How to Bleach White Clothes?

White is always a winning option at all times. This timeless color looks rich not only in stylish outfits but also in home interiors. But when choosing this color shade, the majority completely forget that it needs careful care. Over time, the fabric can yellow or ginger or get an unpleasant dirty gray shade. The cause of such changes is not only careless wearing but also mistakes in care. Fortunately, they can be corrected quite easily.

Stains on clothes, fading fabric, white things that have turned gray... the problems are not new. People have been fighting these problems for centuries. Often they just need a good quality laundering. And each new generation finds a new remedy that better copes with them. Let's consider the most effective proven ways to whiten white clothes at home.

Now let's consider why white things, in general, acquire an undesirable shade over time, and whether it is possible to preserve their whiteness.

Improper care.
To save time, many of us send things of different colors to the washing machine. White, beige, and milky seem to be the same palette, but this is not so at all. Even a small pigment can spoil a white thing in no time.

The use of unsuitable detergents.
Today on the market there is a huge variety of different means for washing, ranging from gels and powders, ending with capsules and plates for washing. Remember that you should choose based on the needs of the fabric. The case when one product is suitable for different colors and fabrics is extremely rare.

Long lying in the closet.
When white things are on the shelf for a long time in a folded form, yellow stains inevitably appear on them. Try to get in the habit of storing them in unfolded form in special covers.

Washing different fabrics.
Similar density materials should never be washed together. Flax, cotton, calico, cambric, silk, velvet, and all other fabrics must necessarily be separated before sending them to the drum.

Frequent bleaching.
Aggressive methods of bleaching over time thin the fibers of the fabric and lead to the exact opposite effect. This is especially true if you use bleach too often. This can cause the fabric to fade quickly.

Poor water quality.
Sometimes the water that goes into your washing machine is poorly filtered and contains rust particles, lots of salts, or iron. If you are aware of the problem of tap water, it is better to buy a filter. Don't wash things immediately after turning on the water if it has been turned off. Let it flow and become completely clear, with no residual contaminants from the pipes. If the water is hard, use softening agents - the minerals in hard water deposit on white things and make them dull.

First of all, you should understand that washing and bleaching are different procedures. The purpose of the former is to remove dirt from the fabric, the latter is to restore the lost whiteness. They are carried out in different ways and most often alternately: the thing is first washed and only then bleached. There are other ways. Produce chemical preparations, the use of which allows you to combine machine washing with bleaching. In general, there are many bleaching agents that return the clothes lost color. We have collected a selection of the most effective.

*️⃣Lemon juice
The acid found in lemons is a great remedy that will do the job of whitening in no time. It works most effectively with cotton, linen, and polyester fibers. To do this, just squeeze the juice of five lemons, mix it with five liters of hot water, and soak things in this composition for one hour. After that, you will just have to wash them in the usual way.

*️⃣Baking soda
This legendary folk remedy has repeatedly helped the hostesses with the simplest household issues. Sodium bicarbonate at once or twice will return cotton fabrics to their pristine appearance. Dissolve a cup of powder in five liters of hot water and send in these solution sheets or any other white things. Leave them there overnight, and then load them into the washing machine drum and set the desired mode.

*️⃣Distilled vinegar
Unlike regular bite white spirit vinegar does not contain dyes and fragrances, as well as a pronounced taste and smell. Thanks to its bleaching properties, it quickly returns the white color to the laundry, but it does not affect its fragrance in any way. Mix a glass of white vinegar and five liters of hot water, soak things in it overnight, and then wash as usual. Apart from this, you can also add one cup of vinegar while rinsing. It will rid the fabrics of detergent residues that give them a grayish or yolk color.

*️⃣Dishwasher powder
Most dishwasher powders contain sodium hypochlorite, which can bring back graying fabrics to a pristine white color. To do this, add half a cup of powder to five liters of hot water, mix it thoroughly, soak things for 30 minutes, and then wash in the usual way. As practice shows, this remedy works no worse than any chemical bleach.

*️⃣Sunlight
Ultraviolet can easily and quickly lighten white things. That is why, if you have the opportunity to dry laundry outside in the sunlight, be sure to take advantage of it. Of course, now not all houses have special dryers, but in some small metropolitan yards among five-story buildings, you can still find special clotheslines that allow you to place things. Ultraviolet will not only give a snow-white shade but also destroy all bacteria better than any chemical means.

Before bleaching a shirt, pay attention to the type of fabric and the peculiarities of handling it. The above-listed methods of bleaching at home are not universal.

