• Cocktails
    • Non-Alcoholic Drinks
    • Easy Cocktail Recipes
    • Vodka Recipes
    • Wine Cocktails
    • Moscow Mule Recipes and Variations
    • Wine
  • Dessert
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Dump Cake Recipes
    • Alcohol Infused Cupcakes
    • Cake Mix Desserts
  • Easy Recipes
    • All Recipes
    • Quick Dinner Party Appetizers For a Festive Shindig
    • Quick Dinner Recipes
  • Mom Life and Style
    • Life
      • Entertaining
    • Mom Style
      • Style
    • So Cal Weekend Getaways
  • Shop
  • Home
  • Blog
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

Cupcakes and Cutlery

Easy Cocktails and Recipes | Mom Life and Style | Orange County Blogger

DIY Bleach Sweatshirt Anyone Can Make

January 13, 2016 By Sharon Garofalow Leave a Comment

Jump to How-To

I love to be cozy and sweatshirts are my go-to topper when the weather is cool. I started seeing these cool, almost reverse tie dye sweatshirts at my favorite shops.

But, OMG, they were $90! I knew that it wouldn’t be that hard to make my own at home so I gave it a shot and loved how it turned out!

This easy DIY Bleach Sweatshirt looks like something you might find in a high-end store but was super easy to make! 

The bleach tie-dye effect, where the bleach removes color from the shirt, is one of my favorite things to do with old sweatshirts! And it’s a quick, inexpensive project that is super easy!

girl wearting black sweatshirt with bleach splattered sleeves standing in front of graffiti.

Some links in this post may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, I earn from qualifying purchases by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. I also participate in affiliate programs for other retailers. 

Inexpensive Bleach Sweatshirt DIY

I always feel like I don’t know how to dress for the winter. I hate to be cold and so that means I look for things that are more function than form.

I have a few pairs of jeans that I rotate between (why is it so hard to find flattering jeans that don’t cost a fortune?!). And I wear a LOT of sweatshirts.

A good (meaning stylish) sweatshirt can be hard to find and I usually just end up picking up multiple basic ones from the men’s department at Target or on Amazon ($7 – $8 apiece, yo! It’s a bargain!).

But I was starting to feel real blah so I decided to do a DIY fashion makeover on a black sweatshirt.

black sweatshirt laying flat on the ground with one bleach splattered sleeve showing. A girl is standing by the sweatshirt as you can see her feet in the frame.

I, legit, am obsessed with plain sweatshirts. Every season I pick up a few for every member of my family. I watch for the sales but even at full price, about $8, you can’t go wrong.

You know how hard kids are on their clothes. A solid color sweatshirt is perfect for throwing on to go play outside or get rough on the playground at school.

A little boy in a pair of jeans with a simple black sweatshirt? SO cute and cool.

I wear them to bed and everywhere else. It’s a wardrobe staple. I usually buy them in large, because I like them to be roomy and extra comfy.

But plain sweatshirts can be a little boring. Removing some of the colors is a simple technique you can do with bleach, to give it a brand new look.

This reverse tie-dye technique works on hoodies too

Have an old hoodie that you want to update? No problem. This easy bleach splatter technique works on hoodies too!

A plain black sweatshirt that is about to be reverse dyed using bleach.

How to bleach a sweatshirt

Supplies

  • Black Sweatshirt
  • Bleach
  • Empty Water Bottle with a hole poked in the lid
  • Scissors

Steps

If you’re worried about ruining the ground, you’ll certainly want to cover it with something like newspaper or a plastic tarp.

  1. Lay the black sweatshirt out flat on the ground, outside, with the sleeves fully extended.
  2. Fill the empty water bottle with some bleach.
  3. Shake the bottle over the sweatshirt wherever you want the bleach to be. 
  4. If you want to ensure that you don’t get bleach on certain parts of the sweatshirt, make sure to cover it with plastic bags or a trash bag. 
  5. Shake the bleach on the front side of the sweatshirt and then flip it over to do the backside. 
  6. Let the bleach sit to “develop” for about half an hour.
  7. If you don’t leave it on long enough, the bleached areas will look orange. Leave it on as long as possible to make it turn more white. (You will have areas that will be orange but I really like how that looks).
  8. Wash the sweatshirt in the washer.

