Getting Whites White

By

giterdone

Try the product white bright or white out for laundry. We have what is called red wells here in the south and if you add bleach to the wash it turns red and the clothes are dingy. I can't seem to find it now but until a week ago I bought it in the laundry aisle at the wally world (walmart).

By

Juanita S.

I have been in the restaurant business all of my life--inherited it from both parents. Mom was a bakeress & daddy was a Chef. I myself am a retired Chef. When working, I was very picky about my white coat & pants. My solution was to use just a dot or 2 of Dawn dish washing liquid on any spots I thought would stain-scrub them for just a minute with a fingernail brush. Then I would fill my washer about 1/4 of the way with straight hot water & add a 1/2 c. of automatic dishwasher soap to the tub--the cheaper the better because most cheaper brands have more phosphorous. I'd swish the water around, turn the temp. to warm, & put in my whites when the tub was about halfway full. Then I'd add about half the amount of detergent to the tub that I would normally use.

I rinsed my whites in cold & added a cup of baking soda. Baking soda seemed to freshen the fabric because--as you know, even washing sometimes doesn't remove the food or grease odors from your whites. I also took my Chef whites from the dryer before they were completely dry. Complete drying seemed to make them feel stiff & scratchy against my skin. Then, because I was such a fanatic about looking right, I ironed them whether they needed it or not. A light coating of spray starch somehow seemed to keep the whites from staining so badly.

By

rosefroggie

I wash my whites with bleach and electrosol (which is dishwasher soap). I've done this for years, I put about 1/4 cup for a large load.

By

baymeadows2

Try washing the items in dishwasher detergent. That's what the chefs here in the United States do.

By

siris

If you are using pure cotton fabric you can boil the tea towels etc. in lye. That is what was used in the old days. Be sure you have an open window or do it outside.

By

fatboyslimsmom

My grandma always swore by a good washing, then laying the clothes out on the grass over nite. She said the combination of dew and sunshine will make them white. I am not sure if it works, but it can't hurt! Best of luck to you!

By

Cyinda

Have you tried SUNSHINE? It will bleach clothing... For natural "organic" stains use hydrogen Peroxide.

ALSO: have your ever heard of Bluing?
In the olden days (back until the 1960's) I remember my grandmother using something called "bluing"....pronounced blue-ing. It turns whites REALLY white!
You can order it from the URL below.

HERE'S INFO:
http://www.mrsstewart.com/pages/purpose.htm

http://mommysavers.com/boards/simpl ... anyone-heard-bluing-your-whites.html

By

metroplex

This may not help much because it only refers to stains, but put fresh lemon juice on the stain after you wash the garment BUT before you dry it. Putting stained cloths in a dryer will set the stain. Put the wet garment with the lemon juice on the stain out in the sun and the stain should come out.

I've heard that stains from oils on the skin can be washed out using ordinary hair shampoo because shampoo is made to dissolve hair oil, body oil. I'd use a 'clear' type of shampoo not one with conditioners in it.

There are homemade recipes on this site for Fels Naptha Soap - I think that's how you spell it. But I don't know if you can buy it in your area. You can try to find it on line. But I'd search this site first if I were you. Good Luck!

Tips for washing white clothing.

What can I use in place of bleach for whitening whites?

Put Cascade dish washing detergent in your white laundry to make the whites their whitest.

How do I get whites whiter in the laundry? I normally use a rust out product from Wal-Mart but was wondering if anything like vinegar, baking soda or something else cheaper would work? We have hard water - live in the country.