# Sodium Percarbonate in Laundry: What It Can Treat, Fabric by Fabric > Sodium percarbonate in laundry: which garments and jobs the bleach triangle allows, what product directions say on dose and time, and safe storage. **Published :** 2026-09-29 --- **Summary:** The care label's **bleach triangle** decides first whether a garment can take sodium percarbonate: a crossed-out triangle means no bleaching at all. Two sellers of the powder say not to use it on **wool or silk**. After that, the dose and soak time are the ones on your product's pack, and a mixed solution should **never be sealed**. The first table routes each job by garment; the second compares what three products' directions say. Sodium percarbonate is an addition compound of hydrogen peroxide and [sodium carbonate](/blog/washing-soda-in-laundry/index.md); by weight, the pure substance contains 32.5% hydrogen peroxide and 67.5% sodium carbonate. It dissolves rapidly in water and dissociates into sodium ions, carbonate ions and hydrogen peroxide, and a 1% solution has a pH of about 10.5 at 20 °C ([OECD](https://hpvchemicals.oecd.org/UI/handler.axd?id=5681c280-6686-4260-b629-2f23a6db2319)). For baking soda, see [baking soda in laundry](/blog/baking-soda-in-laundry/index.md). ## What each garment allows, task by task Find your garment in the first column, then read across to the job you want to do. The label gate comes first; the product's own fabric limits and directions still apply after it. If the triangle on your label is crossed out, then stop at the third row: bleaching is not allowed ([GINETEX](https://www.ginetex.net/gb/labelling/care-symbols.asp)). The odour column rests on the makers' own descriptions. Vanish describes the sodium percarbonate in its Oxi Action Crystal White powder as releasing active oxygen to lift out stains and odours ([Vanish](https://www.vanish.co.uk/products/fabric-whiteners/oxi-action-crystal-white-stain-remover-powder/)). A percarbonate supplier's use sheet says that in the laundry sodium percarbonate is used to destain, deodorize and whiten ([The Chemistry Store](https://www.chemistrystore.com/sodium_percarbonate2.pdf)). The last row comes from the same sheet: the supplier says sodium percarbonate will not remove rust stains or mineral deposits from hard water ([The Chemistry Store](https://www.chemistrystore.com/sodium_percarbonate2.pdf)). For which fibres take chlorine and which take oxygen bleach, the fibre-by-fibre chart is in [what fabrics can you bleach](/blog/what-fabrics-can-you-bleach/index.md). ## It may already be in your detergent Sodium percarbonate is mainly used as a bleaching chemical in laundry detergents (tablets, compact or regular powders), laundry additives and machine dishwashing products, and the pure product is sold to consumers as a laundry additive ([OECD](https://hpvchemicals.oecd.org/UI/handler.axd?id=5681c280-6686-4260-b629-2f23a6db2319)). GINETEX notes that oxygen bleach is contained in universal detergents ([GINETEX](https://www.ginetex.net/gb/labelling/care-symbols.asp)). ## What three products' directions say Each row below is one product's own directions, with the use it names. Doses and times are not transferred between rows. The first row is for pure sodium percarbonate; the second is for OxiClean Versatile Stain Remover. The full whitening routine for yellowed whites is in [how to whiten yellowed whites](/blog/whiten-yellowed-whites/index.md). ### Item-specific soaks on the supplier sheet The same supplier sheet gives directions for particular items. To whiten and deodorize diapers, it adds 4 to 6 oz (about 113 to 170 g) of sodium percarbonate to the soak cycle, soaks in hot water for at least 30 minutes, or overnight, then completes the wash cycle. For curtains and sheers that are yellow, dingy or smoke-stained, it soaks them for 30 to 60 minutes in a solution of 2 to 8 oz per US gallon of hot water (about 15 to 60 g per litre), then rinses them thoroughly with fresh water and lets them dry ([The Chemistry Store](https://www.chemistrystore.com/sodium_percarbonate2.pdf)). Both still go through the triangle check in step 1 below. ## What the sources say about water temperature OxiClean says its Versatile Stain Remover works in any temperature water, but best in warm to hot water, and not in boiling water ([OxiClean](https://www.oxiclean.com/en/products/stain-fighters/oxiclean-versatile-stain-remover)). The supplier says percarbonate solutions are most effective when mixed and used in warm to hot solutions (100 to 150 °F, about 38 to 66 °C) ([The Chemistry Store](https://www.chemistrystore.com/sodium_percarbonate2.pdf)). Choosing the wash setting itself is covered in [the laundry temperature guide](/blog/laundry-temperature-guide/index.md). ## How to use it, step by step ### 1. Read the bleach triangle **bleach-any** **bleach-oxygen** **bleach-no** On the care label, an