What is Oxygen Bleach and How To Use It?

Not all bleach is created equally

What first comes to mind if you were asked to think about bleach? Is it the caustic odour, stained splashes on clothing, or a dangerous product that’s great at cleaning and disinfecting? All these things are true, but what if we challenged you to think about bleach in a different way?

Imagine a powder bleach that’s unscented, safe for your clothing and skin, and even safe for babies and pets. We’re talking about oxygen bleach, not chlorine bleach, and it will change how you clean your clothes.

What is Oxygen Bleach?

Oxygenated bleach can kill bacteria and brighten and whiten clothes, just like chlorine bleach but without the toxic drawbacks of traditional bleach. No more worries about burning your skin, ruining your clothing, or damaging surfaces; it also doesn’t have that chemical smell of liquid bleach.

Oxygen bleach is a natural, plant derivative product called sodium percarbonate. It’s made from sodium carbonate, sometimes called soda ash, and good old hydrogen peroxide. Once this product is exposed to water, it releases oxygen, lifting out stains and dirt, resulting in a more effective and safer bleach.

How to use Oxygen Bleach & Stain Remover?

Now comes the important stuff – how to use Oxygen Bleach? Oxygen Bleach can be used for various things, such as whitening clothes, deodorizing smells or pet bedding, disinfecting items, and even removing tough stains from carpets or upholstery. This product needs to be mixed with water to be effective; luckily, you will have plenty of water in your washing machine while doing laundry, even with high-efficiency (HE) machines. Follow these steps to see the excellent results you can have with oxygen bleach.

• Check care labels. The most important step is checking the washing instructions on your garments. We don’t recommend this product (or bleach) for use on silk or wool. Read more on our guide to Laundry Symbols.
• Add one tbsp. Put one tablespoon (or use the wooden spoon) of AspenClean Oxygen Bleach powder directly into the washing machine before adding your clothing. Also, add the required amount of laundry detergent into the machine.
• Use more? With exceptionally soiled clothing, two tablespoons of powder will be more effective.
• Use warm or hot. Warm or hot water works better to activate the powder and get it to start releasing oxygen.
• You can also try using laundry detergent that contains oxygen bleach, like AspenClean laundry pods. If you wonder which detergent works better, laundry pods vs liquid detergent, our articles can help.

For stains, the process is a little different. The following technique works well for spot cleaning and stubborn stains.

• Mix ½ tbsp. Pour about 16 ounces of warm water into a container and mix in a half tablespoon of AspenClean Oxygen Bleach. Stir or mix the solution. Here’s something to note, the solution (the mixture of water and oxygen bleach) keeps making oxygen, so you don’t want to put it in an airtight container because it could explode if too much air builds up in the container.
• Apply to stain. Apply the solution directly to the stains.
• Give the stain remover about five minutes to do its job and lift that stain.
• Now it’s time to wash your clothing as usual.

Why Oxygen Bleach is better than Chlorine Bleach?

There are several reasons to select oxygen bleach over the traditional chlorine variety. Just one of the following reasons is good enough to prompt a change.

• Safer for your health. Chlorine bleach comes with some dangers, such as its ability to burn your skin. When it’s mixed with some other cleaning products, like ammonia, it can cause severe health risks. Even just inhaling chlorine gas can cause respiratory problems. You still want to be careful with oxygen bleach, but that serious level of concern and danger isn’t present.
• Safer for the environment. When oxygen bleach breaks down, it decomposes into oxygen, water, and natural soda ash. That makes it biodegradable and septic-safe. It contains no phosphorous or nitrogen.
• Doesn’t ruin clothing. Using chlorine bleach on clothing was typically a way to refresh whites. You can add oxygen bleach to your white and coloured laundry with equal confidence. No matter what product you use, not all dyes are stable, so a test patch is recommended.
• Mixes with other cleaning products. Mixing oxygen bleach with other cleaning products is safe and effective. There’s not the issue of a toxic cloud like there is with ammonia and bleach.

Safety tips when using Oxygen Bleach

There are a few safety tips to remember when using oxygen bleach.

• Avoid fine fabrics. Like traditional bleach, some fine fabrics should never be bleached or washed, such as silk or wool.
• Dry storage. This is a key tip - it activates when oxygen bleach powder meets water.
• Dry your hands. Only use oxygen bleach when your hands are totally dry.
• Close the container. It’s best to securely close the container of oxygen bleach when not in use.
• Store away from kids and animals. As with all cleaning products, keep this in a secure place where kids and animals can’t disturb it.

Why we love Oxygen Bleach