Hydrogen Peroxide And Laundry - Use It To Brighten Your Clothes
The primary use of hydrogen peroxide for laundry is to brighten clothes and remove stains from your laundry.
You can use this product as a substitute for chlorine bleach to whiten your clothes. I've explained how below.
Is This Safe For Your Colored Clothes?
While the video below suggests using hydrogen peroxide to whiten your whites (and yes, it does that very well!), I've been asked on multiple occasions whether hydrogen peroxide, a bleach, will bleach the color out of your colored clothes.
The answer is typically it will not bleach your colored clothes, not anymore than other color safe bleaches do. (And when such bleaching occurs it is typically because you've used the bleach at too high a concentration, or left the bleach to sit for too long, or the dye itself in the fabric was not properly set.)
Hydrogen peroxide is itself an oxygen bleach. (You can click the link to read my article all about oxygen bleaches and how they work if you're interested in an in-depth discussion.) Basically though, just know that like other oxygen bleaches it is typically safe for colors.
In fact, to help put your mind at ease you should know that color safe bleach is comprised mainly of hydrogen peroxide, along with some additional additives such as brighteners.
For example, the popular color safe oxygen bleach, Oxiclean, has two active ingredients. The first is sodium percarbonate, which when it comes into contact with water releases hydrogen peroxide, and the second is sodium carbonate, also known as washing soda.
How Much Peroxide Should I Add To Brighten Laundry?
The video suggests adding 8 ounces of a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide to each load of laundry.
The 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide is the kind you buy at the drug store for first aid, in the brown bottle, not the stronger stuff you use to bleach your hair.
I've addressed some questions below about exactly what the 3% version of this product is, versus the more concentrated 35% version.
Best Homemade Stain Remover: Hydrogen Peroxide + Dish Soap
Hydrogen peroxide is perhaps best known as a blood stain remover all by itself (as discussed below), but it works well to remove many other types of stains too.
In fact, if you're going to make only one homemade stain remover, I serious suggest using this recipe:
Ingredients:
1 part dish soap
2 parts hydrogen peroxide
Some people swear it has to be Blue Dawn dish soap but honestly, I have found any dish soap works.
The soap helps remove grease and dirt, while the peroxide bleaches away stains and breaks down organic materials. It makes this a killer combination on many types of stains.
Give it a try and I bet you'll be most pleasantly surprised how well it works!
Above I shared an awesome general laundry stain remover recipe which uses hydrogen peroxide as one of its two ingredients.
But while peroxide works well in combination with dish soap for many stains, there are other stains where just the peroxide alone is most effective.
The most common one, and one where many people struggle to actually remove many stains, is blood. And let me tell you, hydrogen peroxide is an awesome blood stain remover!
Here's information from a reader, Sandy, who shared her experience using this product for this exact purpose.
Sandy says:
This is a very inexpensive product available in the first aid section of any drug or discount store that works wonders on blood stains.
I first learned of this from a nurse.
While it is the basic ingredient contained in non chlorine bleaches like Clorox 2, if you are just in need of taking out a blood stain I would use the peroxide.
It will work on stains that are not treated right away, just takes a bit longer to get out.
Obviously the sooner you can treat the stain the better.
In addition there are varying opinions about whether warm or cold water is appropriate for a blood stain, I always use cold water.
Taylor says:
I agree Sandy, you should ALWAYS use cold water on blood stains.
And you're absolutely right that hydrogen peroxide is a simple, cheap and effective method for removing them!
I have personally used this method myself, and although it can take a couple applications it is amazing to watch the stain literally disappear before your eyes.
I got this question from a reader recently, and wanted to share some back and forth I and another reader then had about whether you should dilute the higher concentrated 35% hydrogen peroxide to become the 3% variety that is most commonly found in drug stores in the first aid aisle.
Judy asks:
You say to use 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide. How do you dilute it to this amount?
Taylor's Answer:
Judy, thanks for the question. When I say to use a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide I mean the hydrogen peroxide you get in the brown bottles for first aid.
When you buy it this way it is already diluted to 3%, so you do not need to dilute it further, unless instructions on the site say to add it to a solution of water.
