Thread: Will bleaching bed sheets work?

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I have a ton of bed sheets not being used. I want to drape white sheets over the couch and stuff. Unfortunately, none of the sheets are white. Do you think if I bleached them they would turn out ok?

you can try it but maybe after bleaching them you could dye them with the white dye? Im going to drape my living room set with the white sheets too. Cant wait!

I'm using white sheets too! I found some awesome deals at goodwill- have you tried there? Not sure if bleaching will work if they sheets are really dark. Will probably fade them. Maybe if you do it several times?? You've got me thinking now- I'd love to dye my navy sheets black- wonder if I can make that happen? I've never dyed fabric before. Hum...

Think about it, dying it is possible, or how else would the sheets be those colors?

Originally Posted by Dragonomine

I have a ton of bed sheets not being used. I want to drape white sheets over the couch and stuff. Unfortunately, none of the sheets are white. Do you think if I bleached them they would turn out ok?

My college roommate was an art major who often used all kinds of sheets in his studio exhibits. Bleaching colored sheets does not remove the color evenly, but the inverse tiedye effect under blacklight may be just the ticket at a Halloween party. Rubberbands or zipties can heighten the effect and a final wash in Rit whitener&brightener makes it pop. As a student he was often short of funds and used to buy his white sheets from a hospital supply company fairly cheap.

You' ve gotta get the good dye, not the cheap stuff from wal-mart. I tried dying a dress black and it turned a nasty grey-blue....

Unless your sheets are a pale ivory or something like that I think it would be a waste of your time to try bleaching all the color out of the sheets you have. To bleach it that much you'd probably deteriorate the fabric to the point of falling a part. I'd donate them in good condition and buy some from Goodwill or some other resale shop as someone mentioned. Funny how at one time there were only white sheets out there, now white is hardly ever seen.

Ditto what Ghost of Spookie said.

Goodwill or just about any thrift store will have a huge selection of white sheets.
I got all of mine from there.

I also have in a pinch used lightweight quilts that have white backsides, just put them on the couch so the patchwork side wasn't seen and you can't see the stitching in low light.

Originally Posted by Samhain.Voodoo

You' ve gotta get the good dye, not the cheap stuff from wal-mart. I tried dying a dress black and it turned a nasty grey-blue....

Very true...I actually wanted grey sheets to drape over my furniture, so I bought the white sheets at the thrift store and used the black RITZ dye. Got my grey, but you have to be careful to get the same type of sheets because the dye will take differently to different thread counts. So I had more mismatched greys than I had wanted.

I'm sure you know this already but just a reminder that if you decide to dye them with a dye, make sure to wash them a bunch of times, or soak them in vinegar. A spilled drink or constant rubbing could make the dye transfer to your furniture. I know this from first hand experience