How to Get Your Laundry Whites Even Whiter

Get your laundry whites whiter once again! So have you begun to notice the whites in your laundry aren't looking so white anymore? Have they started to look dingy and gray? Following a few tips on laundry day can help brighten up those whites once again making them look like new once again. I started noticing my daughter's white school uniform shirts and socks looking rather dingy and less than white and set out to find out ways to brighten them back up again.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bleach
• Stain Pre-Treater
• Oxy Clean

1. It's best to wash your whites separately and wash them often to help prevent them from getting dingy white. Make a laundry pile of exclusively white items. and clean them weekly. Be sure not mix colors with your whites.

2. Read the labels on all your whites to see if there are items that cannot be bleached. You will want to pull these items aside when using bleach. A lot of tags will say not to use chlorine bleach so be sure to pay attention to that and what type of bleach you are using. I have always used Clorox bleach and have heard from others that recommend that too.

3. Following the directions on your bleach bottle, add bleach to your load of white laundry. I use a small cap full of bleach. Also follow the directions for your model of washing machine on the usage of bleach. It will be imprinted on the inside of the washer lid. My washer has a specific area to pour the bleach into. Another thing that have I have done over time is to turn my water on and add laundry detergent before adding the laundry itself. This helps mix the detergent and get the water sudsy before adding your laundry. Run an extra rinse cycle for your whites.

4. A friend of mine uses cascade dish washing detergent for her whites. Add 1 tbsp of the detergent to 1/2 gallon of warm or hot water and let soak in a bucket or tub for 1/2 an hour before putting into the laundry. I personally haven't tried this method yet but wanted to include it in this article as she says it works great.

5. Pre-Soak! For really dingy whites that don't seem to be coming clean with simply using bleach consider pre-soaking. I recommend using a scoop of Oxy Clean and pre-soaking it in a bucket of warm/hot water or tub. Leave it soak for 1/2 an hour and then wash. You can also add the Oxy Clean to the load of laundry. This has been the method that works best for me.

Tips & Warnings

• Pre Soak
• Wash Whites Separately from colors and wash often
• Read You Clothing Labels to See if Bleaching is Safe for that item.
• Keep cleaning chemicals out of reach of children!

[maryellen1001]

on 3/11/2009 Great tips!

[goldiec]

on 3/11/2009 Great article on whiter laundry 5*

[sherbert]

on 3/10/2009 good to know ! 5*