How to Whiten Clothes and Get Yellowing Out

6 steps

Step by step

1. 1

   Check the care label

   Confirm the garment is bleach safe before you start. Cotton, polyester, nylon and acrylic are bleach-safe fabrics for a bleach load. Never bleach wool, silk, mohair, leather or spandex, because even a little spandex in a blend can yellow.

2. 2

   Sort and load the washer

   Wash whites together to prevent discoloration or color bleeding. Do not overload the washer, because clothes need to tumble freely.

3. 3

   Presoak in diluted bleach

   Mix 1/4 cup bleach per gallon of cool water and submerge the whites for only 5 minutes before machine washing. Always dilute the bleach first, because undiluted bleach can weaken fibers or leave permanent discoloration.

4. 4

   Add detergent in the right amount

   Use a detergent with brighteners and enzymes, in the amount the label recommends. Too little detergent performs poorly, especially in hard water, but too much leaves residue that traps minerals and causes dinginess.

5. 5

   Add the bleach to the wash

   Use 1/3 cup bleach for a regular load and 2/3 cup for an extra-large or heavily soiled load in a standard washer. In an HE washer, fill the dispenser to the max-fill line, or dilute the measured bleach in 1 quart of water and add it 5 minutes after the cycle starts.

6. 6

   Wash hot and check before drying

   Machine wash in the hottest water the care label allows, using a heavy-duty cycle with an extra rinse for the best results. Keep the item out of a hot dryer and do not iron it until the stain is gone, then air-dry and check.

Bleach-safe whites

Cotton, linen, polyester and rayon whites can take chlorine bleach when the label allows it. Always dilute it, because undiluted or extremely strong bleach can yellow even cotton. Repeated exposure weakens cotton and linen over time.

Before you use bleach on a colored item, test it. Mix 2 teaspoons bleach into 1/4 cup water, put the smallest drop on a hidden seam or hem, wait 1 minute, then rinse and blot. Any color change means do not use chlorine bleach, and test each color separately.

Some nylon fabrics can be permanently yellowed by chlorine bleach. Cotton and polyester blend whites can be washed with bleach on an ongoing basis, in the hottest water the label allows.

Non-bleachable whites and synthetics

For white items with spandex, use an all-fabric oxygen bleach. Mix 1 cup of it with 2 gallons of water and soak, for up to 1 hour with a liquid product or up to 8 hours with a powder. Oxygen bleach is gentler on clothing and reduces the color fading that often comes with regular bleaches.

Synthetics are heat sensitive. Set the washer to warm water or the permanent press cycle, avoid overloading it, and dry on the permanent press or low-heat setting. Synthetic fibers are plastic polymers, so heat or hot water can melt or shrink them.

Synthetic insulated jackets need extra care. Check the care label, use a non-biological liquid detergent with no fabric softener, machine wash on a cool, gentle setting, and tumble dry on low heat. Do not dry-clean or iron them.

Yellowed sheets and pillowcases

Wash white sheets and towels in the hottest water the care label allows, because they get dirty easily. Cotton tolerates hot water, while polyester-blend sheets are best washed in warm water. Wash sheets at least once every other week so sweat stains do not build up.

Sunlight helps brighten white bedding. Line-dry sheets outdoors in sunshine about every couple of months, since it is a natural disinfectant. Keep colored sheets out of direct sunlight, because it can fade them.

For a whitening soak, add baking soda to the whites load or use it in a water soak for about an hour. Baking soda is a gentle option for linens that you do not want to treat with bleach.

What causes graying and yellowing

Stored whites yellow from oxidation. Oxygen in the air slowly reacts with residual stains that were not obvious when the clothes were put away, which is why a shirt can look fine one day and dingy the next. Undershirts, underwear and casual outerwear yellow faster because they are worn often and sit close to the body.

Hard water carries excess calcium and magnesium, so hard-water clothes can look duller and more discolored. Hard water spots can look like gray streaks or powdery residue, sometimes with a yellowish or orange tint. Water is considered hard when it measures over 7.5 grains per gallon.

Unremoved stains often have a protein component that enzymes break down best. Choose an enzymatic detergent made for hard water, and use the recommended amount on the label.

What not to do

Never use bleach at full strength, and do not over-soak or exceed the recommended amount. Misuse can cause yellow stains that cannot be removed, and undiluted bleach can weaken fabric so it tears sooner.

Do not mix stain removers, especially ammonia and chlorine bleach, because the combination creates toxic fumes. Never mix bleach with vinegar or other acids, and do not combine enzyme presoaks with chlorine bleach. Do not mix chlorine bleach with oxygen bleach either, since it stops the stain-removal action of the oxygen product.

Heat sets stains, so do not dry or iron a stained item. Do not use hot water first on an unknown stain, because it can set protein stains such as milk, egg or blood. Never rub a fresh stain with bar soap, and avoid colored sponges or paper towels, which can bleed dye onto the fabric.

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