Hope this helps!
Satheesh says:
If you have 35% hydrogen peroxide to convert the same to 3% add 11 parts of water to one part of hydrogen peroxide 35%.
Taylor's Response:
Thanks Satheesh for sharing what you believe to be the proper way to dilute the higher concentration product into a concentration that is more available for first aid. I personally don't know, however, if this is the correct dilution, so follow Satheesh's instructions with caution if you choose to do this.
That being said, I personally wouldn't even bother trying to dilute 35% peroxide to 3%, because buying the product in the higher concentration is more expensive and takes more time to fiddle with, then to just buy it at the lower concentration to begin with.
The reason some people buy the higher concentration is for certain alleged health benefits (this is not a medical site and I will not get into the arguments about whether it is effective, since I'm not a doctor, nor do I claim to be), I am just here to discuss house cleaning and laundry.
For house cleaning and laundry purposes almost always the higher concentrated forms of hydrogen peroxide are not needed.
Instead, for purposes of stain removal, whitening and brightening, etc., I would just head to the drugstore, get the proper lower concentration to begin with, and use that!
You don't need to make this hard folks. Just buy the kind you get in the first aid aisle and rest easy knowing the concentration is already correct for your laundry needs, was easy to get, and quite cheap! Win-Win-Win.
I have answered this question as part of the site where you can ask me for laundry help. Go check out that section to see what else I've answered or to ask something yourself.
There are affiliate links on this page, and if you purchase a product through them I receive a small commission. Purchasing through my links costs you nothing extra, but helps support the free information provided on this site and my family. To learn more please see my product review disclosure statement.
Comments for Diluting 35% Hydrogen Peroxide Down To 3% Variety
I learned a lot being raised by my Grandmother. She lived through the depression, then lived on a very meager salary from Social Security after working all the way from childhood. She was even a Rosie the Riveter during the war. So she knew what she was doing.
Spray some hydrogen peroxide on the stain. You can dilute it if fabric is more sensitive. Test a small patch if necessary. I have had large caked on stains. I have dogs and they have their own blankets as well. I used to just throw them away sometimes. I remembered this trick though.
With nothing to lose I tried it. Wow!!! What a lifesaver. Plus it's cheap too. I just took the spray nozzle off another bottle (after cleaning), put it on the peroxide bottle and was good to go. Some things need to soak longer than others. Just check it, wipe the spot you sprayed really good. If still a little stain left, spray again and check back later. Works like a charm.
Thank you hydrogen peroxide!!!
It will bubble just like on a wound, there are germs in the stain. Kill some bacteria, added bonus.
Using Hydrogen Peroxide for 1st time by: Michele
I'm reading about using hydrogen peroxide in the laundry to brighten and remove stains. But there's nothing said about mixing with detergents. Am I to assume that in addition to 1 cup of HP, you also still add whatever regular detergent is used? Also, if I use HP in my bleach dispenser with colored clothes will they likely fade?
High concentration of hydrogen peroxide by: Anonymous
To make white clothes become brighter, is true that with a higher concentration of hydrogen peroxide the clothes will be whiter?
how to use the homemade stain remover by: Becca
I am getting ready to spray the homemade Shout remover on clothes. Can I spray it on and not wash the clothes until tomorrow?
It stained my white clothes by: Anonymous
I had a yellow, unknown stain on white denim jeans. Rather than pitch them, I decided to try hydrogen peroxide(3%) on the stain. I laid the jeans out in the sun, and came back and the stains are larger -- as big as all the liquid HP I put on the jean spots. Help!
Peroxide turned my white shirt yellow! by: Melody
I had dripped salsa on my white cotton button up shirt at my grandmother's house and she suggested I dab it with peroxide to keep it from staining. It took out the red stain, but turned that area on my shirt yellow! I've tried a bunch of things and it won't turn white again, any suggestions?
Best laundry stain remover recipe by: Karenish
Add 1 part Dawn dish liquid to 2 parts peroxide into a spray bottle. Swish it around (don't shake!). Spray on stains immediately before washing. I've gotten out stains even after the clothes have dried occasionally. Do NOT spray ahead of time and let the clothing sit. I ended up with what looked like a tie dyed shirt that way because the peroxide bleached it.
