I live in New Zealand so I don't have as much access to products as the rest of the world. How do I get my whites, white? They accumulate grease stains, food stains, and sweat stains. I've tried bleach and soaking and the prehistoric cleaning method as well (the one with the wooden board) and still the stains stay there.
Just putting it through the wash gets it cleaner than all the other methods but not as white as I want. That's why I'm asking you guys for help. I am particular about getting it white because I am the supervisor in the kitchen so I have to set an example you know. So how can I get my whites as white as possible?
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).
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
Request: Getting Whites White (08/14/2009)
Put Cascade dish washing detergent in your white laundry to make the whites their whitest.
Request: Getting Whites White (08/14/2009)
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.
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Tip: Whiter Whites - Tips For Washing White Clothing
Archived on 01/11/2007
Tips for washing white clothing. Post your ideas.
Answers:
Borax and Dishwashing Detergent
To brighten your whites use borax and automatic dishwashing detergent along with half of your regular laundry soap. Not only will your whites be bright, but you won't have that awful bleach smell in your clothes.
By Kat (01/17/2005)
A little ammonia added to your wash water with your whites will help make them brighter. Be careful using this with delicates, though, and also don't use it on bright colors as they color may fade.
By Robin
CAUTION! Do not use if you are using bleach. (02/17/2005)
1 cup of lemon juice naturally bleaches the whites along with your detergent. When you use bleach, the material thins out.
On stubborn stains, use electric dishwasher soap instead of laundry soap. When my daughter was in Little League, and her white uniform pants were red from the dirt, the electric dishwashing soap did wonders.
(05/27/2005)
By Sheryl
Cold Water
Don't wash in hot water. It sets in stains. Cold is best. (06/02/2006)
Put Cascade dish washing detergent in your white laundry to make the whites their whitest.
By Tammy from Economy, IN
Editor's Note: Most dishwasher detergent contains bleach. Be sure to only try this on clothing that can be bleached. I would recommend using 1 Tbsp. per 1/2 gallon of water and soak the item before washing for best results.
Feedback:
RE: Whiter Whites - Tips For Washing White Clothing
My mom puts cascade in every load of laundry. She waits until the washer is filled completely full (because it does contain bleach) and then puts in a cup of the powder cascade. If you have hard water she will add a cup of salt to each load of laundry as well. (08/13/2007)
By Tammy
RE: Whiter Whites - Tips For Washing White Clothing
Don't overdo it with the Cascade. It is very hard on clothes and will shorten their life of use. (08/14/2007)
RE: Whiter Whites - Tips For Washing White Clothing
Cold water is only good to stop a stain from actually happening, because if you use hot water it will help bake the stain into the clothing so you can't get it out without bleaching. This is the same with drying, use hot water or cold water if there is already a stain in it. (11/11/2007)
By Somebody
RE: Whiter Whites - Tips For Washing White Clothing
I've heard that you can use vinegar to whiten your white clothes, is this true? Or does the lemon juice work better? (12/29/2007)
By Jennifer Haubrich
RE: Whiter Whites - Tips For Washing White Clothing
Iron Out works (also at places like Home Depot and some grocery stores). Be careful not to put any wash in that has ANY colored embroidery or color to it- fades the color and changes the color, black becomes brown, yellow becomes orange, etc. Ruined quite a many special. Scrub top with it. (03/15/2008)
By Tracy
RE: Whiter Whites - Tips For Washing White Clothing
Mix regular Dawn and rubbing alcohol in equal amounts. Pour into spray bottle. Spray on spots and stains before putting item in washer. Wash as usual. (04/11/2008)
By June
RE: Whiter Whites - Tips For Washing White Clothing
I find that if your washer has a second rinse cycle running it will also help get all the dinge out that the first rinse did not eliminate. I'm going to try the auto dish washing detergent idea though. I find that my whites are getting more and more grey. Thanks. (07/06/2008)
By Gil
RE: Whiter Whites - Tips For Washing White Clothing
For most stains, Avon bubble bath rubbed into the stain really works. (10/07/2008)
By Darlene
RE: Whiter Whites - Tips For Washing White Clothing
My grandma uses Clorox powder, bleach, and hot water soaked overnight. So I just send her my whites, lol. (10/09/2008)
By shells bells
RE: Whiter Whites - Tips For Washing White Clothing
My mother mixed 1 cup laundry detergent, 1/2 cup dish washing powder (generic worked best), and 1/2 cup bleach. Let sit in hot, hot water for 1/2 an hour and then finish wash cycle. She always rinsed 2 times. Worked great on 2nd hand baby items, and my brother's white football jersey. (10/13/2008)
By Tina
RE: Whiter Whites - Tips For Washing White Clothing
I haven't tried it yet, but ever watch the old British women - Clean House or How Clean is Your House? I saw them use Denture Tabs on white lace curtains that had already been soaking in bleach - after they soaked in the denture tabs & warm water for like a minute, you could see the difference, the water was almost black, and again, they soaked in bleach first. (11/13/2008)
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.
Thanks in advance for any helps or hints.
Patti from N Manchester, IN
Answers:
RE: Whiter Whites - Tips For Washing White Clothing
I always find that adding a handful of baking soda to my wash-load really helps to deep-clean the fabrics without wearing them out. (01/21/2007)
By Liz
RE: Whiter Whites - Tips For Washing White Clothing
I also use the "Iron Out" product and it is not cheap but have found that it is less expensive than buying new whites. My local Tractor Supply store has it cheaper because you can buy it in bulk also when washing make sure you do a full load so that you only have to use the amount directed once. I have a huge plastic container that I soak my white in and I can get 2 loads of whites and only use 1/2 cup of product this stretches my bottle and I have found that I don not have to replace it as often. Iron Out is well worth the money especially if you have hard water. (01/24/2007)
RE: Whiter Whites - Tips For Washing White Clothing
Concerning the Wash in cold water post... I have seen this post several times in response to other laundry issues. Logically it does not add up. If using hot water "cooks" a stain then what does putting it into a dryer do? Detergent Manufacturers advise hotel laundries to raise the water temps 10 - 15 degrees in order to boost the performance of the detergents. Yes, some fabrics require cold water but with proper pretreatment Hot is still the best for whites. (01/24/2007)
I like OxyClean, but it's expensive so I tried a product put out by Sun detergent that is also an oxygen cleaner. Seems to work pretty well. We have extremely hard water so I know how hard it is to get whites really white! (01/15/2007)
By Robin
Iron Out
I have lots of iron in my well water. If I use bleach, my whites turn orange. So I buy a product called Iron Out at Walmart. It is a powder sold in 2 sizes. The large size is much more economical and is 5 pounds in a plastic jug for about $10.00. It is great for whites, but has a warning about using on colors. I also use it to clean the iron sediment from the toilet tank and bowl, and prefer it to any of the toilet bowl cleaners I have tried. Other uses are also listed on the jug. (01/15/2007)
Use a powder specifically for bleaching nappies white, or find one that has 'oxygen' cleaning ingredients. You mix a small amount of powder in water, and soak the item, then was the normal way. They're awesome! (01/19/2007)
