Keeping White Clothes White

[JazzBaby]

Hey ladies, I'm sorry if this has already been discussed but I did a quick search and couldn't find anything. There's nothing I like more than a crisp white shirt, and with spring and summer fast approaching I know a lot of us tend to start wearing white more often. Do any of the gals here have any tips for keeping white clothes, bedding etc. nice and bright? I figured the abundance of Old School Housewives here at the lounge would mean a wealth of knowledge on the subject! lol

 

[glamour-girl]

well, it's not a tip really, i use white softener when washing white clothes, opposed to colour softeners that may cause stains or leave ugly gray patches but you already new that, didn't you?
oh, and keep hubby away from the washing- machine

 

[AllaboutEve]

Hey ladies, I'm sorry if this has already been discussed but I did a quick search and couldn't find anything. There's nothing I like more than a crisp white shirt, and with spring and summer fast approaching I know a lot of us tend to start wearing white more often. Do any of the gals here have any tips for keeping white clothes, bedding etc. nice and bright? I figured the abundance of Old School Housewives here at the lounge would mean a wealth of knowledge on the subject! lol

I'm more than a little obsessive with my laundry being pristine I'm surrounded by freshly ironed white shirts as I type , it depends what the fabric is as to how I would treat it and there are some fantastic modern products that I'm sure our predecessors would have given their eye teeth for!

So for bedding which is always 100% cotton with me, I do a 60 degree wash every other wash and this always keeps my whites white. I suppose it's the less labour intensive version of what my grandmother would have done by boiling her sheets in the copper. Be careful that it is 100% cotton though as poly-cotton would shrink at this temperature, for poly-cotton I would probably use a whitening agent like Vanish.....very unethical I know but I can't wear anything less than "white" white.......

For cotton shirts it's the same 60 degree wash, if there are any grubby parts ie: collars, cuffs etc then I use regular old fashioned household soap (the green coloured stuff like Sunlight etc) on these bits first before I put them in the machine and they come up like snow!!

I wear white cufflink shirts to work so I'm used to doing this every week now.

Linen is a different story, again a hot wash, but this time by hand and in a non-biological hand wash liquid. THE BEST way to whiten linen is still the time-honoured method of laying it out in the sun on a hot sunny day. The results are remarkable.

Oh and if you need to whiten delicate lace or the like, then denture cleaning tablets or whitening toothpaste are quite remarkable.

The other rule is never ever put anything away without it being spotlessly clean as whites can yellow with even the smallest amount of everyday dirt.

Hope this helps some.

 

[AllaboutEve]

Oh this is so funny.......http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6880aSkS08

 

[glamour-girl]

lol lol lol

 

[Lady Day]

*housekeeping note*

There are threads about clothing care in the Golden Era Forum, where this one will be moved.

That is the place for all home care stuff as well as other goodies of this nature

LD

 

[KittyT]

Good old fashioned lye soap is great for whites. You can boil clothes on the stove with lye soap or just scrub by hand with a brush in hot water.

I never seem to be able to get my whites white in the washer, I usually just do it by hand. I can never get the white sheets white - no matter what, they just grey

 

[LizzieMaine]

Throw some bluing in the rinse water.

 

[Miss Sis]

In Australasia and the UK you can use Napisan. It's for babies nappies but is excellent for getting all stains out as well as keeping whites white. It's not a bleach so you can use it on colours too.

In the UK you can get it from Tescos in the Baby aisle.

 

[scotrace]

Avoid the dry cleaner across the street here. Though convenient, they burn the bejeebers out of everything! lol

 

[Miss Neecerie]

So for bedding which is always 100% cotton with me, I do a 60 degree wash every other wash and this always keeps my whites white. I suppose it's the less labour intensive version of what my grandmother would have done by boiling her sheets in the copper. Be careful that it is 100% cotton though as poly-cotton would shrink at this temperature, for poly-cotton I would probably use a whitening agent like Vanish.....very unethical I know but I can't wear anything less than "white" white.......

Small translational note, just in case folks aren't looking at -where- you live.

She means 60C...so think 140 degrees F ladies! Hot hot hot laundry!

 

[AllaboutEve]

Small translational note, just in case folks aren't looking at -where- you live.

She means 60C...so think 140 degrees F ladies! Hot hot hot laundry!

