Quarantine has caused everyone to have a lot of extra time on their hands, and I noticed that some people were using that extra time to take up some DIY projects! One DIY project that I noticed has been trending is bleach dyed t-shirts, or even bleach dyed clothing of any kind for that matter!
The tie dye trend is totally in this year, but I know that those coveted tie dye pieces can get a little pricey. So why not try to make your own!
Personally, I like the bleach dyed t-shirts the best, so I decided to do a little DIY, or should I say BRI-IY (sorry, I had to), and make my own!
Considering that my arts and crafts abilities are similar to that of a toddler, I wasn’t entirely sure how these tees were going to turn out. But I have to admit, I am so super excited with how they turned out and I totally want to make more!
The t-shirts that I used were simple black t-shirts that I picked up from Hobby Lobby for $2 a piece. So it’s safe to say that not only was this DIY project quick and easy, but it was super cheap too!
Because of how cheap, easy and fun it was, I wanted to share the step by step process of how I dyed the shirts!
What You’ll Need:
- T-shirt (This can be an old t-shirt you have lying around, or one from a craft store. It can also be any color, I decided to go with a black shirt!)
- Bleach (I used regular Clorox bleach, but I’ve also seen some people use the toilet bowl cleaner that has bleach in it, because the nozzle on that container is easy for application)
- Water
- A tub or basin
- Rubberbands
Step by Step Process:
- First things first, you’re going to want to lay your t-shirt out flat on the ground or table.
- Next, fold or crinkle up the t-shirt. The way I did it was to pinch a piece of the fabric in the middle of the shirt, and turn it like a knob. That way the shirt will give off a whirlpool looking effect. (I know this part is kind of hard to put into words, I will add a video I posted on TikTok below so that you can visually see what I mean!)
- Once you’ve folded or crinkled up the shirt, wrap it in rubber bands to keep that fold or crinkle in place.
- Put the t-shirts under plain water until they are completely wet, this way the bleach won’t eat through the fabric when you apply it.
- Put your t-shirts in an empty tub or basin so that you don’t get bleach all over the place.
- Pour the bleach over sections of the shirt to dye it. I poured the bleach into a plastic cup and poured it over the shirts that way as to not pour too much. I’ve seen some people, as I mentioned, use the nozzle of toilet bowl cleaner as well as pour the bleach in an empty water bottle and poke a hole in the lid to squeeze the bleach out.
- Let the shirts sit in the basin for a few minutes. I left mine sit for about 10-15 minutes, until I saw the shirt change color.
- Unwrap the rubber bands from the shirt, and run the shirt under water to rinse off the excess bleach.
- Finally, you can run your shirt through the washer with cold water. Just make sure you’ve rinsed the excess bleach off first. I recommend running it through the wash by itself, as to not risk getting bleach on anything else.
- And there you have it!
Here is a brief video that I posted on TikTok that shows the step by step process:
@bricutter Can’t believe this actually worked for my kindergarten-level craft abilities. 😅 #fyp #tiedye #diy #craft #athome #bleach #foryoupage #art #tutorial
Overall, this bleach dyed t-shirts project took about a half hour to complete, making it totally worth it! Next, I am thinking about bleach dying a t-shirt dress or graphic tee.
I’m hoping to be able to do some more DIY projects like this in the future to be able to share!