Peroxide & Dish Soap by: Anonymous
Do you put them in a spray bottle?
Brighter whites by: Anonymous
I use peroxide on my whites & they have never been brighter.
Dilution ratio, and savings by: Brian
Do the math. 35% peroxide is $75 for 5 gallons. A simple google search reveals the other commenter's ratio of 11:1 is correct for dilution. So 5 gallons of 35% makes 55 gallons of 3%. A gallon of 3% is around $10, or $550 for 55 gallons instead of $75.
Cleaning with 3% hydrogen peroxide by: Anonymous
I make cleaning products and also in laundry as a stain remover and in place of chlorine bleach. Use on countertops.
Works great except by: Anonymous
It does work but rinse with cold water because it can affect the fibers of the fabric. I worked in surgery and we would use H2O2 alone it seemed to thin the fibers in the area your rubbing but if you take a second cloth with cold water it works like a charm. I am a RN and we used it all the time even on colors
baseball pants by: Anonymous
I used vinegar, dish soap(dawn), peroxide, hot water -presoaked my grandsons baseball pants. I presoaked in small bin for 1hour (pants are really dirty-from dirt/muddy) or longer then wash machine.
Extra rinse necessary? by: Diana
Does anyone think it's necessary to run an extra rinse cycle when washing with peroxide?
Urine Smell by: Cindy Lou
To get rid of urine smell, put white vinegar in with your clothes. I pour it on top of the clothes and then put it in with my container that holds whatever type of stain remover I am using. For those who are complaining about down comforters smelling from the washing machine, this will take care of that smell too.
Larger Stronger Peroxide by: Shelbie
Go to any beauty supply and get stronger (yes its safe on most fabric) bottles of peroxide often called "developer" for hair color. It comes from 10 Volume to 100 Volume read Volume as percent. 10 Volume is 10 percent peroxide and 100 Volume 100%. They may not sell the 100 volume to a non professional as it could be used to make a hydrogen bomb. It's much cheaper and sold in bulk 40 Volume is fine for bloody clothes or protein stains. We use it in the salon all the time for laundry.
Ate my clothes away by: Anonymous
I've found it does indeed work very well to remove blood. However, on a number of occasions my items came out of the wash with holes in them after treatment. I used the same concentration, same soaking time as on other items, so it must be that it reacts differently with different kinds of fabric. Unfortunately, you'll only know this after washing, once the item is already ruined.
Blood by: Shelley W.
In the late 90's I slice my index finger pretty badly on a broken ceramic coffee mug. It took ten stitches.
My jeans I was wearing were completely covered in blood. Shortly after my RET visit most of my clothing had been packed into storage. Including my blood soaked jeans. 18 months later I finally was able to find them. I wasn't sure if I could get 18 month old blood out of my jeans. I put my jeans in a dish pan and filled it with cold water. Soaked them so when I emptied out the water the wet jeans could them absorb the peroxide. I filled the run to cover my jeans About 3 16 oz bottles. I cover it in plastic wrap. I soaked them for 2 weeks. Washed them,adding more peroxide to the wash load. They came completely blood free no stains. Peroxide is an amazing solution.
Chocolate stains on carpet by: Johnnie
Will peroxide work on old chocolate stains on carpet? A young niece squirted chocolate syrup on my tan carpet. We immediately used Dawn & vinegar and it got most of it up, but the carpet is still stained and it drives me nuts each time I see the spot. Just wondered how I should attempt to remove it for good. Thanks.
Blood stain by: Julia
I was witness to a neighbor man walking his senior dog when they were attacked by a pit bull. It was terrifying. As horrific as the stories are seeing it in real time is worse. I did the most brilliant thing, I backed my minivan out of the driveway and down the road to the attack. I opened the sliding door and yelled get in. The man grabbed his dog, jumped into the van, and slammed the door. I sped away from the area and drove the man home. All survived but my back seat was a bloody mess. Peroxide cleaned the blood from my vehicle without staining the seats. It works on both human and animal blood.
nice tips! by: Shari Carter
Very nice tips! I love the idea of using products from around the home to clean! Thank you!
