A method of antimicrobial sanitizing and/or disinfecting treatment and bleaching of laundry, the method comprising: a. washing the laundry with a peroxyformic acid composition at a pH range from about 4 to about 7 in a laundry washing machine for antimicrobial efficacy on the laundry, wherein the peroxyformic acid composition comprises peroxyformic acid, formic acid and hydrogen peroxide; thereafter b. adding an alkalinity source to the washing machine to increase the pH range to at least above 9, preferably at least about 10.5, in the laundry washing machine; thereafter c. adding a bleach activator and/or catalyst composition to boost the bleaching efficacy of the peroxyformic acid composition on the laundry in the laundry washing machine; and optionally applying a detergent use solution to remove soil from the laundry at any point in the method of sanitizing and/or disinfecting and bleaching of the laundry; d. draining the peroxyformic acid composition, the detergent use solution and the bleach activator and/or catalyst composition from the laundry, wherein (i) the peroxyformic acid composition has a ratio of peroxyformic acid to hydrogen peroxide of 1:1 (w/w) to 1:3 (w/w). laundry, the method comprising: a. washing the laundry with a peroxyformic acid composition at a pH range from about 4 to about 7 in a laundry washing machine for antimicrobial efficacy on the laundry, wherein the peroxyformic acid composition comprises peroxyformic acid, formic acid and hydrogen peroxide; thereafter b. adding an alkalinity source to the washing machine to increase the pH range to at least above 9, preferably at least about 10.5, in the laundry washing machine; thereafter c. adding a bleach activator and/or catalyst composition to boost the bleaching efficacy of the peroxyformic acid composition on the laundry in the laundry washing machine; and optionally applying a detergent use solution to remove soil from the laundry at any point in the method of sanitizing and/or disinfecting and bleaching of the laundry; d. draining the peroxyformic acid composition, the detergent use solution and the bleach activator and/or catalyst composition from the laundry, a. washing the laundry with a peroxyformic acid composition at a pH range from about 4 to about 7 in a laundry washing machine for antimicrobial efficacy on the laundry, wherein the peroxyformic acid composition comprises peroxyformic acid, formic acid and hydrogen peroxide; thereafter b. adding an alkalinity source to the washing machine to increase the pH range to at least above 9, preferably at least about 10.5, in the laundry washing machine; thereafter c. adding a bleach activator and/or catalyst composition to boost the bleaching efficacy of the peroxyformic acid composition on the laundry in the laundry washing machine; and optionally applying a detergent use solution to remove soil from the laundry at any point in the method of sanitizing and/or disinfecting and bleaching of the laundry; d. draining the peroxyformic acid composition, the detergent use solution and the bleach activator and/or catalyst composition from the laundry, wherein (i) the peroxyformic acid composition has a ratio of peroxyformic acid to hydrogen peroxide of 1:1 (w/w) to 1:3 (w/w).