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This Is the One Laundry Product You Should Never Buy

Jill Nystul  ·  October 6, 2026
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All of the convenience of a bleach pen at a fraction of the cost? Sounds like a win-win situation to me!

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bleach pen

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

bleach pen

You’ll need:

bleach pen

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.

bleach pen

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!

bleach pen

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

bleach 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.

bleach pen

Just cover the stained area with bleach gel, let it sit for a couple of hours, then wash as usual to remove the stains.

bleach pen

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.

bleach pen

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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Jill Nystul Photo

Jill Nystul (aka Jillee)

Jill Nystul is an accomplished writer and author who founded the blog One Good Thing by Jillee in 2011. With over 30 years of experience in homemaking, she has become a trusted resource for contemporary homemakers by offering practical solutions to everyday household challenges.I share creative homemaking and lifestyle solutions that make your life easier and more enjoyable!

About Jillee

Jill Nystul

Jill’s 30 years of homemaking experience, make her the trusted source for practical household solutions.

About Jillee

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Leave a Comment

58 Comments

  1. Jillee, love this idea. Thank you! Like so many others, I read your posts daily. You put so much effort and creativity into your blog it is a delight to read and I’m always coming away with something new to try. :0) THANK YOU! I wish as readers there were some way we could bless you as much as you bless us. Please know that you are appreciated.

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  2. This is about the hundredth post that I will actually do. Don’t ever stop. I would be lost without you!

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  3. I’m wondering the same thing. Won’t use bleach, but would love to make such a gel with something else. Ideas?

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  4. I just want to say that your blog is a lifeline for me most days!!! I am a missionary living and working at an orphanage in Honduras, Central America. It is a rare occasion that I can find products that are everywhere in the states…like the BLEACH PEN! I miss the one I had in the States and had just decided that my white stuff was going to be stainy (is that a word?) because I didn’t have something to treat spot stains. This is about the millionth DIY product I’ve made from your blog.

    DON’T EVER STOP BLOGGING!

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  5. Bleach Gel should work great for grout lines on tile. It would probably work very well in the shower because it shouldn’t run. Thanks for the great idea.

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  7. CaN’T WAIT TO GIVE THIS ONE A TRY!!! I’ve been wanting to do a reverse dying teeshirt project using bleach gel and this will be a great savings ♥

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  8. Great idea,thanks for sharing.I have been wondering if you ever sleep as to all the lovely ideas you share with us.
    Jocelan

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  9. Thanks Jillee! I currently have a bleach pen but when it runs out I will be making my own. I’ll look for one of those bottles the next time I go to the Dollar Tree. A suggestion for your next project: Figure out how to make the Scrubbing Bubbles toilet gel disks. I really like using those but I don’t like buying them. I know they contain some type of polymer. They would also need to be safe for septic tanks.

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  10. I have returned to making some of my products since I found your site. I am allergic to a lot of the store bought stuff with all the chemicals. Now, if you could only find a cheaper and better, low dust, odor control DIY cat litter!

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  11. This is a great idea because you can have whatever ‘strength’ bleach pen you need. Another idea for a bleach pen is to use gel dishwasher detergent in your pen. I do love my Tide to Go pen because I am messy when I eat when I am away from home too.

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  13. Jill, this is great! Been wanting to use a bleach pen to play on fabric and just didn’t want to spend the money. Can’t wait to try. Thanks.

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  14. You are really so helpful. You have so many amazing ideas!!! We live outside of the US so there are sooooo many thing I can’t buy. This was something I left in the US and I was so bummed. Your timing is perfect.
    I really want to make my own laundry soap and I can bake the baking soda, and I brought in some Ivory soap – but I can’t get Borax here! Any suggestions? It’s gonna be a whole new recipe :)

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  15. I have gotten so much truly useful info! ! I can’t thank you enough for all your time and effort . I admire your creative abilities! Thank you so much.

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  16. Thank you Jill! Now to figure out how to make something like the Tide Pen! Great for travel! I do love to make my own products, AND to save money!

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  17. THANK YOU!!!!!!! ive been trying to figure out how to make my own for ages. YOU ROCK!!!!!

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  18. this is fantastic!!!!!! Totally doing this soon!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  19. Just thought I’d pop in an mention that you can get colored squeeze bottles (usually in red or yellow – think ketchup and mustard) seasonally in the grocery stores and wal-mart. It probably won’t be long before they start popping up. Just be sure to label them clearly so the kids don’t think you put the ketchup in the laundry closet. LOL. Or, you could decoupage (sp?) some pretty paper to a clear bottle if you like to do crafty stuff. Just a thought. :)

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  22. How cool! Thanks! Like always you are amazing! :)

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  23. Thank you.
    You ALWAYS give us such great and useful information.
    I know your spend so much time on testing these and I really appreciate all you do!!!!!

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