Rit Color Remover, Jacquard deColourant, Bleach or Out White Brite Laundry Whitener?
Hi Guys! Have you ever wondered about some of the different methods for removing color from a shirt? Well, hopefully I can help with that today. If you would like to watch videos that I’ve made reverse dyeing with some of these methods, here is a link to my reverse dye playlist on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2FNETZBRxGFHcISVrDwhKYwK2pYDTe8n I have videos showing all the methods except bleach. I’ve kind of quit using bleach very much…but I’m getting ahead of myself - let’s jump in.
I tie dye 100% cotton shirts and so all of the information and opinions that I am going to give relate to 100% cotton shirts - and for this discussion, I’ll reference black 100% cotton shirts. I haven’t ever tried any of these products on silk, rayon, etc… I have tried Rit Color Remover on a 50/50 sweatshirt and it didn’t work very well on the polyester. It barely lightened the sweatshirt to a dark gray. I also don’t consider myself an expert - I’m always learning too.
For the science part - I consulted Paula Burch’s website. She has already done all of the research for the color remover ingredients so it just makes sense to take advantage of her knowledge. I do have a Chemistry background, but she’s an expert in all things dye related in my opinion. If you haven’t ever checked out her website, it is full of all kinds of useful information for various dye methods.
Let’s start with the Rit Color Remover and Out White Brite Laundry Whitener. The main component of both of these is Sodium Hydrosulfite. I couldn’t find a MSDS sheet for the Out White Brite and so I am not sure if they both have the same percentage of Sodium Hydrosulfite. I started using the Rit Color Remover first and was really pleased with how gentle it was to the fabric. The Out White Brite is too. I use both of these products outside since they do have rather strong smells. The Rit Color Remover smells kind of like a hair perm from the 1980’s. The Out White Brite has a bit more of a laundry smell. Neither of them are horrible, but I don’t particularly want that smell in my dye area, so I use them outside. I also wear my respirator when I am using them because they are a powder and I don’t want to inhale them. I’ve gotta protect those lungs!
There are instructions on the Rit box, but I have developed a method of using the Rit that works fairly well for me. If I am removing the color from several shirts all at the same time, I will use 2 boxes of the Rit Color Remover powder and empty them into a 3 gallon bucket. I pour boiling hot water into the bucket and stir the mixture until the Rit powder is dissolved. I will then place the shirts into the mixture and make sure they are fully submerged. I stir the shirts around in the bucket periodically and I usually leave them for about 20 minutes before I remove them from the mixture and rinse. So far, I’ve had good success with the Rit removing most of the color from the area of the shirt that wasn’t tied with sinew. Obviously, if the shirt was tied too tightly, the color remover doesn’t always get into the middle of the tied area, but for the most part it’s worked pretty well. The final color from a 100% cotton black shirt is usually a light shade of taupe. I always throw my shirts in the washing machine after a quick rinse and wash them in a little Dharma’s Textile Detergent to remove any of the remaining Rit Color Remover. The wash also helps get rid of some of the leftover smell from the Rit. Not all tie dyers wash their shirts after color removal, but it’s a step that I like to do.
The Out White Brite has instructions too, but I took the advice from fellow tie dyers and just sprinkle the Out over the top of the tied shirt. I will put the shirt either in my 3 gallon bucket or a plastic tub or tote for this process - which ever one fits the shirt better. Once I’ve sprinkled a generous amount of the Out White Brite over the top of the tied shirt, I pour boiling hot water over the top. Make sure you have plenty of space in your container because the Out will start to bubble - you don’t want it to flow outside of your container. I usually try to cover the top of the shirt with the boiling hot water, but I don’t add too much water because I don’t want to dilute the Out White Brite any more than necessary. I will sometimes add more Out into the water after I’ve mixed it if I am concerned that I still have too much black left in my shirt. The Out will start working immediately - usually it only takes about 3-7 minutes to get a shirt a light shade of taupe. I rinse and wash my shirts after using the Out too.
I have tried squirting the Rit Color Remover on a shirt once and it didn’t work very well. Partly because the Rit and water mixture was way too hot to handle in a squirt bottle. Also, because I got concerned that it wasn’t working well enough and I ended up just dunking 1/2 of the shirt in the bucket.
