Let’s talk about bleach pens. Aren’t they one of the handiest home cleaning helpers? I mean, want your grout spick and span? Whip out the bleach pen. Spot clean a white area on a shirt? Bleach pen. Add some designs to your plain jane t-shirts? Hellooooo bleach pen. And what’s even better than a bleach pen? A homemade bleach pen. (And also, how many times can I say the word bleach pen in one paragraph?) Bam.
The best part is, making your own is super simple and only requires 3 ingredients. Seriously, this is as easy as its gets.
Ingredients for Homemade Bleach Pen
1 cup cold water
5 tablespoons cornstarch
5 tablespoons regular bleach
Directions for Making Homemade Bleach Pen
Mix cold water and cornstarch together in a medium sized saucepan. It’s important that the water is cold so that the cornstarch doesn’t cause any lumps in the gel. Over medium high heat, stir the mixture continuously until it is very thick and pasty. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
You can see what the gel should look like at this point below.
Add the bleach to the gel and blend well. Carefully pour the gel mixture into container of choice. I have a bunch of these clear condiment bottles from Walmart that work great. An empty glue bottle would be even better if you need the nozzle to be a tad smaller.
When working with bleach, it’s always a good idea to wear gloves to protect hands, and clothing that you’re not too worried about in case of any splashing.
Use in the same way you would use a regular gel bleach pen. I made my version with regular strength bleach, so make sure to compensate if you are using an extra strength formula.
Below, you can see how I used it to take out a stubborn stain in my favorite white pants. Seriously, before this I had tried adding bleach to the wash cycle, but it still didn’t take the stain out. Whipped out this gel pen, and whalah! All things white again.
I also wanted to show you the consistency of the gel and the bleach power this homemade bleach pen has.
Pretty amazing, right?
Water: Free
Cornstarch: $0.14
Bleach: $0.11Total Price for Homemade Bleach Pen: $0.25
The store bought version costs about $3 or more, so our version is 92% cheaper!! Isn’t that the best? It also took little to no time to make. This homemade hack is totally worth it!
Instructions
Mix cold water and cornstarch together in a medium sized saucepan. It’s important that the water is cold so that the cornstarch doesn’t cause any lumps in the gel. Over medium high heat, stir the mixture continuously until it is very thick and pasty. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Add the bleach to the gel and blend well. Carefully pour the gel mixture into container of choice. I have a bunch of these clear condiment bottles from Walmart that work great. An empty glue bottle would be even better if you need the nozzle to be a tad smaller.Notes
When working with bleach, it’s always a good idea to wear gloves to protect hands, and clothing that you're not too worried about in case of any splashing. Use in the same way you would use a regular gel bleach pen. I made my version with regular strength bleach, so make sure to compensate if you are using an extra strength formula.
If you love this post, be sure to check out some of my other homemade laundry recipes below:
Homemade Liquid Fabric Softener Recipe
Homemade Fabric Softener Crystals Recipe
Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipe
DIY Recipe for Liquid Laundry Detergent
What are your favorite ways to use bleach pens? Have you tried a homemade version? I’d love to hear about it!
Comments & Reviews
Connie S Volkman says
As as an art educator, this is a worthy tool for working with natural fiber and textiles.
Leonie says
So funny and useful thanks for the smilies and the tips!
Ellen says
I cooked the cornstarch and water mixture as directed until it was very thick and pasty. As it cooled it got hard and impossible to stir the bleach into it. I added water to loosen it up a bit before adding the bleach. It was still too thick to pour into a bottle. I added more water and tested the mixture, the solution did not work for me.
Alan says
hi Karrie, Alan from Hong Kong.
This Bleach Pen is really amazing, absolutely a great idea!
BTY, have you test how long could the pen last for?
Say 1 month or half year?
thanks you!
Karrie says
I’d say it would last a few months at least.
Alan says
Have you ever try putting essential oil or anything to let it have a better smell?
Kaitlyn says
This might be a dumb question, but it can be left in the cleaning pantry, right? Obviously nothing will grow in it?