How to Bleach White Laundry

Bleach white clothing with lemon juice.

Crisp, white clothing draws the eye. Unfortunately, whites easily become dingy or yellow over time because of everyday grime and oil from our bodies. Dirt and sweat settle into fabric, discoloring the material and resulting in an ugly, yellow-brown hue. However, you can brighten whites back to their original luster, helping to keep these clothes out of the rag pile and in your closet longer.

Things You'll Need

• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• Stain remover
• Regular laundry detergent
• 1/4 cup bleach
• 1/2 cup baking soda

Instructions

1. Fill a sink or laundry tub with hot water and add 1/2 cup of lemon juice. Place white clothing into the lemon water and allow it to soak for 30 minutes. Soak the white items overnight if they are exceptionally dingy.

2. Remove the white clothing from the lemon water and place it in the washer. Spray any yellow sweat stains with a stain remover before washing.

3. Set the water-temperature setting to hot, and add regular laundry detergent and 1/4 cup of bleach. Wash the clothing on a normal cycle. Inspect the white clothes after washing to see if they need additional brightening.

4. Add 1/2 cup of baking soda into the washer if the regular washing and bleach did not whiten the clothing enough. Wash the garments on a normal cycle with hot water.

5. Place white clothes in the sun to dry after washing. Sun helps bleach white clothing.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not wash colored clothing with white clothing, as colored dye may stain the whites.

• Use caution when handling bleach not to splash it into your eyes.

References

• Cleaning Tips: Get Your Laundry Whites Whiter