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Getting Your Whites Really White

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Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.

August 29, 2011

I'm sure someone has already given some hints to whiten whites, but I guess I've missed them. My whites are dingy even though I add bleach and use hot water. What can I do?

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By anne

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Bronze Post Medal for All Time! 146 Posts
August 30, 20111 found this helpful
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If you are using a dryer all the time for drying your clothes, you might try finding a way to use the sun to help whiten some of the cotton fabrics. I'm not sure that the sun will help too much when it comes to the polyesters and other man-made fibers, but I know for sure that the sun alone will help whiten cotton towels, "t" shirts, socks, bed and table linens, as well as dish or tea towels.

Boiling cotton on the stove will help too, but not everyone has the tubs or buckets to do that with today. You might also try using a little of the electric dishwashing powder, Cascade in some loads to see if it helps.

Water is so often the culprit when it comes to whitening clothes today. Water which contains a lot of iron is just always going to dull the whites and even the pastel colored clothing. You might try adding Oxyclean to those washer loads.

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Good luck. I've been there and done that, and it can be a troublesome problem. I understand. I grew up during the time of when a woman was judged partially by the quality of her laundry abilities, and the way the clothes looked hanging out on clotheslines.
Pookarina

 
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April 30, 2014

My t-shirts are all turning light brown from white. I use the same Arm and Hammer soap and the good Clorox. The only change is I moved and now I have well water and very hot water. Help.

By Tommy

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May 1, 20140 found this helpful
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If you have hard water and add bleach to it, the water in the washer will turn kind of brownish, and any white laundry will turn kind of a peachy-beige color. This happened when my oldest daughter was a baby we had moved into a town that had hard water, and I had added bleach to the water I had put her diapers into and when the load was done, she had colored diapers.

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Over time they did lighten, but they always had a light tint of color. I don't know if all bleaches work that way in all hard water, but that was my experience. This happened back in the mid-sixties.

 
November 1, 20140 found this helpful
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Sounds like you have rust in your water. Are you also noticing brown streaks in your showers and toilets? My parents had a major rust problem at one house they lived in. They switched water softener/filter services (they paid monthly for the softener & refills) and it turned out the old company wasn't changing the filter - it was disgusting and deteriorating!
If rust is your problem, I suggest getting a good water softener and filter system and check/replace the filter frequently to prevent further damage to your clothes and house.

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To get the existing rust stains out of your clothes, try vinegar or lemon juice. One instructable used lemon juice with salt, but that was for spot treating. Look up how to get rust out of clothes, and see if that works for you. Good luck!

 
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August 26, 2011

I soaked my white cotton shirt in cold water with detergent overnight then washed it, but observed subtle yellow tones in some places! This is a beautiful white shirt that cost a lot of money and I don't want to dye it or not wear it. How can I get back the perfect white color? I tried bleach, but it does not work, even though the instructions say no bleach. It also says to wash in cold so I am afraid to try hot water with bleach. Please help.

By Nelsia

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Silver Feedback Medal for All Time! 337 Feedbacks
August 29, 20110 found this helpful
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Bluing is an old remedy that works to remove yellow stains from whites, especially if they are caused by water and washing rather than by something spilled on the item. You can find Mrs. Stewart's Bluing in the laundry section of stores.

 
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December 8, 2014

I've got several white tank tops with colored stripes on them, some are brand new and thus still white, some have the white parts, and sometimes even the colored parts, looking grey and dingy. Is there any way to brighten the dingy ones up, and/or to keep the others from getting that way?

Some examples of my tanks' colors: 50% of each color, white with black, white with red, and white with green.

By EP

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December 9, 20141 found this helpful
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Try adding washing soda to your detergent. I use Arm and Hammer brand. It should be on the store aisle with the detergent. Don't use more than the directions call for. If you use it with liquid detergent, add the soda first, then let the water fill up before adding detergent. If you use powdered detergent add them before you run the water.

 
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January 15, 2013

Does anyone know how I can get my white nappies to become white again? They have been well used and now look gray, I'd love to see them gleaming bright white again! Many thanks to anyone who can help.

By kate duff from Rothesay, Argyllshire

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Silver Feedback Medal for All Time! 282 Feedbacks
January 21, 20130 found this helpful
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Hiya Kate! I'm in Angus:)

Believe it or not, it may be those nappies have gone grey owing to soap residue! Even the gentle soaps for Baby's laundering can leave residue. (Our machines just don't use enough water in the rinse cycle to really get the soap out.)

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Another part of the problem may be that there is a mixed fibre content in your nappies-you want 100% cotton for a truly good nappy but a lot of companies are pushing % cotton-% synthetic nappies on parents these days as being easier to clean (not true, though as any mum with a rashy baby will tell you). Check the label for content.

I really think your trouble is residue, though. Try running the nappies through twice or even three times without additional soap. Use the hottest setting possible on your machine.

Watch the clothes washing machine window during the 'wash' to see if you are getting any sudsing-if you see sudsing you'll need to repeat the washing until you no longer see sudsing in the window. After you get all the residue out of the nappies you should see a much whiter piece of fabric:) In the future, use only half or two-thirds amount of soap that you had been using.

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You can also add a cup of vinegar to the wash (in the fabric softener area of the tray), and for really stubborn grey, add a quarter cup of hydrogen peroxide (tell the chemist that you want the mouthwash strength).

