How to bleach tulle at home quickly: the best ways

To decorate rooms, many housewives around the world use curtains in light shades. Immediately after purchase, they look spectacular and elegant, but time passes, and dirt gradually settles on the curtains. Dust, ultraviolet light, exhaust gases from the street - all this spoils the original color of the curtains, they are covered with an unpleasant yellowish-gray coating.

However, do not despair and give up. Your beautiful curtains can bring back their former whiteness. In this article, we will show you how to bleach tulle at home quickly and effectively.

We reveal the secrets of whitening

When dirt appears, a fairly logical solution would be to send the curtains to wash in the washing machine. However, not all so simple. This option will not only not return the original color to your curtains, but will only aggravate the whole situation. Let's figure out once and for all how to remove yellowness from tulle. For this, a variety of means are used: both folk, inherited from the grandmother by inheritance, and modern household chemicals.

Chemical bleaches

How to bleach curtains with modern means? There are three major groups of industrial bleaches:

1. Chlorine. The positive features of this type are high efficiency and low price. Chlorine is the main active ingredient. This chemical is very corrosive and must be handled with extreme caution. Under its influence, the fibers and structure of the fabric are thinned and destroyed, it quickly wears out and breaks. This product cannot be used more than once on the same material. Otherwise, you may end up with the opposite of what you want: the dull stains will permanently stick to your curtains.
2. Oxygenated. As a result of a chemical reaction, free oxygen is released, which literally knocks out pollution from the tissue. These tools do their job quite well, by themselves they are not dangerous for the structure of the material. The only "but": they work only in hot water, which can negatively affect the state of the tissue.
3. Optical. This method is fundamentally different from the two above. The task here is not to clean the stains, but simply to pretend that the curtains are clean. Due to a chemical reaction, tiny particles of luminescent dye are fixed in the structure of the fabric, making it literally glow from the inside. An optical illusion of a snow-white color is created in the upper layer of the material.

Homemade bleaches and how to use them

Now let's turn to the origins bequeathed to us by our ancestors. It's time to learn how to bleach curtains at home without using industrial chemicals. You will be pleasantly surprised when you realize that all of the following products are no less effective, and the fabric is handled much more carefully. Another important feature is the hypoallergenicity of home bleaches.

Salt

Yes, common table salt, which is found in every kitchen. Don't believe me? Let's find out how to bleach tulle using salt. You will need coarsely ground non-iodized salt (6 tbsp. spoons), washing powder (half a glass) and plain water (10 liters). Curtains should be soaked in this solution for at least 4 hours, and even better all night. After the expiration of the time, we wash the curtains in the washing machine.

This method gives guaranteed results and is extremely easy to use.

Zelenka

This option sounds even weirder, don't you think? Well, let's figure out how to bleach old tulle with a solution of brilliant green. Mix Zelenka (10-15 drops) with water (about a glass) and leave for a couple of minutes. Then you need to check if a precipitate has formed. If a precipitate appears, then we decant the liquid and mix again until it is completely dissolved. Pour the solution from a container of warm water (10 liters), stir thoroughly and lower the curtains there for no longer than 5 minutes. We take it out and hang it up, let the water drain itself.

Blue

Household blue is a combination of pigment and regular starch. How to bleach tulle curtains at home using it? Much easier than you think. This fall method is similar to the previous one, the only difference is in the colors of the bleach. Dissolve one cap of blue powder in 10 liters of warm water, check for sediment lumps. Soak the curtains in the solution for a couple of minutes, then rinse thoroughly in clean water. Squeeze the fabric lightly and hang to dry.

Ammonia and hydrogen peroxide

These cheap remedies do a great job when the problem arises of how to bleach yellowed tulle at home. Please note that this method cannot be combined with synthetic fabric. The first thing to do is mix a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution (2 tbsp. spoons), ammonia (1 tbsp. spoon) in a container with hot water (5-7 liters). Place the curtains in there for 15 minutes, then put on protective gloves, rinse the fabric with clean water and hang to dry.

Starch

You must first wash the tulle by hand or in the machine, then mix potato starch (1 cup) with warm water (1 cup). Pour the resulting solution into a container with a volume of 7-10 liters, stir. Leave the curtains to soak for 5 hours, then hang them to dry without spinning.

