White clothes have a divine beauty of their own. Walking into a room with a dazzling white top or bottoms can feel spectacular. But, our white clothes seem to lose their shine with every wash, which can be really saddening for one. Wondering if there’s any way to retain the crisp and clean white clothes without them having to lose their new-like shine? Well, there are actually a couple of ways, and it doesn't even take much time and effort.
You would be surprised to know that by washing white clothes a certain way, you can retain their pristine color and shine very easily. Besides, using our quick fixes might also help you brighten your dull white garments and give them a brighter appeal. Hence without further adieu, we present our effective hacks on how to wash white clothes.
1. Parting Your Whites from the Colored:
We might feel lazy about this step, but it is required for you always to separate your white garments from the colored ones and wash them individually. No matter how light your colored clothes are, they might bleed their colors onto your whites, eventually hampering the brightness of your garment and concealing it with a dull tone.
2. Prevent Using Too Much Detergent:
Less is more, and using too much detergent doesn't necessarily mean cleaner clothes. Instead, using too much detergent for washing white clothes might not be a good idea, as the soap particles might hold on to your fabric and form a layer on them, dulling your fabric. A stranded amount should be just fine for washing your whites. Also, make sure to rinse with ample amounts of clean water.
3. Applying Bluing Agents:
A bluing agent commonly known as an optical brightener can transform your dull clothes into clean white clothes in no time. Since bluing agents are blue, they come in contact with your yellowed whites, and this combination of blue and white (complementing colors) helps to make your white clothes brighter. However, be careful not to add the bluing agent to your garment directly. Either dilute it with some water or pour it into the dispenser of your washing machine.
4. Low-heat Drying:
Using a moderate or high heat while drying your whites in the drying can cause them to develop a yellow tint. Hence, make sure you dry your clean white clothes in low heat. You might want to take them out when they are still a little damp and have not fully dried and dry them off quickly in the open air.
5. Don’t Bleach All Your Whites:
Not all fabrics support bleaching and can turn dull upon contact with it. Hence, make sure you only bleach your white clothes that are made of cotton to increase their shine.
6. Using Lemon Juice or Vinegar:
Both lemon juice and vinegar act as natural bleaches for brightening white clothes. Combine ½ a cup of lemon juice with cold water and soak your white garment in this solution overnight. You may also use vinegar. Just add ¼ to ½ cups of vinegar in warm water if no lemon juice is available and do the same. Then, you can rinse off your white cloth the next day.
7. Applying Borax or Baking Soda:
Borax happens to be another effective boosting agent which can be used to brighten your whites. It helps to make hard water soft, removing the minerals from it that might intervene with the whiteness of your fabric. You can also use baking soda in place of Borax. It works the same and might be readily available in your home.
8. Using Dishwashing Liquid:
Mostly effective for white underwear and socks, dishwashing liquids tend to have brightening agents that can help reduce the dullness of your whites. Just add a few teaspoons of it to the water you are to use to wash white clothes.
9. Using White Brite:
A widely available whitener in the market, White Brite helps you eliminate yellowish stands, dinginess, and even rusts from your white clothes. You can easily find it in any shop and use it for your vibrant and colorful clothes.
10. Applying Hydrogen Peroxide:
This might be a tricky ingredient to find in any household, but you can always get one from your nearby chemist. Mix 2 parts dishwashing liquid with 1 part hydrogen peroxide. Apply this solution to the cuffs, collars, underarms, or any stained area of your white cloth. Afterward, you are all set to rinse it off with plain water.
Pro Tips on Retaining White Clothes
In addition to following the aforementioned tips and tricks to make your whites brighter, here are some bonus tips you could follow on how to wash white clothes properly.
If you tend to wash your clothes using a washing machine rather than washing them manually, you might want to ensure that your machine is clean. A dirty machine cannot be expected to wash and produce clean white clothes at all. Instead, it might be the reason why your whites are becoming dull and yellowish.
As mentioned before, do not use too much laundry detergent for washing your clothes, be it white or colorful ones. 2 spoonfuls of detergent should be fine for a clean and efficient wash.
If your area provides you with hard water, then you might get a water softener installed in your house. Hard water contains different sorts of minerals that can react with your detergent and cause your whites to lose their pristine brightness.
If you do not wash it afterward, you may dry clean your white attire, even after you wear it just for once. It is necessary because body oils and sweat may stain the cloth and hamper its whiteness if not dry cleaned or washed after each wear.
Use laundry detergents that already contain some amounts of bleach in them. You might not want to discolor or permanently yellow your whites by adding a bleach-containing detergent and some bleach separately while washing them. It's always safe to use a detergent that contains bleach. It'll save you both money and effort.
Always read the fabric care label before doing any kind of experiments on your clothes. You should also want to dry them as instructed on the label.
FAQs
Get answers to some of the most asked questions regarding washing and taking proper care of white clothes below.
1. Is Hot Water a Better Option for Washing My Whites?
Hot water helps to kill bacteria and lift stains. Thus, it is a better alternative to using cold water to wash your white clothes. However, hot water may not always be the right choice for washing your clothes. It is always best to check the fabric care tag and see what temperature has been suggested by the clothes manufacturer. Following their instructions can be the best way to take care of your white clothes. You can also incorporate borax or baking soda to brighten your whites.
2. How to Get the Yellow Tone off My White Clothes?
Instead of using chlorine-based bleach, it is recommended that you use an oxygen-based one to wash your whites, especially if it's made of cotton. However, an oxygen-based bleach may not be suitable for wool and silk fabrics. You must dilute the bleach by mixing it with some water and then let your white clothes soak in this solution for hours before you take them out and wash them normally with your trusted laundry detergent. A bluing agent can also help eliminate the yellowish tone in your white clothes.
All in all, these were the tips and tricks for you to get snowy-white clothes without having to experience any hassle. We hope these help you have crisp and bright white clothes that you can confidently flaunt!