While those bleach gel pens they sell in the laundry aisle at the store do have a certain appeal in term of convenience, I’ve never been able to justify buying one. I just couldn’t justify the cost, especially for something I would only use occasionally!
So you can imagine how excited I was when I discovered that not only is it possible to make your own bleach gel pen at home, but that it costs literally pennies to make! That’s all the justification I needed, and it was so much easier than I could have imagined too!
Today I’ll be showing you how it’s done so that you can make your own bleach gel pen at home. I’ll also share a few practical and fun ways to put your homemade bleach pen to good use! :-)
How to Make a DIY Bleach Gel Pen
You’ll need:
- 1 cup water
- 2-4 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/3 cup liquid bleach
- Small saucepan
- Whisk
- Glass measuring cup
- Squeeze bottle
Directions:
Add the water and about 3 tablespoons of cornstarch to the saucepan. (Feel free to use slightly more if you want a thicker gel, or slightly less if you want it to be on the thin/watery side.) Whisk the mixture until the cornstarch has dissolved completely.
Place the saucepan over medium heat, whisking continuously, until the mixture comes to a boil. Make sure to keep whisking as it heats, or the mixture will quickly turn into a gloopy mess!
Remove the pan from heat and pour the thickened gel mixture into a heat-safe glass measuring cup to cool completely. Once cooled, add the bleach, stir well, then pour the finished bleach gel into a squeeze bottle.
3 Ways to Use Your Bleach Gel Pen
1. Remove Stains from White Clothes
This bleach gel pen will help you make short work of all manner of unsightly food splatters and drink spills on white clothing.
Just cover the stained area with bleach gel, let it sit for a couple of hours, then wash as usual to remove the stains.
2. Restore Stained Grout
While bleach isn’t my first choice as a grout cleaner, it can really come in handy for tackling stubborn grout stains and areas of discoloration. Learn more about how to clean grout here.
3. Create Custom Designs
And finally, you can use your bleach gel pen to create custom designs on colored fabrics. The applications for this are virtually limitless, as you can customize everything from clothing to throw pillow covers and beyond!
Just draw your chosen design onto the fabric you want to customize, then let the bleach gel sit and dry for a few hours. After waiting, machine wash the item in cold water, and you’re done!
Have you ever used a bleach gel pen at home?
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For me, the one laundry product you should never buy are those scent beads. They’re expensive and unnecessary. If you want your laundry to smell nice, use a nice-smelling detergent and/or fabric softener and dry your laundry outside when the weather’s nice.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Just wanted to say that I’ve used Shout It Out for many years and the stains are gone. Whites or darks, I’ve found it to be a very good product. Saves me time mixing ingredients. I’m one of those, you could say. If it’s something that doesn’t want to come out with Shout It Out, I can either pour regular bleach on the spot by putting my hand under the material and tipping the bottle over so it just bleaches the size of the bottle opening or use a Q-tip dipped in bleach and drained and apply to the white stained area. (I use this method if a pattern is involved so it won’t bleed into the colored part of the design.)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thank you Jillee will definitely be trying this. Wendy x
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Ok, I can’t find your print button. I even tried a different browser.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.HIghlight the text you want to print on any webpage with your mouse. Once highlighted, right click your mouse button and choose “print”. You can also click on the Pinterest button on one of the above photos to save to your Pinterest account.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi! Once you highlight what you want to print, right click your mouse and you’ll see the PRINT option. Happy Printing!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve purchased a Bleach pen before. I liked it. It’s been years ago. I agree the Tide pens are great for on the go. My mom has used all sorts of treatments on the bathroom caulk. Well see if she wants to try this.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yes I have purchased the pen and remember so well how it came in handy. My daughter’s in-laws to be were having lunch with us in our city. Her fiance’s mother accidentally spilled red pasta sauce on her white slacks, and she was very dismayed. I whipped out the Tide pen, which she’d never seen before, and in minutes it was completely gone! I got her one as a little parting gift. I still keep it in my purse, because those are the times I could really want one. I do see how your home made pen would be very handy around the house, too. Thanks for the recipe!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Will this Clorox pen cause a colored shirt damage because of the bleach or do you only use this on white cloth?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yes, this will bleach colored items! I use it on whites, and for cleaning items that I usually clean with bleach :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This is a great DIY for something that does end up being super expensive. One note, I’ve read that keeping bleach in a bottle that it didn’t come in can be dangerous because it ends up breaking down the plastic eventually causing expansion and possible leaks, etc. Just something to think about. Personally, now that I know how to make this stuff so cheaply I probably won’t keep any extra, just will make a new batch when I need it. :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hello Kate, 12 years later, you are still very much correct. Some plastics are worse for bleach than others, but the only truly safe plastic for storing bleach formulas, that’s readily available to consumers, is HDPE (high-density polyethylene). In the US, this will have the recycling triangle with the numeral 2 and may have “HDPE” stamped inside the triangle as well.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Wonderful idea for own gel pen,going to try it straight away.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks!