empty triangle allows chlorine and oxygen bleach, a triangle with two oblique lines allows oxygen bleach but not chlorine bleach, and a triangle with a diagonal cross means bleaching is not allowed. The number in the wash tub is the maximum washing temperature in degrees Celsius, which must not be exceeded, whatever the pack says ([GINETEX](https://www.ginetex.net/gb/labelling/care-symbols.asp)). The decoder reads the whole care label, including the wash-tub number that caps how hot a soak can be. ### 2. Keep it off wool and silk Vanish says its Oxi Action Crystal White powder should not be used on delicate items like silk or wool ([Vanish](https://www.vanish.co.uk/products/fabric-whiteners/oxi-action-crystal-white-stain-remover-powder/)). The percarbonate supplier also says sodium percarbonate is not suitable for use with silk or wool ([The Chemistry Store](https://www.chemistrystore.com/sodium_percarbonate2.pdf)). ### 3. Test coloured items on a hidden area OxiClean says to test for colourfastness in an inconspicuous area before use ([OxiClean](https://www.oxiclean.com/en/products/stain-fighters/oxiclean-versatile-stain-remover)). For a garment that has already picked up another item's dye, see [colour bleeding in laundry](/blog/stop-color-bleeding-in-laundry/index.md). ### 4. Dissolve the powder before the fabric goes in OxiClean says to add the powder to the water before the fabric, and not to mix it with chlorine bleach, or with household chemicals other than regular laundry detergent in the wash ([OxiClean](https://www.oxiclean.com/en/products/stain-fighters/oxiclean-versatile-stain-remover)). ### 5. Soak for the time on the pack, then wash Use the soak time your product gives in the table above (OxiClean's is 1 to 6 hours), then wash as normal ([OxiClean](https://www.oxiclean.com/en/products/stain-fighters/oxiclean-versatile-stain-remover)). ### 6. Never seal a mixed solution OxiClean says to keep a mixed solution in an open or loosely closed container: it keeps giving off oxygen, and in a sealed container pressure can build until the container ruptures and causes injury ([OxiClean](https://www.oxiclean.com/en/products/stain-fighters/oxiclean-versatile-stain-remover)). ## Storing and handling the powder In the hazard classifications companies have notified to the EU chemicals agency, as aggregated by PubChem, sodium percarbonate is most often labelled "harmful if swallowed" (97.4% of 1,138 company reports) and "causes serious eye damage" (94.6%), and in 46.1% of the reports "may intensify fire; oxidizer" ([PubChem](https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Sodium-percarbonate)). In animal tests, solid sodium percarbonate was slightly irritating to the skin and highly irritating to the rabbit eye when not rinsed ([OECD](https://hpvchemicals.oecd.org/UI/handler.axd?id=5681c280-6686-4260-b629-2f23a6db2319)). The OxiClean Versatile safety data sheet classifies that product as causing serious eye damage and advises protective gloves, protective clothing and eye protection ([Church & Dwight](https://images.thdstatic.com/catalog/pdfImages/37/3758d812-e7b3-4e63-b4eb-47b6b68d5e83.pdf)). **Recommended product** > Solvay's first aid for eye contact: flush with running water for 15 minutes, > keeping the eyelids wide open, and consult an ophthalmologist in all cases > ([Solvay](https://www.solvay.com/sites/g/files/srpend616/files/2019-10/PCS%20Sodium%20Percarbonate%20Safety%20and%20Handling%20Information.pdf)). Solvay, which makes sodium percarbonate, gives this storage advice for its packaged product. It says sodium percarbonate naturally decomposes very slowly into sodium carbonate, water, oxygen and heat, and that when handled properly it can be stored for several months without a significant loss of available oxygen. It lists water, transition metals, organic materials, acids, bases, reducing agents and dirt as contaminants that can start or speed up decomposition, and says to store the powder away from any heat source. It is non-flammable, but when it decomposes it can support combustion by releasing oxygen and heat, so it should be kept away from combustible materials such as paper, rags and wood. Keep it in a dry, clean place, protected from heat, direct sunlight and moisture ([Solvay](https://www.solvay.com/sites/g/files/srpend616/files/2019-10/PCS%20Sodium%20Percarbonate%20Safety%20and%20Handling%20Information.pdf)). ## Related reading - [What fabrics can you bleach?](/blog/what-fabrics-can-you-bleach/index.md): the fibre-by-fibre chlorine and oxygen chart. - [How to whiten yellowed whites](/blog/whiten-yellowed-whites/index.md): the whitening routine for dingy whites. - [Colour bleeding in laundry](/blog/stop-color-bleeding-in-laundry/index.md): rescuing a load after dye transfer. - [Laundry temperature guide](/blog/laundry-temperature-guide/index.md): choosing the wash temperature.