Do you follow all the instructions when washing clothes in the machine, but have you repeatedly noticed that white items turn gray after washing? The site sympaty.net knows how to wash so that this does not happen again, and how to bleach gray laundry.
The question is, what to do if white underwear has turned gray?
can be solved in several ways. The simplest answer for modern housewives is washing or soaking with ready-made oxygen bleach. But there are also effective folk methods for high-quality whitening at home - this is soaking or even boiling things in solutions of soda, peroxide, ammonia and other available and inexpensive substances.
Basic rules for washing white clothes
White fabric is quite capricious, so before washing you should learn the basic rules so as not to spoil things. By following these rules, you will keep your favorite blouse, T-shirt or underwear in their original form.
- Remember the most important thing - whites are washed separately from colored ones! Once in the wash with colored items, your white item will definitely become stained.
- Pay attention to what fabric your items are made of, since cotton and silk require different washing conditions and cannot be washed together.
- When choosing a bleaching agent, it is also worth considering the type of fabric. Strong chemicals can damage delicate fabrics.
- It is better to wash white items by hand. This will cause less damage and allow you to rinse more thoroughly.
- When washing white clothes in an automatic machine, watch the drain so that the tube is not clogged, otherwise there will be streaks on the white clothes.
- Don't forget about the hardness of tap water. Use a variety of softeners, especially when washing delicate fabrics.
- If things are heavily soiled, first, soak them for several hours with the addition of powder or bleach, and only then throw them in the machine for regular washing. This will help you get rid of stains more effectively.
- White clothes love the sun, so try to dry them in the fresh air.
Following these rules and choosing high-quality detergents will keep your items white for a long time.
Low quality water
And especially rusty, which is typical for most pipelines in our apartments and old houses. It is easy to identify - it will have a dark color (due to rust), and dark stains will definitely remain on light-colored clothes after washing.
If this is your situation, then before washing you should turn on the water for a few minutes to let it drain. And, if the washing machine was on the delayed wash mode, and such water was poured into it, then you are guaranteed to ruin your things.
To solve this problem, you should use special water filters, which can be purchased at any plumbing store. And in the oldest houses, such filters need to be installed “in pairs” - for coarse and then fine water purification.
Clothes have faded
You followed all the rules, but your white clothes faded when washed. What to do? The main thing in such a situation is to quickly take the necessary measures. In fact, things can fade not only because of washing with colored items. It happens that a forgotten piece of paper in your pocket - a candy wrapper, a wrapper, a note - will stain your white things. In this case, you cannot do without strong bleaches.
It’s good that nowadays there is a huge selection of different brands of bleaches. But they are all divided into two types: oxygen-containing and chlorine-containing.
It is believed that chlorine has a more effective effect in terms of bleaching things, but only in the case of natural fabrics. The advantage of such bleaches is their disinfectant properties. Chlorine is excellent at killing germs and bacteria, so your items undergo additional treatment. For items made of silk and synthetics, it is advisable to use a permissible amount of chlorine-based bleach so as not to damage the fabric.
Oxygen-containing bleaches act by a chemical reaction. Oxygen crystals, when oxidized during washing, push organic substances out of the fabric of white items, while being gentle on the fibers of the fabric itself. Unlike chlorine-based products, oxygen bleaches can be used in washing machines. The effect of oxygen is much less than that of chlorine, but this product is more gentle on delicate fabrics.
Let's take a closer look at the example of two of the most famous representatives of household chemicals for whitening things.
- A representative of chlorine bleach is Whiteness.
Suitable not only for restoring faded items, but also for treating a room. The advantages are an affordable price and disinfectant properties. The downside is the strong chemical effect on the fabric. After frequent washing with white, the fibers become thinner and break.
It is forbidden to use Whiteness for silk and woolen items!
Another disadvantage of this product is that it cannot be used in a washing machine. Chlorine can damage parts and cause failure.
It should be remembered that chlorine is a chemical element that tends to evaporate. When using it, follow the rules and safety precautions to avoid burns and allergic reactions. Ventilate the room in which you wash and put on rubber gloves.
- A representative of oxygen-containing bleaches is Persol.
The advantage of this product is that it is suitable for any type of fabric due to its soft action. The oxygen contained in the composition, when exposed to contamination, does not spoil the fibers themselves. The characteristics of the bleach indicate that it can be used at any temperature. That is, it becomes possible to restore faded items even in cold water. Persalt can be used in washing machines and does not contain harsh chemicals that can cause allergies.
Under no circumstances should you experiment and mix two different bleaches to enhance the effect! This will definitely ruin your things.
Oxygen bleaches can also be used when washing children's clothes.
Now you know that white items that have not been washed correctly can be restored, but only with the use of professional products. But how to restore gray fabric?
Mold in the powder compartment or pipes
Such phenomena can be found in homes where washing machine maintenance was completely absent or was carried out incorrectly. As a rule, this also happens when a person, after finishing washing, closes the powder compartment and the drum, not allowing them to dry properly.