Judy
My dear Jillee: I’m new here, and I really love your ideas (I haven’t read much yet)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Here in Australia don’t sell the bleach pen, now thank to you, I will be able to do my own bleach pen to used for the bathroom and cloths for now, on the way I will find more used ideas
I will subscribe here now too, I son’t want to lost you lol
Try keeping it in an empty elmers glue bottle.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.that really is a terrific tip – I don;t buy bleach pens, but they do come in handy
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Bet you could use it in the commode “upside down” bottles to clean that area also.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.It works!!! I have two little boys and husband who create tons of laundry and this is one of the best ideas ever!!! I just made a batch and filled three bottles from craft glue. And tested it on a tshirt with a tomato stain and just one minute or so later it was GONE!!! I am not worried about the bleach loosing potency. I keep two bottles in a box and the one I use is not going to last two long with all the craft projects and messy food. Thank you so much!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.It it regular bleach your using or the ultimate bleach to make the gel pen?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Love this idea! I use your homemade shout and was wondering if there was a way to make it in ‘gel’ form? I might play around with this a little. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.FANTABULIOUS!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I just popped the top off my purchased bleach stick and refilled it! I made a denim bean bag cover for a little boy’s birthday party and had everyone sign it with the bleach pen! (emptied 3 pens). This will save $$$$$
Thanks so much,
Kathy
Thank you so much for this! It works great on my husband’s chef coats and saves us so much money!! :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sorry I’m late in reading this, but I got spots of oily salad dressing on a knit top last week. I found Carbona stain remover for oil and grease. It took several applications, but it looks like new. Also I’ve heard that original blue Dawn dishwashing liquid works on grease. I was afraid to use it on my top because it was a dark color and I didn’t want faded spots down the front.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I didn’t notice if anyone else did the math on this but I couldn’t resist. Based on a 2oz bleach pen selling for $6.56 on amazon and the cost of the ingredients in my own home I figured that buying the bleach pen works out to $3.28 an oz and making it cost me 5 cents an oz. Off to clean the grout!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hey Jillee…Would this work with your bleach alternative that uses lemon juice instead of bleach?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love all your ideas. I have been saving all your homemade cleaner ideas for our move. We just moved back from overseas, so needless to say, my cleaners all stayed behind. I made up my mind instead of replacing them all with expensive store brands, I was going to find the containers and start making my own…what better time to start! The apartment we are living in desperately needs grout cleaner, so this will be a great addition to the rest. Thanks!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I made the bleach gel this weekend and added a little squirt of Dawn to it too. Then I went crazy cleaning my kitchen and bathrooms! Great stuff! Thanks for yet another “good thing!”
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love your blog, Jillee, and read it daily. I’ve also told many friends about you. We all need all the help we can get for cleaning, cooking, etc.!!Thanks so much for sharing your talents!
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