The easiest and safest method to make whites white again is to use a solution of oxygen-based bleach and warm water. It can be used safely on almost all types of fabric. You can also make whites white again by using the ultraviolet rays of the sun or using laundry bluing, baking soda, vinegar, or chlorine bleach.
You can use hydrogen peroxide to whiten and brighten clothes, disinfect laundry, and remove stains. Pour it directly on stains such as blood. Add one cup of hydrogen peroxide to whites in the washing machine to brighten them. Add one cup to a load of diapers to whiten, deodorize, and disinfect.
Bicarbonate of Soda
Add one cup of bicarbonate of soda to four litres of water and soak your yellowed white items overnight in this mixture. Once the garments are done soaking add them to your usual wash cycle in your washing machine, along with your favourite washing detergent.
Vinegar whitens, freshens, and softens fabrics. Add 1/2 to 1 cup of distilled white vinegar along with your regular laundry detergent. Don't worry about the vinegar scent- it will dissipate after drying. Vinegar may also be sprayed on spot stains and collar and underarm stains.
As an Alternative to Bleach
For whites and colors, baking soda does double duty. When added to the washer, it makes whites whiter and brightens colored items. It's a good substitute for people who prefer not to use bleach. Or, for loads of white clothing, give bleach a boost by adding a half-cup of baking soda.
A Pantry Staple: Vinegar
If you're wondering how to get clothes white without bleach, one of the best alternatives is distilled white vinegar. Vinegar works quickly to brighten whites, lift stains, disinfect and kill viruses and bacteria, and soften fabrics. To use, try adding ¼ cup to an already-running machine.
If your white clothes have lost their bright appearance, you can help to bring them back to life by adding a whitening agent, oxygen bleach or bleach-free products like baking soda or vinegar. Always consult each item's laundry care label to avoid damaging the garment.
Adding ½ cup of baking soda (also known as sodium bicarbonate) to your regular laundry powder is also a great way to revive your faded and dull white clothes. It helps to deodorise fabrics too, giving them a softer feel and it, of course, assists with the main purpose of whitening your clothes.
Baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, lemon juice, white vinegar, and borax are all natural and effective solutions that can help keep your clothes looking bright and clean.
The vinegar will help break up any detergent or minerals left behind by hard water, so your clothes will look brighter. The vinegar will also prevent this buildup in the first place, so it's a great way to keep your clothes color-fast while they're still new.
Brightening whites
Bleach can also be added directly to your washing machine. Depending on the severity of the stain, add between one-third or two-thirds of a cup to the machine's bleach dispenser. If you're using a top-loading machine, pour the diluted bleach directly into the load about five minutes into the cycle.
Mix one tablespoon of white vinegar with one teaspoon of castile soap in a bowl and place the stained shirt in the solution for 30 minutes. Sprinkle baking soda or oxygen bleach on the stain and agitate. Wash in cold water. Repeat if necessary.
Baking soda in the laundry can be a great addition for a natural fabric softener or controlling excess suds, while vinegar in laundry can be an amazing agent for getting those whites extra sparkling and banishing mildew odor. They help even the best laundry detergents to be more effective.
Bleach can also brighten and whiten fabrics and help remove stubborn stains. Sodium hypochlorite bleaches (also called chlorine or liquid household bleach) are the more powerful laundry bleaches; they disinfect, as well as clean and whiten.
Grab ¼ cup of white vinegar and equal parts of water. Then, mix the two substances into a bowl or spray bottle. Apply the mixture onto the yellow stains and let it sit for an hour. Wash the garment in cold water and dry it as usual.
Mix equal parts of baking soda, peroxide, and Dawn in a small container. Apply the mixture to the stain and use a toothbrush to rub the mixture into the fabric. Allow it to sit for thirty minutes to an hour depending on the severity of the stain and wash as normal. Rinse and wash as normal.
You should never clean with these two ingredients combined. Mixing chlorine bleach, which contains sodium hypochlorite, with any type of acid like vinegar creates chlorine gas, a dangerous chemical that's deadly in high volumes.
Unfortunately, certain fibers can shrink and weaken in hot (above 130 degrees Fahrenheit) water, but won't get a deep, thorough cleaning in anything considered too cold (between 60 to 80 degrees). The trick? "Wash white linens in lukewarm water, which generally falls between 90 to 110 degrees," Nelson explains.
The first step in learning how to wash white clothes is all about separating out these two types of garments. More resistant items include sheets, T-shirts, towels and tablecloths. When washing resistant items, add detergent and fabric softener to your washing machine before setting the temperature to at least 60°C.
How do you bleach your white clothes by soaking them? You can bleach your white clothes by soaking them in a bucket of cold water, adding bleach, leaving it for about 10 minutes, removing and rinsing the clothes in cold water, and spreading out to dry.
Stain Removal: As a stain remover, vinegar effectively treats low-pH stains like coffee, tea, fruit juice, wine, and beer. To use it, soak the stained item for at least 30 minutes up to overnight in a solution of white vinegar and 1 Tbsp. liquid laundry detergent before laundering.
Vinegar will lock in color so that your clothes don't fade quite as fast—but don't worry, it won't seal in that pungent vinegary smell along with. It will completely wash out by the end of the cycle, just leaving the crispest, most vibrant clothes without the lingering odor.