Our UK clothes washing machines are wonders at saving energy and water but are not great for really getting clothing (and nappies) clean as the amount of water and the agitation vigour are low. I have to watch my husband as he uses far too much soap and then it takes up to four repeated cycles to get all the soap out!

I'm so glad to be back in Scotland, but I do miss the top load clothes washers-wowsa, did those machines clean the laundry!

 
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September 8, 2010

How do I get white clothes white again? They have a dingy, a rusty color to them. The tops are made of cotton, with some rayon in them.

By Jill from Durant, IA

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Silver Feedback Medal for All Time! 337 Feedbacks
September 14, 20100 found this helpful
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One thing you can try is bluing. It is on sale in the laundry section of your supermarket, likely. Also, whites should only be washed with whites, If you are washing them with coloreds, they will get dingy In that case, I would bleach them, T-shirts should come quite nicely whiter with about a cup of bleach in the wash water.

 
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April 10, 2016

Can somebody please help? I need to get my whites white again they are grey in some parts. I tried everything lemon, vinegar, Oxiclean, hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and bluing too, but still they are the same.

Can somebody please help?

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Gold Post Medal for All Time! 677 Posts
August 10, 20170 found this helpful
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Try drying in the sun.

 
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August 21, 2015

I have socks with blue and pink heels and toes. Is it okay to wash them with regular whites?


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August 22, 20150 found this helpful
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Usually, it's okay!

 
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March 20, 2015

I have a white towel with sewed on colored appliques. I can't use Clorox, and the towel looks grayish. How do I whiten?

By Sandy

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April 2, 20150 found this helpful
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Put in a container with warm water about a gallon and about 1/2 to a cup of hydrogen peroxide and let set for a while. Rinse.

 
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February 27, 2015

I put my white tops in with coloured clothes and then into the dryer. They came out discoloured and one top went slightly blue. How can I restore the colour without ruinning my tops?

By shannonm52

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February 28, 20150 found this helpful
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Rit "color remover" has worked for me in the past.

 
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August 28, 2014

Does anybody have any ideas as to why my underwear has turned grey especially my bras? I have already tried using a whitener product like a sachet in the back of the machine which is supposed to get rid of the grey and take laundry back to white, but to no avail. I really want to get my bras back to white again so any ideas would be great. Thanks.

By Joanne

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September 1, 20140 found this helpful
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I was told by a single dad once that using dishwasher detergent in your washing machine will make dingy white things look like new again. I tried it, results were okay, not like new though, but not grey anymore.

 
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March 26, 2014

Instead of the dishwashing powder, can I use the Cascade action pacs dish tabs? That's all I have. And they're white powder with blue (Dawn) and orange fluids in them.

By Christal

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March 31, 20140 found this helpful
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If it says on the package that it's made for the dishwasher, then you can use them. I personally love the convenience of the tabs, and they are not messy like the powders are. They are probably a bit more expensive to use per load than powders, but they're worth it to me.

Now, if you're talking about using the tabs for the washing machine, I don't know if tabs made for the dishwasher could be used in the laundry. Definitely not use laundry tabs in the dishwasher....you'll have suds all over!

 
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November 26, 2013

I live in Hyderabad India. i always wear white, khaki or linen shirts. Slowly they are turning into white grey which I don't like. Please, I need someone to help me by guiding with products available in Hyderabad, India.

By Sreekanth

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Silver Feedback Medal for All Time! 282 Feedbacks
November 28, 20130 found this helpful
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Can you get plain white distilled vinegar? Using it in the rinsing water works a treat to brighten whites.

There may be products in your shops - you'd be looking for the words 'laundry bluing'; Robin Blue and Reckitt's Crown Blue used to be widely available in India but you have to know to look for it! You can also get it from Amazon if you can order online. I get it from Amazon UK because it's really hard to find in our local Scottish shops.

Bluing works better than anything else to brighten whites, it's amazing! But if you can't find it in your town, try the white vinegar because it works almost as well as the bluing.

 
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July 16, 2007

My husband has a white microfiber shirt that he loves but it is turning gray and splotchy, particularly on the back. It has some white spots on it from using a bleach pen to remove stains. This just shows how gray the shirt has become. It says not to bleach it but I really want to get it white again! I wonder if our well water could be partly to blame. What should I do?



Miriam from Independence, OR

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By (Guest Post)
July 18, 20070 found this helpful
Best Answer

I use Oxyclean or Rit Whitewash to get my whites "white". You can find it at the grocery store.

 
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December 18, 2014

What can be used to get a greyed lace bra back to white again?

By Lorna P

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July 16, 20180 found this helpful

Oxyclean and follow directions on label. FBR, soak overnight. Be sure to mix with warm water to dissolve.

 
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October 19, 2014

My white sweater turned grey, but it has a black design on it. It says "Paris Darling" in black with the Eiffel Tower

By Serena m from Vancouver, BC

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January 25, 2014

I have some uniforms that went from bright white to dingy. I've tried borax, Rit, peroxide, Cascade, bleach, and baking soda... none of which have worked. Help!

By Cjones

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May 22, 2013

What can I use to get cold water whites (tops, bras, etc.) white again?

By J.L.

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