That's exactly right, thanks Miss Neecerie for the translation, yes it's a hot wash.

 

[Joie DeVive]

Oxiclean!

If you're talking about clothes, I can tell you the one thing that I have found that will get out sweat stains/underarm yellowing: Oxiclean. I have only used it on 100% cottons thus far, but I make a soak as recommended on the container, and it really seems to get them out.
I had tried every other housewives tip I could find with no luck until my MIL spilled pomegranate juice on me one Thanksgiving. She soaked my blouse in Oxiclean, and I noticed that not only did the stain come out, but that the yellowing had been reduced too. Ever since then once or twice a year, I soak my whites in a bucket of water and Oxiclean. I think it's a Godsend.

 

[KittyT]

If you're talking about clothes, I can tell you the one thing that I have found that will get out sweat stains/underarm yellowing: Oxiclean.

I've heard it's good. Will have to give it a try. Is it safe to use on vintage items?

 

[BeBopBaby]

I've heard it's good. Will have to give it a try. Is it safe to use on vintage items?

I wouldn't use it on vintage rayons and acetates. I washed a vintage rayon gaberdine western shirt and an acetate tea timer in oxyclean and it made the fabric just fall apart and disintergrate. It also made the gold metallic paint in the tea timer turn green. It think that something in the oxyclean makes some sort of chemical reaction with the dyes/chemicals in the fabrics.

However, I've used it on vintage cotton barkcloth drapery, linens and doilies before and it worked like a charm. I think cotton and linen both do well in oxyclean. But watch if the barkcloth has metallic paint/dye or things like that on it, they can turn yucky in oxyclean.

I would always test an inconspicous corner of the item first. You never know for sure how it will react to washing and/or oxyclean. I've washed barkcloth curtains that have looked great when I was done, and I've washed barkcloth curtains that came out of the wash with their colors completely faded and dull. As I said, I think this has a lot to do with the different dyes used.

 

[KittyT]

However, I've used it on vintage cotton barkcloth drapery, linens and doilies before and it worked like a charm. I think cotton and linen both do well in oxyclean. But as I said, watch if the barkcloth has metallic paint/dye or things like that on it.

Hmm thanks for the info. The vintage whites I have are delicate cotton blouses, so maybe I should steer clear for those items.

 

[BeBopBaby]

Hmm thanks for the info. The vintage whites I have are delicate cotton blouses, so maybe I should steer clear for those items.

I've never had a problem with white cottons, just the colored things. I've hand washed delicate vintage linens, hand-made doilies and table runners in it without a problem. I really do think oxyclean makes a weird chemical reaction with some of the chemicals in various fabrics and dyes, so you have to be careful.

If you're worried, I would only use Oxyclean as a last resort. You can never be 100% sure what will happen. As Lizzie said, I would just put some blueing in your rinse water, that works like a charm to make dingy whites bright again.

 

[JazzBaby]

Thanks for all the info everyone! I'm going to try them all and see what works best because I'm really particular about whites going off-colour. Just bought a beautiful white linen dress too - I think laying it in the sun might be a good justification to move somewhere that actually sees the sun for more than one week a year lol

 

[Charbeau]

I swear by Biz. It is a washing powder you add in with the detergent. I use it for all my white sheets, towels, and cotton underwear. I even use it every other wash for my husbands white dress shirts, I use it with Woolite in that case. Rit dye also makes a Bright White laundry enhancer that you use a bit of when you wash. I use this occasionally and a little goes a long way.

ETA: I also always wash whites in hot water unless the fabric needs gentle care.

 

[Joie DeVive]

I've heard it's good. Will have to give it a try. Is it safe to use on vintage items?

I've been well beaten to the punch in answering, but here are my thoughts:

I don't fully know the effect on vintage stuff. The only things I've used it on are 100% cotton whites. So far, I've had no trouble with any of them, regardless of age (though most have been modern, and I think the oldest I've used it on is circa 1980). I have a couple T-shirts that have had the most soaks, around 6 I'd guess, and they aren't any the worse for it.
I went downstairs and got my container of Oxi-clean. It says not to use it on: wool, wool blends, silk, leather or any non-water-washable fabric. It also suggests to always test for colorfastness.

Bebop Baby is right that there are other methods that are safer, so if in doubt, don't, but I haven't had trouble myself.