Question: How to restore dingy shirts/socks back to white?
Table of Contents:
White laundry can quickly become stained, discolored and dingy looking. To keep your whites as bright as possible, follow these simple steps.
You Will Need:
- Bleach
- Baking soda
- Dish detergent (ex: Cascade)
- Water softener (ex: Calgon)
- Borax
- Lemon juice
- Automatic dishwasher detergent
- Bucket
- Hot Water
Steps to Brighten Whites:
- We all know that using bleach will help to whiten whites. Adding ½ cup of baking soda, a natural whitener, to the washing machine, allows you to decrease the amount of bleach while still whitening your clothes. The decreased bleach also allows for a gentler cleaning.
- For extreme brightening, add ½ cup of dish detergent to a hot water cycle along with ¼ cup of water softener and ¼ cup borax. Wash using a normal cycle.
- Tough dirt seems to land on socks and can be difficult to remove. Combine ½ cup lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of automatic dishwasher detergent in a bucket filled with one gallon of hot water.
- Soak the items in the water for at least 30 minutes. Dirtier items may require soaking overnight.
- Wash as normal.
Additional Tips and Ideas
- It’s important to wash whites regularly and keep tabs on any developing stains from perspiration, etc. Treat any stains immediately to avoid setting them or allowing them to worsen.
- It may not be necessary to perform this level of cleaning with each load, but regular touch-ups will keep your clothes looking their best.
