How to Wash White Clothes in 11 Easy Steps
Tired of pink underwear? Then this article is for you! The best ways to wash white clothes have been debated continuously throughout the years. Do you use bleach? Hot or cold water? What about detergent? How do you get out those nasty yellow stains in the armpits?
Here are some cleaning tips for clothing care that will help you get your ivories, eggshells, bones, and pearls sparkling again:
Sort your clothing, and ALWAYS wash whites separately.
The number one reason your regular whites are turning gray or discolored is that they are being sloshed around in your washer with other garments that are not colorfast. Washing delicate fabrics with heavily soiled clothing will almost always ruin your bright pieces. It’s simple, wash colored clothes separately.
Use enough detergent (but not too much).
Liquid laundry products are designed to help you with keeping white items white. When you use enough detergent it will work to suspend dirt and grime released from clothes into the water. This will avoid any grime to settle back onto your favorite white button-up.
Choosing the right detergent.
Detergents containing optical brighteners will emphasize blue light and diminish yellow, creating an illusion of bright whiteness. Ensuring you have the right type of detergent for your water type will also help keep whites white, as water rich in iron and hard water will cause detergents to be less effective overall. Water rich in iron mixed with chlorine bleach may produce a yellow tint on white clothing. Do your research before your next spin.
Check the labels on your clothes.
The clothing care tag will give you everything you need to know. Information provided such as types of formulas and products that should be used, water temperatures, and other settings are listed so you do not end up ruining the fabric on your white t-shirts, towels, sheets, and socks.
Wash white clothing after every wear.
White fabric is prone to stains and discoloration, so if you wash your whites after every use, you can guarantee you are not walking out of the house in a dingy stained blouse or pantsuit. Allowing a stain to sit and marinate can also cause a long-term effect, making it harder to get the stain out. Which leads us to our next tip;
Treat stains ASAP.
You can pretreat your food, perspiration, blood, and deodorant stains using:
● Liquid detergent
● Dishwashing liquid
● Oxygen-based bleach
● Undiluted liquid bleach
● Colorless shampoo
● Commercial stain remover
Treating stains right away will ensure you stop the grime from setting into the fibers of the fabric.
Avoid overloading the washer.
You need space between items in the washer to get the best cleaning results because water and cleaning agents need to be able to get into the entire garment and wash away dirt and oils.
Use hot water.
When you have all your white fabrics together in one load, increase the water temperature to at least 120 degrees. Choosing laundry detergents that use a bleach alternative can be a smart fix as well. The heat will help remove body oils and grime. Ensure you do not wash clothes in hot water if they are made from fabrics that will shrink.
Rinse with vinegar.
Add a cup of distilled white vinegar to your rinse cycle instead of commercial fabric softeners. This will make sure your detergent has been stripped from all fabrics and won’t leave a discoloring residue.
Dry whites outside in the sun.
The sun’s UV rays will add a bleaching effect to white sheets, white towels, and white clothing when you dry your clothes on a line.
Add a little help to your laundry.
There are several whitening agents on the market that you can add to make your white cloth sparkle. Ensure you read the labels and directions carefully before use. These listed formulas will boost your laundry’s power to keep white clothes white:
● Oxygen bleach
● Enzyme detergents
● Borax
● Washing soda
● White vinegar
With the right laundry products, water temperature, and by following these knowledgeable steps to washing your white clothes, you will be able to keep your whites looking fresh and new for years. Call Commercial Laundries Orlando today for your laundry equipment service needs.