7 Most Asked Laundry Questions and Answers: How do I brighten my dingy white clothes and linens?
It is normal that people are curious or concerned about certain things pertaining to their clothes and cleaning it. So we get a lot of these curiosity and concerns in the form of questions from our customers at Satoriale Drycleaners. Some of these questions recur quite often but 7 of them stood out. Let us take a look together at the 7 most asked laundry questions and their answers in this series of articles.
Que 1: How do I brighten my dingy white clothes and linens?
Over time white clothes and linens can become dingy or yellowed from redeposited soil, dye transfer from other garments, missed stains and even using too much bleach. The key to keeping white clothes looking bright is preventing them from discoloring in the first place.
But what if it is too late and they are already dull, gray or yellowed? Here are different options in simple steps to follow:
- Soak in baking soda: Combine 4 quarts (4L) warm water with 1 cup (250 ml) baking soda in a sink or basin, mixing well until the baking soda dissolves. Soak your dingy white clothes in the solution, making sure that each garment is submerged. Let it soak for 8 hours. Baking soda decolorizes while it whitens, so this options have multiple benefits. Baking soda is also known to help soften hard water, so your clothes will not be exposed to quite as much to hard water with staining mineral deposits.
- Make use of aspirin: Dissolve five 325mg aspirin tablets in 2 gallons (8L) of hot water. Soak the white clothing in this solution for 8 hours or so. Make sure that the material stays submerged throughout the process. Crush the aspirins before you stir into water to help make the aspirins dissolve faster and speed up the process.
- Treat with toothpaste: Combine a full 6.4 oz (189.3ml) tube of baking soda and peroxide whitening toothpaste with ½ cup (125ml) baking powder, ¼ cup (60ml) salt, and 2 cups (500 ml) white vinegar. Whisk well until the mixture begins to rise. Soak your dingy white garment in this mixture for 3 to 4 hours and rinse with cool water. For best results, use toothpaste that comes in a paste form rather gel and make sure the paste contain baking soda.
- Pre-soak in detergent: Combine ¼ cup (60ml) laundry detergent or dishwasher detergent with a sink full of water. Submerge your white clothes in this solution and let them soak for 2 hours. Shampoo can be used instead of laundry detergent or dishwasher detergent, but if you use it, try to pick a clear and fragrance-free shampoo.
- Soak the garment in lemon juice: Fill a large stockpot with water and add the slices of one or two lemons. Bring the contents to a boil over high heat. Turn off the heat, then add your whites, and allow them to soak for an hour in the lemon water. Make sure that the lemons are cut into slices rather than halves. You want as much of the lemon flesh to be exposed as possible since more of the juice from the inner membranes can seep into the water that way.