Starch not only perfectly whitens curtains, but also gives them a voluminous, embossed shape, creates beautiful folds. In addition, the thinnest film forms on the fabric, which for some time is able to repel dirt. This will keep your curtains clean for longer.

Laundry soap

The most common soap you can buy at any hardware store can bring back the whiteness of your tulle. You should take soap (1 brick) and grate it on a coarse grater. Mix the resulting crumb with water (3-4 liters) and boil. Top up with cold water (3-4 liters) and place the curtains in soapy water. Let the curtains sit in the pan for 6-12 hours, then they need to be removed and washed.

Whitening nylon curtains

Having dealt with various types of industrial and folk bleaches, you need to learn how to bleach nylon curtains at home. Nylon is a durable material, but demanding to care for, it is quite difficult to work with it. It is strictly forbidden to use chemical bleach, and the water temperature during washing should not be higher than 30 degrees.

So, if during cleaning you are faced with the problem of how to bleach nylon tulle at home, then you have a choice of the following options. It will be correct and safe to use soaking in salt, solutions of brilliant green or blue. You can also use another method of whitening, which is carried out using potassium permanganate. After the procedure, nylon should be washed in a machine in a gentle wash mode.

Bleaching Organza Curtains

Organza is a very fragile and delicate fabric; it is afraid of high temperatures and aggressive household chemicals. But in the interior it looks stylish and elegant both in real life and in the photo.

For the bleaching process, the water should not be hotter than 40 degrees. From folk remedies, solutions of salt, brilliant green, blue, as well as ammonia diluted with hydrogen peroxide will work perfectly. After rinsing, the curtains should be hung to dry without squeezing. It is believed that potato starch will do the best for the task. It will strengthen the structure of the fabric, give it a relief hardness and make it snow-white.

Bleaching old tulle curtains

Old curtains will take a lot of effort to remove dirt stains. However, returning to the original color is not a pipe dream, but a very real chance. Most importantly, follow these instructions:

1. The first step is to machine wash to clean the top layer of the fabric.
2. Prepare a strong solution of soap crumbs, boil the tulle in it.
3. The next step is to prepare a solution of ammonia and hydrogen peroxide, soak the cloth in it for 10-20 minutes.
4. Mix the saline solution and rinse the curtains in it.
5. The final stage is rinsing in a starch solution, this will fix the fresh color and add texture to the fabric.

Whitening in a washing machine

You can also bleach curtains in the washing machine located in any bathroom. This option is the easiest one because you do not need to follow the process.

Do hand wash the curtains before you start. There should be only one curtain in the machine, as other things can stain the fabric and ruin it. There are special mesh pouches that prevent deformation of the fabric. Place the tulle inside and wash on the delicate cycle. The temperature should not be higher than 40 degrees, and the number of drum revolutions should not exceed 400.

Important Tips

In order for you to cope with the bleaching of your favorite curtains, and you do not have any extraneous problems in the process, we have compiled a list of useful tips and tricks:

• immediately before starting washing, knock out or shake out the dust from the curtains;
• do not crumple the tulle at random and casually throw it into the washing machine. Fold the fabric several times, gently smooth out the irregularities and place in the drum;
• if your curtains are too dirty, you can soak them the night before washing in a solution of water with the addition of detergent;
• washing is carried out strictly in a delicate or gentle mode, the fabric must be handled carefully;
• using a special mesh bag will help minimize the possibility of negative impact;
• the water temperature during washing and bleaching should not exceed 30-40 degrees, otherwise dirt and yellowness can penetrate even deeper into the structure of the fabric and gain a foothold there;
• To complete the process effectively and give the fabric its final shine, rinse the curtains in water mixed with vinegar (1 tbsp. spoon for 1 liter of water);
• do not wring the tulle after bleaching or washing, hang it wet. The folds themselves will be smoothed out by gravity;
• it is better not to iron the curtains, but if there is such a need, then set the mode to the most gentle.

Whitening your favorite curtains at home is not so difficult, just follow the rules described above, be gentle and neat. Successful rehabilitation for your curtains!