The process is the same if you choose to do this DIY with a hoodie instead of a crewneck. And it also works on black T-shirts.

If I was better with Photoshop I would have added toenail polish to that one toe…

I forgot to take a photo of the old, empty water bottle that I use for the bleach. I took the label off and drew a skull and crossbones on it to make it my “bleach bottle”. I have had many conversations with my children about this bleach bottle.

I made a small hole in the cap and that’s how I dispense the bleach on to my projects. To be honest, the bottle looks really rough and you probably would have laughed if I had gotten a photo.

I’m sure there is a better way. But now I have my bleach bottle, so I can make a bleach sweatshirt whenever I want to.

Also if you end up getting some bleach on one of the parts you didn’t intend, do not try to brush it away with your fingers, like a moron. It only smears it and makes the spot bigger when in reality it would have been a cute little dot…

I had my son help me flip the sweatshirt over. The extra hands helped make sure that the bleached material didn’t touch the parts of the sweatshirts I didn’t want it to.

I poured some bleach on the backs of the sleeves and I left it to do its things. All in all, I think I left it for about 1/2 hour. I kept my eye on it and when I thought it had reached its max color removal, I threw it in the washer.

It’s up to you though. You can see from the photo above it is almost a reddish color which looks kind of cool.

There really is no way to mess this up. I mean, don’t get the bleach in your eye, keep out of reach of children, make SURE you mark your bleach bottle REALLY well.

Do you guys remember that scene from the movie Nadia? Not good. Never ever put bleach in a coffee cup.

Use bleach at your own risk. I NEVER use bleach on my laundry because I’m afraid of ruining everything. I only keep it on hand for crafts.

girl cutting out the neck of a sweatshirt with a pair of scissors.

So anywho…once you have washed the bleach out of the sweatshirt and dried it, I like to cut out the ringer in the neck.

I find them to be super uncomfortable and constricting. My neck wants to be free, man.

To cut out the neckline, I just follow around the seem of the ringer with sharp scissors (you can see how I did it to make this muscle shirt). Boom. You’re done.

girl wearing a black sweatshirt that has been bleached in places to create a custom top.

And just like that, you have this super awesome warm comfy sweatshirt, with cooler sleeves, to add some style to your winter wardrobe.

Printable instructions

Continue to Content
Yield: 1 sweatshirt

DIY Bleached Sweatshirt

reverse tie dye bleach splatter sweatshirt tutorial

This quick and easy DIY Bleach Sweatshirt project lets you update an old sweatshirt, or a plain new one, with a cool splatter look. Like reverse tie-dye, this process removes the color from the shirt to make a cool, cozy look to wear in cold weather.

Prep Time 3 minutes
Active Time 8 minutes
Additional Time 30 minutes
Total Time 41 minutes
Difficulty Easy
Estimated Cost 10

Materials

  • Black Sweatshirt
  • Bleach
  • Empty water bottle with a hole poked in the lid

Tools

  • Scissors

Instructions

  1. Lay the black sweatshirt out flat on the ground, outside, with the sleeves fully extended.
  2. Fill the empty water bottle, with a large-ish hold poked through the lid, with some bleach.
  3. Shake the bottle over the sweatshirt wherever you want the bleach to be.
  4. Shake the bleach on the front side of the sweatshirt and then flip it over to do the backside.
  5. Let the bleach sit to “develop” for about half an hour.
  6. Wash your DIY bleach sweatshirt in the washer and dryer, as normal.
  7. Optional, cut out the neck of the sweatshirt (use really sharp scissors and cut just outside the seem of the neck seam).

