Our best tricks for whiter whites and vibrant colors.
Whites and brightly colored fabrics may become yellowed, dingy, or dull over time.
Stains from sweat and dirt and too-frequent washing also make perfectly clean clothes and linens appear faded or grungy.
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Be careful when mixing household or laundry products, and even homemade remedies.
Always follow instructions and give a shot to use known-irritants in a well-ventilated area.
Check out these color-saving laundry rules and stain-removing tricks below (including a fewlaundry mistakes you should avoid!)
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to learn how to whiten clothes and find the most common products for brightening laundry.
We promise your clothes and linens will be whiter and brighter than ever!
Choose the method that best suits the fabric’s needs and your personal preferences.
Credit:BHG / Alicia Long
Detergents remove stains while bleaches turn stains colorless by chemically altering their molecules.
Use chlorine bleach only for whites and bleachable colors.
Before using, check items for “nonchlorine bleach only” labels.
Credit:BHG / Alicia Long
Chlorine bleach can producedangerous fumes when combinedwith vinegar, ammonia products, or other household chemicals.
Never combine these cleaning products, as the combination can be hazardous to your respiratory system.
Pour it directly on stains such as blood.
Credit:BHG / Alicia Long
Add one cup of hydrogen peroxide to whites in the washing machine to brighten them.
Add one cup to aload of diapersto whiten, deodorize, and disinfect.
Take care when using the product on darker colors; test it on a swatch of fabric before using.
The liquid adds a subtle hint of blue to the fabric to make it appear whiter and brighter.
Bluing liquid can be added to the wash or rinse cycle during laundering.
Enzyme Presoaks
Enzyme presoaks are great forgetting out tough protein stains.
They’re also helpful with whitening and brightening because they remove stains that cause yellowing.
Add them to the wash cycle to help laundry detergent do its job better.
Lemon Juice
Lemon juice is a natural laundry whitener and freshener.
Add one cup to your washing machine water along with your detergent.
Add your laundry and wash as usual.
Only use lemon juice on whites as it can bleach certain colors.
Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda)
Sodium bicarbonate, or baking soda, helps deodorize and soften your clothes.
If you are using a powder detergent, add the baking soda during the rinse cycle.
Use less for smaller loads.
Borax also breaks down the minerals in the water, so the detergent can work better.
Add 1/2 cup of borax at the beginning of the wash cycle.
Add 1/2 cup to your laundry as a detergent booster.
Washing soda can causeskin irritation.
Rinse the area thoroughly if the product comes into contact with your skin.
White Distilled Vinegar
An excellentfabric softenerand deodorizer,distilled white vinegarworks in the rinse cycle.
Pour 1/4 cup into your washing machine during the last rinse cycle.
Continue the cycle as usual.
White vinegar can also be used to eliminate soap residue.
Add one cup to the washer’s final rinse cycle for that purpose.
Never combine vinegar with chlorine bleach as this will result inharmful fumes.
Do not use vinegar on silk, acetate, or rayon clothing.
Citric acid powder uses the same stain-fighting compounds as lemon juice, just in a higher concentration.
Submerge clothes into the water, and let sit overnight.
Wash as usual the following day.