Bleach a cotton shirt
You can bleach a white cotton shirt in one of three ways: Boiling is suitable for cotton fabric. In an enameled container, water is poured and laundry detergent is added. Boiling should be 30 minutes, periodically stirring the clothes for even bleaching. If a light-colored thing made of cotton is yellowed, it is bleached with laundry soap (72%). The thing is abundantly soaped and put in a plastic bag. Tie it so that it does not allow air to pass through, and leave it for 24 hours. Rinse the clothes. Clean light cotton clothes will get rid of grayness with a solution of ammonia and hydrogen peroxide. For 1 kg of white clothes will require 1 tbsp. Of each solution. Soak the laundry for 30 minutes, after which rinse in cool water.

Whiten a linen shirt
Linen shirts are not difficult to bleach. This type of fabric causes the least amount of trouble. Methods of bleaching: Clothing is placed in a vinegar solution (7%) for 2-3 hours. Then things are washed with powder and rinsed. Soapy water with ammonia will bleach a linen shirt from yellowing. The ammonia will soften the water, eliminating the negative effect of magnesium salts on things. The snow-white color of linen fabric will give turpentine. For bleaching, soak the clothes in a solution of water and 5 tbsp. Of turpentine. Soaking lasts 12 hours. With a regular need to bleach linen items of clothing, housewives make a solution of 5 liters of water and 0.5 kg of soda. The mixture is insisted on for 24 hours, strained, poured into jars, and applied when needed. If linen fabric does not wash to gray, add 2 tbsp. Of table salt to the powder.

Bleach a silk shirt
Before bleaching, silk things need gentle washing. Bleach a silk blouse should be carefully, so as not to damage the delicate threads. Ways to whiten: Yellow sweat stains on a blouse can be whitened with alcohol. Rub the problem areas of the thing 2-3 times. The dazzling whiteness of silk fabric is given by a solution containing 6 liters of warm water (30-40 ° C), 1 tbsp. Of washing powder, hydrogen peroxide, and ammonia, as well as 4 tbsp. Salt. Soak silk clothes for 1-2 hours and then rinse in cool water. To return the former brightness of a white silk shirt will help whiten the mixture of the juice of 2-3 lemons per 1 liter of water. Soak clothes in this solution for 12 hours.

Bleach a synthetic shirt
Bleaches with chlorine have unpredictable effects on synthetics: the thing can turn yellow or lose its aesthetic appearance. You can whiten a white synthetic shirt in other ways: Mix 300 g of salt with 5 liters of warm water. Put the items of clothing that need to be whitened, in a container and soak for 2-3 hours. After that, wash things with powder and rinse. From yellow stains on synthetics, laundry soap (72%) saves. Clothing is soaked in cool water for 2-3 hours, after which it is rubbed with soap until it becomes foamy. White fabric is left for another hour in hot water, while the soap is not washed off. After an hour, the thing is washed, and the procedure is repeated once again. Stains are also removed with the help of aspirin. It takes 2 tablets, softened in water. The porridge is applied to the stains 2-3 hours before washing.

Use bleach regularly
If you care about your clothes, you should not choose “aggressive” bleaches that promise a lightning-fast effect. Such means exhaust fabrics, can spoil the shape and cause severe allergies. Therefore, bet not on speed, but on the quality of the bleach. Yes, such compositions will not make “yellow” or “gray” clothes perfectly white in one wash. However, their use has a good accumulative effect, and with regular use keeps your clothes white.

Follow the instructions on how to care for your clothes
Carefully study what is written on the tags for clothes: if it says that the thing can not be bleached, it means that you should not do it, even with a bleach that says “for all kinds of fabrics”. Miracles, most likely, will not happen, and the spoiled thing not only upsets but also disrupts plans.

If you are convinced that it is possible to return the clothes to their pristine appearance, even with the first application, try the action of the bleaching agent on an area inconspicuous to an outside observer. Drop it on the inside of the collar, for example, wait a while and, if the fabric is not damaged, you can safely start washing. If you have saved a sample of the fabric from which your clothes are made (sometimes manufacturers attach them to the label), you can experiment with it.

Iron at low temperatures or with steam
Perfect whiteness can be compromised by improper ironing. If the iron has already left yellow stains on your clothes, you remember exactly how unpleasant it is. Some items remain spoiled forever, some have to be rewashed. Therefore, make sure that the heating temperature of your iron does not exceed 150 degrees. Also, do not forget about the self-cleaning function - it will rid the iron of accumulated dirt and scale, and your clothes - from rust marks and stains. You can use special paper or cloth for extra protection. A steamer is a good alternative to an iron.

Carefully sort your laundry before washing it
We seem to be reminded of this all the time, but in our haste we sometimes overlook it. But such simple recommendations play an important role, and the more carefully we sort things by color, the better they keep it. Proven by time and experience.