I haven’t tried applying the Out with a squirt bottle yet, but it’s on my to do list. I did add just a little bit to my bucket though and mix in a small amount of boiling hot water. Then I placed one side of a tied spiral into the bucket and swished it around a couple of times before gently lifting it out of the bucket and rinsing. It worked pretty well for removing color from only a portion of the spiral. I didn’t leave it very long at all though - otherwise it would have started soaking up the color remover and I wouldn’t have been left with any black in the spiral.
Let’s move on to the Jacquard deColourant. I found a MSDS sheet and I believe that the main ingredient is Sodium Formaldehyde Sulfoxylate. So, it’s a totally different chemical than the others. It is a gel or paste instead of a powder like the Rit Color Remover and Out White Brite and so it is great for more detailed color removal. I’ve painted words and designs on shirts with the deColourant where I wanted to remove the color and it worked pretty well. You can use paint brushes or foam brushes - whatever works best for you. Since it is a gel, you really need to make sure to get it into all of the fibers of the shirt, otherwise the end product won’t look uniform - it will be kind of patchy. You can go back and reapply it over those areas though if that happens. The deColourant will go on clear or kind of milky. I read that it is best to allow it to dry before going on to the actual color removal process - so that’s what I always do.
To actually remove the color, the deColourant needs heat. I’ve tried using a heat gun, but I didn’t have great success. Plus, I was too concerned that I would burn the shirt. The best method I’ve found is using a steam iron. I have an iron that I just use for craft projects and I use that one. I make sure and clean the iron off really well after using it, but I am not daring enough to use my nice expensive iron. I don’t think my husband would like his dress shirts to have areas of color removed from them. When the area that has been painted with the deColourant gets ironed, the color starts to lighten and will eventually turn a light taupe color. It sometimes takes a little while, but stick with it - the color will come out if you’ve painted a heavy enough coat of deColourant on the area. I’ve found that it works the best when the iron is on the steam setting. I always wash the shirts that I’ve used deColourant on too before I dye them.
I left the worst part of the deColourant for last - the smell. It really smells pretty awful - think rotten eggs. I definitely use this one outside and I wear a respirator too. It’s not horrible when it’s being painted on, but when the steam iron hits it - Yikes!
Last but not least, bleach. Household bleach is Sodium Hypochlorite. We all know the dangers of mixing bleach with other chemicals and how damaging it can be too. If bleach isn’t neutralized, it will continue to degrade and damage the fabric - even after it has been washed. When I use bleach I always rinse well and neutralize the shirt in a solution of Hydrogen Peroxide (the household variety that is found in the first aid section of the pharmacy). I use 1 part Hydrogen Peroxide to 9 parts water. I also dilute the bleach before I add it to my shirt. I usually only use a 50% bleach and 50% water solution for most shirts. I also try to use bleach outside or in a very well ventilated area and I wear my fume respirator too.
In spite of all of the negatives of bleach - it is very versatile. I’ve sprayed bleach on, squirted it on from a dye bottle, and brushed it on. It can be used with stencils and you can even paint with it. I’ve also used toilet bowl cleaner to bleach items when I needed the bleach to be thicker and stay where I wanted it. It truly is versatile. It can really damage the fabric though.
However, I never have been able to get the shirts very light using bleach. Well - I have been able to before, but it caused holes in the fabric. Most of the time the black area will end up some shade of orange. I think the orange looks great with the black from the shirt, but depending on the dye colors you want to use, it’s not quite as easy to dye over as the taupe color.
Hopefully I’ve given you an idea of the differences in these four products, and that it will help you choose the right product for your project. It’s always important to remember that all of these products are chemicals and should be handled with that in mind. Like I’ve mentioned above, it is important to use them in a well ventilated area - and if possible wear a respirator to protect your lungs from either fumes or powders. I also wear gloves when I use any of the color removers too.
In conclusion, right now Out White Brite is my color remover of choice for most shirts because it works so quickly. If you can’t find that product or it’s not available in your area, the Rit Color Remover is my second choice. I’m don’t consider myself an expert using any of the color removers, but I’m going to keep working with them and trying to learn new things.
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