How to Make Your Whites Whiter

Keep your whites bright with proper laundry procedures.

We've all seen them. Socks that just aren't as white as they should be, or a person wearing a yellowish shirt that you know should be bright white. There are some things you can do when doing your laundry to make sure your white clothing is perfect every time, for a long time to come.

Things You'll Need

• Detergent
• Bleach
• Dishwasher soap with bleach

Instructions

1. Wash your clothes as usual -- wash in hot water with detergent, and do not overload the machine. If your clothes are extra dirty, wash them once adding a little bleach, but without letting them soak.

2. Add a small amount of dishwasher soap with bleach additive to your regular laundry detergent. Do not replace one for the other. Use both.

3. Add bleach to the water as soon as all of the water is in the washer. Let the clothes agitate for a few minutes to ensure the bleach has spread evenly throughout the load. Stop the washing machine.

4. Let your load of white laundry soak for 20 minutes.

5. Restart the washing machine and let finish the cycle. You are done.

6. For extremely dirty whites, you can repeat the entire cycle. Let the clothes soak a second time for just 10 minutes.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure you pre-treat any stained white clothing as soon as the stain happens.

• Some items are too delicate to soak in bleach. You can generally use bleach on white sheets, T-shirts, cotton shirts, underwear, socks and towels.

• Ensure your water is not high in iron before using chlorine bleach, this can lead to rust spots and yellowing.

References

• New Mexico State University Extension: Getting Clothes Clean