How Do I Bleach My Skinny Jeans?

The hottest fashion question today seems to be how to bleach skinny jeans. Just a few seasons ago, dark skinny jeans were all the rage. Now splatter, bleached skinny jeans are in and blue is out. If your favorite jeans are suddenly passé and you’re asking yourself how on earth to bleach skinny jeans with a splatter design, relax. There’s an easy way to turn even the darkest skinny jeans into splatter bleach skinny jeans that look store-bought and gorgeous.

Things you'll need:

• One quart of bleach
• Rubber gloves
• Detergent
• Fabric softener
• Spray bottle
• Large trash can bags or painter’s plastic sheeting

1. Initial all-over bleach. If you want to create pale, almost white skinny jeans, you’ll need to bleach them before applying the splatter motif. Otherwise, skip to the next step. For creating an over-all faded look, bleach your skinny jeans in the washing machine. Fill the machine with warm water on the lowest setting, put your rubber gloves on and pour in one quart of bleach. Allow the machine to stir the water thoroughly before pressing your skinny jeans into the water. Turn the machine off and leave your skinny jeans to soak until they reach the desired lightness. Remember that you’ll still lighten certain areas by splattering bleach, so don’t over-bleach your skinny jeans at this point. Wash the jeans and let them dry before moving on to bleaching your skinny jeans with a splattered look.
2. Prepare the area for splatter bleaching your skinny jeans. Work on a table or counter large enough for you to spread the jeans out without any folds (but don’t spread the jeans yet). Fill your spray bottle with water, spray the work surface a little and see how wide an area you should protect from splatter as you bleach your skinny jeans.
3. Prepare your skinny jeans for bleaching. Your skinny jeans should be dry before you proceed with creating a splatter pattern. Lay the jeans flat on the protected work surface, then stuff the legs with trash can bags if you want to create a different splatter arrangement on the front and back of your skinny jeans.
4. Create shades of splatter. You can bleach your skinny jeans with a splatter design that’s made up of several hues. Begin by filling the spray bottle with bleach only. Hold the bottle twelve inches above your skinny jeans and spray. This will create well-distributed, small drops. For larger drops, move closer to your skinny jeans. Next, dilute the bleach in the bottle with water (1/2 bleach, 1/2 water is recommended). Spray your skinny jeans to create splatters that will be less white. Turn the pants over and repeat the steps to bleach your skinny jeans in the splatters of your choice on the other side.
5. Know when to stop bleaching your skinny jeans. Once bleach is soaked into your skinny jeans, it will continue to fade the fabric until it is washed out. Therefore, work quickly and don’t over-bleach your skinny jeans. You can always bleach them again later, but you will be unable to remove bleach splatter once it’s there.
6. Wash the bleach out of your skinny jeans. It’s vital to wash your skinny jeans quickly. Therefore, fill the washing machine with warm water before you start to bleach your skinny jeans. As soon as you are done, put your skinny jeans in the washing machine, add detergent and fabric softener and wash for a full cycle. If the smell of bleach persists, wash your skinny jeans a second time and add more fabric softener.