket is a great option if you’re not happy with the color of the bleach.


Painting with bleach is a fun method to try if you’ve never given it a go before!


If you enjoyed this tutorial, check out my post on DIY Bleach Painted Shirt Ideas: How to Paint With Gel & Liquid Bleach.

Suggested materials:
  • Denim jacket
  • Bleach
  • Chalk
See all materials

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Comments
Join the conversation
 1 comment
  • JanM JanM on Dec 25, 2022

    What a unique idea. I imagine you could use it on jean pants and chambray shirts as well.

    Do you allow a certain amount of time for the bleach to take effect, or do you wash it immediately on completion of applying the bleach design?

    What do you think of using a stencil? Would the bigger patches in the stencils mean too much bleach in one area? ( I know bleach can/will weaken the fabric and even eat a whole in it.)

    Will this work on cotton/polyester blended jeans?

    What about Fine Line Painting the colored dye onto your design as well, to make accent color or more in depth details? Could that be done over the bleach at the same time, or would you have to wait to do it at a different sitting, do you think? ( I saw you dip dyed using the pan method… but I was thinking of limiting the areas to be changed or detailed.)

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