Had a question recently submitted asking about grey or dull clothes after washing.
Besides just having old or worn out items of clothes that you just can’™t bear to part with here are some ideas to address grey or yellowing in your laundry:
- Try increasing the amount of detergent, depending on the hardness of your water you would need more or less detergent.
- Increase the temperature or use bleach for whites.
- Use a color safe bleach for colors.
- Try using a bluing agent to brighten up laundry too. Some popular bluing agents are Mrs. Stewart, Bluette, and Reckitts blue.
Natural Laundry Whitening Tips
Baking Soda
To whiten clothing with baking soda, add about ½ cup into the wash plus your regular detergent. Clothes will come out whiter and brighter without chemicals.
Vinegar
Vinegar is another wonder ingredient you can use to whiten clothes naturally without bleach. If the smell scares you, don’t worry, your clothes won’t smell like vinegar. The smell may linger in your washing machine for a bit but your clothes won’t smell.
Simply add about ¾ cup of vinegar to your wash along with your regular detergent to whiten clothes naturally without bleach.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen Peroxide is an excellent alternative to bleach and can be used successfully to whiten clothes naturally without bleach.
Add about ½ cup to your wash with regular detergent and your clothes will come out as whiter than ever.
Borax
Borax is often advertised as a laundry brightener and can be found in your grocery store’s laundry aisle. It’s a naturally occurring mineral that has long been valued for its whitening properties. Borax is used in all sorts of natural cleaning products. I use it to clean anything from toilets to dishes. But most of all, it will whiten clothes naturally without bleach.
Add about ½ cup of Borax to a regular load of laundry, along with your regular detergent for whiter, brighter clothes instantly.
Sunlight
That’s right! Sunlight is one of the best tools we have available to whiten clothes naturally without bleach. If you have a clothes line, simply hang your clothing out to dry in the warm sun. The sun will whiten and refresh your clothes like nothing else.
For the best whitening results, wash your clothes with regular detergent plus one of the above mentioned natural laundry whiteners. Then, hang the clothes out to dry in the sun. You’ll be amazed at how much whiter they are and it was all done without bleach or harsh chemicals.