Where to buy gallon by: John
I normally go to beauty supply stores. They sell it by the gallon at different volumes.
response to Lorna re carpet blood stains by: Taylor
My husband bleeds easily due to blood thinners. Any suggestions on how to remove blood stains from carpet?
Container size by: Anonymous
Where can I find large bottles of peroxide instead of the small ones found in grocery stores? Like gallon sized ones.
White skort turned yellow by: Anonymous
I had a couple yellow spots on a white skort. I treated the spots with peroxide then put it in the sun for extra bleaching power. Now everywhere the peroxide ran is yellow. I guess putting it in sun was wrong. Any way to fix my mistake?
Laundry upkeep by: Anonymous
I am the mother of eleven children and don't believe there is a laundry stain I haven't met or a laundry smell that hasn't passed under my nose. For the one mother, I too have a special needs child and buy OdoBan for laundry. I put the OdoBan in the wash cycle and not the rinse cycle because my child has sensitive skin and it works fine. I've used it for years. I live in Indiana and buy mine at Sam's Club for just over $10. There it comes with a diluted concentrated mixture attached in a spray bottle. It is a disinfectant and kills 99.9% of germ. So you get 2 for 1.
Even if you don't get the spray with it you can make your own and it has a nice fragrance. Hope this info helps.
Clean stains before washing by: Anonymous
One to ten ratio of Dawn dish liquid with hydrogen peroxide. Use in clean spray bottle to remove stains on clothing. Wash in cold water with like colors.
A Good Combo For Pretreating by: Jan
This is a great inexpensive way to pre treat shirt collars and cuffs as it breaks down the dirt as well as the perspiration/body oil that is especially a problem for collars. I think the dish soap portion of the mix does the most good on the collars. Just sponge it on, let it sit for 5-10 minutes before washing. I use it primarily on white shirts, but have also applied it to colored garments as well. For any of the mixture I have left after pretreating I just throw it in the washer with my detergent.
I have also discovered that it helps if you are trying to remove baby formula stains from your clothes as well as the baby's, because like blood, they are also protein stains. It is much cheaper than any of the store bought laundry pre-treatment products.
How much? by: LJ
Does this homemade stain remover need to be added like a paste (scrub on with a toothbrush) or do you just add 2:1 to each load of laundry?
Coat Saver by: Anonymous
After falling on ice and having stitches in my head my doctor's nurse told me to use peroxide to take care of the blood spots on my new pink coat. IT WORKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
let the stain remover sit, or do you scrub it in? by: Anonymous
When using the 2 parts peroxide with one part liquid dish soap, do you then apply it directly to the stain, spray it on, and then let it set or do you scrub it into the fabric?
club soda by: Anonymous
Club soda will remove new stains. Don't know about old ones but great on new stains.
Thanks for the info on bleaching clothes safely with hydrogen peroxide. I messed up a blue and white striped shirt by washing with blue jeans and was trying to figure out how to brighten the white again.
For those people who were writing in about urine and dog smells, I just wanted to share that I recently discovered a product called OdoBan Odor Eliminator, which is a colorless, concentrated deodorizer and sanitizer which you can add to the rinse cycle of the wash or simply spray on items (floors, countertops, furniture) mixed with water to whatever strength desired. Different concentrations do various things, from killing mildew, getting rid of pet smells or disinfecting. This is not a cleaner, but it really helps when nothing else works or you can't use hydrogen peroxide or vinegar. You can get a gallon of the concentrate for less than ten bucks at Home Depot or on Amazon for a little more. It comes in a fragrance called eucalyptus, which just smells fresh and clean.
Response re yellow spots by: Anonymous
Many white items are actually dyed. Most fibers are yellowish or grey and the manufacturer uses a blue dye to make it the bright white we are used to. Like the article said, if the dye wasn't "set" or was an organic dye, the peroxide will remove it. In my grocery store is a RIT product called bluing and it helps restore those bright whites.
