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Best way to keep white clothes white

  • 09-09-2020 3:38pm
    #1
    Gus Ivey
    Registered Users Posts: 631 ✭✭✭


    Feel silly asking, but I've looked online and it's just very confusing and contradictory.

    Does anyone have a link to a fool proof way of keeping your white's white, or brightening up white's.

    Thanks


Comments

  • #2
    Dial Hard
    Registered Users Posts: 13,364 ✭✭✭✭Dial Hard


    It's very difficult, I find. Be religious about only washing actual whites together, put a colour catcher in every wash to catch grime, fake tan etc, add a scoop of oxi brightener every time and wash it on a higher temp (60 or more, depending on your fabrics) than you might wash other colours.

    They all still go dingy before long in my experience, though.


  • #3
    Gus Ivey
    Registered Users Posts: 631 ✭✭✭Gus Ivey


    Thanks for the feedback.

    Do you mean use a colour catcher for all washes, or just white washes?

    Is 'Vanish' a type of oxi-whitener? Do you think its better to soak whites in warm water with a scoop of Vanish, or just put it into the washing machine.

    I know that whites will eventually go bad, but mine are starting to go bad after just a few wears. Maybe the t-shirts I am buying are poor quality


  • #4
    Dial Hard
    Registered Users Posts: 13,364 ✭✭✭✭Dial Hard


    Use a colour catcher in your all-white washes, they can catch grime and dirt from the water that would otherwise end up in your whites and make them dingy.

    I also use them in mixed colour washes but wouldn't bother with one in a black wash, for example.

    And yes, an oxi powder is the likes of Vanish but most supermarkets do their own versions. I don't soak the stuff first, just add a scoop to the wash.


  • #5
    meeeeh
    Registered Users Posts: 11,624 ✭✭✭✭meeeeh


    Gus Ivey wrote: »
    Thanks for the feedback.

    Do you mean use a colour catcher for all washes, or just white washes?

    Is 'Vanish' a type of oxi-whitener? Do you think its better to soak whites in warm water with a scoop of Vanish, or just put it into the washing machine.

    I know that whites will eventually go bad, but mine are starting to go bad after just a few wears. Maybe the t-shirts I am buying are poor quality

    There are also Dr. Beckmann sachets to keep whites white. It works a bit but it's not great. From my experience it's a lot easier to keep cotton clothes white than polyester. I have some cotton underpants with lace trim. I keep washing them in dark washes by mistake. The cotton bit is sort of white and the polyester bit is grey.

    I'm 42 and I still hope that one day I will master how to wash white clothes.


  • #6
    ILoveYourVibes
    Registered Users Posts: 15,176 ✭✭✭✭ILoveYourVibes


    Follows thread. This is a life long mystery to me!


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  • #7
    Spleodar
    Closed Accounts Posts: 72 ✭✭Spleodar


    If you understand the chemistry of it it's quite simple really. Use normal washing powder!

    Normal, non-colour washing powders contain a mild bleaching agent i.e. it produces hydrogen peroxide in the water. This, along with the other ingredients keeps white clothes from going grey.

    Liquid and liquid pod detergents do a good job, but they don't contain bleach. Instead, they rely exclusively on very good detergent components and optical brighteners, which are basically a fluorescent dye that absorbs UV light and returns it as visible white light. So, your laundry literally glows a bit. Similar to very white paper dyes or what you'd find in a highlighter pen. They're usually pretty good, especially the higher end formulations as they will have a lot of fancy chemistry to ensure stuff doesn't redeposit on clothes.

    However, they can't combine peroxide into the liquid detergents as it reacts with the other ingredients.

    You can also just add bleach - any of those bleach powders you get in the supermarket or something like Ace or Vanish liquids will do the job.

    Miele (the washing machine manufacturer) actually goes to a real extreme on this. They have a system with two tanks at the bottom of the machine. One contains a colour detergent and the other contains peroxide bleach and optical brighteners. When you do a whites, colourfast or colour wash it will automatically combine the optimal blend of washing liquid and bleach to get the right results.

    BTW, never use chlorine bleach like Milton or Domestos in a washing machine. It will literally destroy the bearing system that the drum is mounted on as it reacts badly with the metals used. Vanish, Ace etc are all fine.

    You can't really go wrong with a scoop of Ariel or Persil (or possibly some of the Lidl and Aldi powders)

    A lot of the stuff we're being sold these days is just marketing gimmicks.


  • #8
    guitarhappy
    Registered Users Posts: 229 ✭✭guitarhappy


    Trace amounts of rust in your water, such as from hard water or old pipes, will turn your whites off colour. Whitening products won't work but a cheap water filter on the supply line to the washer will solve that.

    Polyester is a petroleum product. It turns yellow as it deteriorates chemically over time and makes whites look grey. Nothing can be done about that except buy natural fibers for things you want to last.


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