Notes

Be sure to protect the ground where your sweatshirt will lay as it bleaches.

If you want to ensure that you don't get bleach on certain parts of the sweatshirt, make sure to cover it with plastic bags or a trash bag.

If you don't leave it on long enough, the bleached areas will look orange. Leave it on as long as possible to make it turn more white.

Save this project to your favorite Pinterest board!

Don't have Pinterest? Leave a comment below about this project! You can also rate it by clicking the stars in the tutorial card above.

© Sharon Garofalow
Project Type: fashion / Category: Craft / DIY

Why isn’t my black sweatshirt bleaching?

Once in a while, the bleach doesn’t remove the color from the shirt you are trying to DIY. I am not an expert in fabrics or materials but here are a few things to help you troubleshoot so you can make your own bleach splatter sweatshirt.

  • Wash your shirt. If you are using a new shirt, you may need to wash it first! Often they put some treatment on them which won’t allow the bleach to get into the fibers.
  • Use straight bleach. Don’t dilute the bleach with water. While bleach is harsh on fabrics, diluting it may mean that it won’t be strong enough to do what it needs to do.
  • Your bleach may be old. Bleach, if in a container that has been opened for more than 6 months, may not be effective. I didn’t know that bleach could be old but turns out it can.
  • Check sweatshirt materials. I’m pretty sure that 100% cotton sweatshirts work best. Sometimes polyester or other synthetic fabrics won’t behave properly.
girl wearing a DIY bleached sweatshirt that is black with areas where the bleach has removed the color.

You know what’s even cooler than this DIY bleached sweatshirt? When your neighbors are doing construction and have a big graffiti’d up dumpster on your street that you can take photos in front of and seem all urban.

You know what’s not cool? When you’re outside taking your photo and then a construction worker comes out to use the outhouse a few feet away from you…Gross. Photoshoot over.

I love DIY fashion tutorials, almost as much as I love sweatshirts, and this bleach sweatshirt couldn’t be easier!

All photos by Dez and Tam.

Pin image to save this bleached sweatshirt DIY for later

woman wearing diy bleach sweatshirt with the words "how to bleach a sweatshirt" written over the top of the image.

This quick and easy reverse tie-dye project makes it simple to create your own DIY bleach sweatshirt to wear all year long.

Click to share!

  • Share
  • Tweet

About Sharon Garofalow

Sharon lives in Southern California with her adorable family. She loves to share ideas to make mom life easier and encourage busy gals to make time for themselves too! Sharon's "me" time often includes watching Hallmark Channel movies, sipping sauvignon blanc, trying not to eat Salt and Pepper potato chips, and planning girlfriend getaways.

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
More About Sharon
DIY Cake Topper Balloon
DIY Tray with Faux Marble

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Welcome!

Based in Southern California, I am the mom to two amazing boys and married to the raddest man in all the land. Cupcakes and Cutlery is your resource for simple solutions to help you be an awesome wife and mother and not lose yourself in the process. Email me at [email protected]! MORE ABOUT SHARON

Posts about wine, liquor and/or cocktail recipes are expressly for people 21 years of age and older. Drink responsibly.

Featured Posts

easy appetizers to make for a night at home

20 Appetizer Ideas for a Night of Netflix

Best Christmas and Holiday Ideas

Close up of a frosted cupcake with red, white and blue sprinkles.

Easy Patriotic Jello Poke Cupcakes for 4th of July

More Easy Recipes

Text to get my readers to sign up for my newsletter.

Privacy Policy
A person sitting at a table using a laptop

Affiliate Link Disclosure

Cupcakes and Cutlery is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Read my full disclosure policy.
  • Accessibility Statement
  • CCPA
  • Privacy Policy
  • Work with Me

Text encouraging readers to sign up for my newsletter.

[email protected]
xo Sharon

© 2008-2020 Cupcakes & Cutlery. All Rights Reserved.