Response re question about hard water stains by: Taylor
If you've got hard water stains, or high iron content that is causing rust stains in your clothes, for example, I suggest using a product that has a higher acidity which is what helps remove these types of stains. You have to be careful what you choose though so you don't harm your fabric, so check out these hard water stain removal tips for ideas. (Make sure you look at the tips applicable to fabrics, and not those for hard surfaces!)
Hard water by: Anonymous
We have really hard water with high iron content. Would peroxide help keep the orange out of our clothes?
staining from peroxide by: Anonymous
HELP!!! I used straight peroxide on a white outfit that turned the area yellow. What can I do to get the stain out?
Tips and warnings about the 35% solution by: CatalogQueen
Referring to the 35% solution of peroxide. If using, be very, very careful not to get on skin or counter tops, or wood shelves. I have learned from experience that this solution is very, very potent and dangerous.
Removing Urine smell from clothes and sheets by: Diana
So I have a special needs child and his urine is a problem. Trying to remove the smell from his clothes and sheets. Would peroxide do the trick and if so how much would I use? Appreciate any input.(;
For the washer by: mymren
I have washed bloody clothes in the washer by just adding 1/4 cup to the wash cycle - comes out great every time!
Cheaper source by: Anonymous
I buy gallon jugs at a wholesale type store called Smart and Final. I don't know how wide spread the store is, but the cost savings is worth looking into.
It works! by: Karen
Remember when nurses were required to wear white uniforms? I was one of them. We used hydrogen peroxide successfully to maintain the look.
I have white whites with this! by: Anonymous
Use this all the time. I have a well so between hydrogen peroxide and cream of tarter I have bright whites.
HP to remove wet dog smell from duvet? by: Jodie
I'm at my wits end with a new duck feather duvet - smells like a stagnant pond! It's been thru a laundry washer with standard detergent & 3 hours of intermittent tumble drying,not to mention 2 weeks in and out of the sun in an attempt to air it. I have some 35% hydrogen peroxide which I can dilute and add to a wash/prewash/rinse.. not sure which .. any thoughts? Cheers! Jodie.
I buy it by the gallon to make it especially cheap! by: Colleen
Hi Taylor,
I've been using the 3% H2O2 in my laundry using the bleach dispenser of my front loader washing machine for almost a year now. Not only has it done wonders for my laundry, it's cleaned out the dispenser part of my machine and so will help my machine last longer. I buy it by the gallon at Smart & Final - a commercial-turned-retail chain on the west coast. The gallon costs about $2 so is by far the most inexpensive way to go.
Thanks so much for your site, you've cleared up many questions I've had on various products and I appreciate the work you put into your site.
Best regards!
works great by: Carrie
I use it on all fabrics all the time works great!
rinse from white shirt before laundering by: Christine
If you use it to treat a blood stain on a white shirt, you have to rinse it before laundering. I'm a nurse and it works every time-no yellowing.
hasn't bleached any clothes by: Lana
I use peroxide straight on clothing that is blood stained. I have never had it bleach any clothes.
only lifted color if left to sit a LONG time by: Julie
For me, it's only lifted color out if I let it sit on the clothing for more than 24 hrs before washing.
didn't cause fading for me by: Heather
My clothes have never faded or been bleached when I used it.
part of great laundry stain remover by: Julie
I use a paste of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, a tiny bit of Dawn dish soap. Gets out almost any stain!
blood removal by: Micaela
Hydrogen provide is especially great at pulling blood out of clothes so that they don't stain... great if someone had a bloody nose all over a white shirt or cut their leg and got it on their jeans or socks... not stains or color fading... just makes it look like it never happened.
works better than anything by: Sara
Agreed! Hydrogen peroxide works better than anything and it has never bleached any of my fabrics. I use it on colors, carpet, everything. It's just fantastic.
works great! by: Lesley
I love hydrogen peroxide for laundry stain removers! Works great on getting whites white without using bleach!
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Hi, I'm Taylor, a busy mom with 3 kids, so I have lots of hands on experience with house cleaning, laundry and my fair share of spots, spills and other messy catastrophes. Thanks for visiting my site.
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