Oxygen Bleach Explained: How to Use Sodium Percarbonate for Whiter Laundry

If you have seen "green bleach" or "oxygen bleach" mentioned in cleaning guides and wondered what it actually is, the answer is one ingredient: sodium percarbonate. It has become the quiet favourite of UK laundry enthusiasts because it whitens and lifts stains without chlorine. Here is what it is, how it works, and how to use it properly.

Quick answer: oxygen bleach is sodium percarbonate, a powder that breaks down in water into oxygen, water and soda ash. The released active oxygen breaks down stain molecules and brightens whites, with no chlorine involved.

What is oxygen bleach?

Oxygen bleach is the common name for sodium percarbonate, also sold as percarbonate of soda. When the powder meets water it releases a controlled burst of active oxygen, and that oxygen attacks the molecular bonds holding stains together, breaking them apart and lifting them free of fabric fibres. The leftovers are oxygen, water and soda ash. That clean breakdown is why it earned the nickname green bleach.

Oxygen bleach vs chlorine bleach: the practical differences

Both whiten; they behave differently. Chlorine bleach is a fast, aggressive oxidiser with the familiar sharp smell, and it leaves a chlorine residue. Oxygen bleach works by releasing active oxygen in the wash: it is gentler on most fabrics and surfaces, leaves no chlorine residue and no harsh chemical smell, and is safe for most whites and colour-fast items. The trade-off is speed: oxygen bleach likes time and warmth to do its best work, which is why soaking is such a large part of how it is used. Neither is "wrong"; they are different tools, and for routine laundry whitening and stain lifting, oxygen bleach is the easier one to live with.

How to use it in the machine: doses and temperatures

The figures below come straight from the product labels; always follow the garment care label too.

VAXEN Sodium Percarbonate (pure powder, 1500g or 3000g): add 1 to 2 tablespoons to the drum with your regular detergent. For tough stains, work it into a paste with warm water and apply before washing. For surface cleaning beyond the laundry, dissolve 2 tablespoons in 1 litre of warm water. Test on an inconspicuous area first. As a pure powder with no added activators, it performs best in washes of 40°C and above; in cooler water it works more slowly, so pre-dissolve it in warm water and allow longer soak times.

LOLE'S Stain Remover Powder (ready-to-use laundry booster, 2 x 750g): add to the drum alongside your regular detergent at a typical dose of 30g per load, which makes the 1,500g pack up to approximately 50 wash loads. It is effective from 30°C, so it works in most everyday wash programmes; warmer water increases the rate of oxygen release and improves results on heavily soiled loads.

Soaking: the method for dingy whites

Whites that have gone grey rarely need harsher chemistry; they need contact time. Dissolve the powder in warm water, submerge the garments fully, and leave them for 30 to 60 minutes before running a normal wash cycle. The soak gives the active oxygen time to work into set-in stains and all-over dinginess. It is particularly effective on grass stains, dried coffee and tannin-based marks, the stains that shrug off a normal wash. For everyday marks, skip the soak and just add the powder to the drum as a booster.

Colours: what the labels say

Oxygen bleach is broadly colour-friendlier than chlorine, with limits. VAXEN Sodium Percarbonate is safe for most whites and colour-fast items, and is not suitable for wool, silk, aluminium or leather. LOLE'S Stain Remover is suitable for cotton, linen, polyester, synthetics and wool on a cool wash, and its oxygen action also helps protect against colour run between garments. The universal rules: check the garment care label, test anything precious on an inconspicuous area first, and never mix percarbonate with acidic cleaners.

Ready-made stain remover or pure percarbonate: which to buy?

They share the same active chemistry, so choose by how you clean. LOLE'S Stain Remover Powder is the convenience option: a ready-to-use, pre-measured laundry booster in two resealable 750g bags, built for the drum-and-detergent routine. VAXEN Sodium Percarbonate is the pure ingredient: one concentrated coated powder you dose yourself, for laundry plus the rest of the house. VAXEN's coating matters for the bulk buyer: each granule carries a protective coating that locks out moisture, prevents clumping and keeps the oxygen release consistent from first scoop to last. Laundry-first households: LOLE'S. One-powder-for-everything households: VAXEN.

Household uses beyond laundry

The pure powder earns its shelf space outside the laundry room. Dissolved in warm water, VAXEN Sodium Percarbonate works as a dishwasher cleaner, a carpet stain remover, a bathroom grout and kitchen surface cleaner, and a pre-soak for stained textiles. It also cleans mould-stained hard surfaces: dissolve in warm water and apply to the affected area. And because the released oxygen lifts trapped odours from fibres during the wash, it is well suited to gym kit, towels and pet textiles where smells are embedded rather than surface-level. Store it cool and dry, away from direct sunlight, and keep it out of reach of children.

Both products live in our Laundry & Cleaning collection: VAXEN Sodium Percarbonate and LOLE'S Stain Remover Powder.

FAQ

What is oxygen bleach and how does it work?
Oxygen bleach is sodium percarbonate. In water it breaks down into oxygen, water and soda ash; the active oxygen breaks the molecular bonds holding stains together and brightens whites, without chlorine.

How do you soak whites in oxygen bleach?
Dissolve the powder in warm water, submerge the garments for 30 to 60 minutes, then run a normal wash. The soak works best on set-in stains such as grass, dried coffee and tannin marks.

Is oxygen bleach safe for colours?
Generally yes for colour-fast items: it is gentler than chlorine bleach. Check each product's fabric list (wool and silk are excluded for the pure powder; LOLE'S allows wool on a cool wash) and test on an inconspicuous area first.

Why do people call it green bleach?
Because it whitens with active oxygen instead of chlorine and breaks down into oxygen, water and soda ash, leaving no chlorine residue. Green bleach, oxygen bleach and percarbonate of soda all name the same ingredient.