Tried bleaching pages on a 1980s mystery novel and got tie-dye instead

I grabbed a beat-up paperback from a thrift store for 50 cents and decided to try bleaching the pages white. Mixed a 50/50 solution of bleach and water, dipped the edges, and left it for about 2 minutes. The paper came out looking like a psychedelic rainbow mess with pink and green splotches all over. Turns out old paper has different dyes in it and they react weird. Has anyone else tried bleaching older books and ended up with something totally unexpected?

2 comments

2 Comments

stellam8920d ago

My buddy Jen tried this on a 1970s cookbook she found at a yard sale. She did the whole thing with a 50/50 mix and left it for about 5 minutes because she got distracted watching a show. The edges came out looking like a muted mustard yellow with these weird brown swirls that kind of resemble coffee stains. She said the pages themselves got all crinkly and warped too, not smooth at all. It was supposed to be a gift for her mom but now it just looks like a mess she keeps on her shelf as a reminder.

grant_ross2720d ago

Honestly, is it really that deep though? I mean it's a 1970s cookbook from a yard sale, not some family heirloom passed down for generations. So the edges came out a little weird and the pages got crinkly, big deal. She still has a functional cookbook with a mildly interesting story attached to it now. Sounds like she turned a random thrift store find into something with a little character, even if the character is "mustard yellow with coffee stain vibes." Tbh, seems like a win to me.