Mold is a “lover” of dampness and, if you add a warm environment to this factor, you can create almost ideal conditions for it to form a huge amount of black mold, which will begin to release a large number of harmful spores into the air.
Where does mold most often form in the “insides” of a washing machine:
- In the cuvette (compartment) for pouring washing powder;
- In the pipes that lead from the cuvette to the water tank;
- On the walls of the drum;
- On the cuff;
- Inside the water tank.
Anyone with a normal sense of smell will be able to determine the “presence” of mold - its smell will immediately give everything away. Just stick your head into the drum and the pungent “aroma” will immediately hit your nostrils.
This will be the main reason to take a closer look at the remaining components of the stirlak. The procedure is like this:
- Carefully bend the hatch cuff and inspect the cracks;
- Take a look at the walls of the drum;
- Look also in the compartment for filling the detergent;
- Remove the compartment and inspect its opening.
In most cases, you will quickly discover an extremely unpleasant-looking black “cap” that has begun to develop in your machine. And, when clothes come into contact with this mold, they “acquire” dark, smeared dirt.
If this is your situation, it needs to be resolved extremely quickly. To do this, pour 300 g of baking soda into the compartment, turn on the highest temperature setting, and run the machine “idle” with double rinsing.
Such an aggressive “washing” of the machine itself will allow you to forget about the unpleasant problem with mold for a long time. If after the first time it doesn’t work, that’s okay, the process can be repeated until the mold disappears completely.
Restoring gray fabric
Many housewives stop using washed and grayed white things, preferring to get rid of them, believing that it is impossible to return them to their former whiteness. But that's not true! Although this process is labor-intensive, it is possible to return the white color to things. Pay attention to what fabric they are made of and adhere to the following rules. Let's look at the example of guipure or similar fabric:
- Prepare a large basin and fill it with about ten liters of hot water.
- Add ammonia, about 50 ml, and the same amount of hydrogen peroxide. Stir everything well.
- Dip the grayed item into the prepared solution and wait 30 minutes.
- Then rinse the item in cold water and wash as usual.
Guipure fabric, or something similar to it, will again become snow-white. Using the same method, you can restore the white color to tulles, curtains and underwear. Remember to rinse well and use a water softener.
For items made of natural fabric, the usual method using bleaches is suitable, which will also return the white color to grayed items.
Synthetics are a type of fabric that cannot be bleached with chemicals. To restore the whiteness of synthetic items, use table salt. To do this, dissolve 40 g of salt in warm water.
If things are heavily soiled, you can use boric acid. It is added to the cleaning product in an amount of 25 ml and mixed in warm water, where white things are soaked.
When it comes to silk and wool, then only table salt is allowed.
The fact is that white things can turn gray not only due to improper washing, but also due to the quality of the water. Unfortunately, tap water contains various impurities of heavy metals, which give things a gray tint. A variety of water softeners are recommended, and baking soda is a great option to keep on hand.
But most importantly, try to wash white items after each wear. This way you will avoid the need to restore their whiteness in the future.
How to whiten bed linen at home
You can bleach bed linen at home, returning it to its original cleanliness, using the old method with high temperatures, which our grandmothers used. Are you familiar with the word "boiling"? Of course, no one has this huge pan anymore, so we’ll use a bucket. Grate the laundry soap. Fill a large enamel bucket with water (5 liters), dissolve 200 grams of soap shavings in water and add 1 teaspoon of soda. We put the bucket with the solution on the fire and, as soon as the soap dissolves, add the bed linen. The liquid should come to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the laundry over low heat for about 40 minutes. At the end of this procedure, when the bed linen has cooled, continue washing it in the washing machine, setting it to the highest possible temperature.
Advice
By combining washing powder/laundry soap and potassium permanganate (2-3 granules) when washing, you will save items that have faded.
If your tap water comes out with a yellowish tint, then it would be better to boil or let the water for washing by hand. You can definitely bleach any type of laundry. Choose any existing ready-made or improvised means that you have learned about here and return things to their original purity. And give yourself the high title of Mistress.
Removing yellow sweat stains
Unpleasant stains like sweat stains are difficult to remove. These stains are organic and difficult to remove, as they eat deep into the fiber structure of the fabric. Such stains can be completely removed only with aggressive chemicals, but there is a risk of damaging the fabric itself.
All that remains is to wash white items after each wear, especially in summer and winter.
If yellow spots appear in the armpit area, you can use:
- Chlorine – for linen and cotton items. Baking soda can also be used, but the effect will be less.
- Mustard powder, peroxide and ammonia - in the case of silk and wool.
- Table salt - in relation to synthetics. In order not to damage synthetic items, you will have to use only salt, of course it will take more time, but you can safely bleach this fabric.
- Soaking is a must for any fabric.
Before bleaching any item, first test your product on a small area of fabric to see the results. This way you will avoid many problems later.
