A method for enhancing bleaching efficacy for treatment of articles, including for example laundry is disclosed. Methods for sanitizing and/or disinfecting and bleaching laundry and other articles is provided by washing the articles with a peroxyformic acid composition at a first pH for effective antimicrobial efficacy, thereafter applying an alkaline source to increase the pH for addition of a bleaching activator and/or catalyst for the bleaching agent at a second pH, and lastly draining the remaining components of the peroxyformic acid composition, and the bleaching agent and bleach activator/catalyst from the articles. The methods can be provided as part of a laundry cleaning operation and can be utilized in industrial and commercial applications.