The secret to keeping your whites white
From shirts to bedding, crisp whites always look great and add a touch of easy elegance. Here are the top secrets to keeping whites white. Preventing whites from eventually looking tired, yellow or grey seems near impossible. But as it turns out, there is a way to prevent the fade, and it’s not hard at all.
1. Wash immediately after use
Most whites can either take a few wears before they need washing/you’ll leave sheets and so on in the laundry basket for days before popping in the machine, but it’s best to keep white super clean. Tiny amounts of sweat, make-up or body oils can turn your whites yellow or grey in time. Wash immediately to decrease possible build up.
2. Stay on top of stains
Naturally, if you spill sauce or beetroot on your whites you need to attack it with stain remover. But other stains like deodorant marks build up more slowly. These should be treated early to avoid permanent damage. Just rub an undiluted liquid enzyme detergent onto the area, then leave for 15 minutes before washing as normal.
3. Wash whites with whites
Even if they’ve been washed loads of times, never wash coloured items with your whites. Small amounts of ink from the coloured items (especially items such as jeans) seep out into the water and make their way onto your good shirt.
4. Use laundry detergent containing bleach
These will help keep your whites even whiter during the wash cycle of the machine. You can also try a bluing agent which makes whites look blue-white rather than yellow-white.
5. Always measure the laundry powder
Using too much or not enough laundry detergent can cause your fabric to become grey and dull. It’s best to always follow the directions on your bottle, otherwise the stains can get trapped inside the clothing.
6. Do smaller loads of washing
Your clothes won’t get a proper chance to get clean if you throw too many items in each wash. Whilst it’s tempting to use all that space, it’s best to give the clothes some room to move.
7. Don’t over-dry your clothing
If you leave your washing out on the line for too long, it can make your whites look worn out sooner than it should. Instead, always check the label and dry according to the directions. You can also use the auto cycle on your clothes dryer so that it stops when it feels that the clothes are dry rather than just after a specific time.
Have you got any tip for keeping whites in good condition? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.
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