r/bleachshirts

Hiya folks! I am trying my hand at bleaching some black shirts using a stencil and I am running into a few issues. The main one is that no matter how I order things and how careful I am with the stencil the bleach is still seeping out underneath it and ruining the design. For reference I am using acetate plastic film and store-brand spray-on adhesive.

My best guess is that I just need to slow down and use a sponge/brush that barely has any bleach on it, but I am also likely doing something wrong. I have looked at too many guides and a lot of them say conflicting things about how to apply the bleach and what order things should be done in. Some say that you should rinse your fabric first, but does that mean doing it wet? And other places I've been recommended to just do it dry. I have been consistently getting a color I like, and it is behaving well after I wash it, but the designs are all a mess.

Any troubleshooting tips? Thanks.

I’ve been bleach painting for a while now, but Ive recently run into issues with different brands/blends. A 60/40 cotton to polyester blend from athletic works from Walmart worked super well, but then I switched to a 50/50 by Hanes and it was super resistant to bleach even when it was used straight up, and it was not receptive at all to dilutions. So, I was wondering if anyone had good recommendations and links to what you all use! The one I liked has limited sizes, so I need a good alternative.