If you're fed up with your whites looking a bit off-colour, stop worrying. You don't need to invest in new clothes or reach for the bottle of environment-unfriendly bleach. This is all you need do to make your whites look as dazzling as humanely possible.
Use a good quality biological washing powder
Ariel Laundry Detergent
For starters, try washing your items in a good quality biological detergent powder at the maximum temperature possible - that's the one listed on the care label. Ariel and Persil washing powders come out really well in UK consumer tests and are the ones I'd recommend. Cheap powders are just not as good. And liquid detergents - even biological ones - do not contain as many bleaching agents as powders so they won't work as well either.
Try oxy-cleaning agents, Napisan or Ecover bleach
If your garment has grubby marks, try treating them with an oxy-action pre-wash spray before the wash. If they're just a bit all-over grubby, try adding the recommended dose of an in-wash oxy-action stain remover for white market a good range of oxy-action products in the UK - they're the ones in the bright pink containers. But I find supermarket own-brand versions to be just as good - and much cheaper. Look out for products marked 'contains active oxygen'.
For generally 'off colour' whites, I've also had great results with a product called Napisan - though it's not recommended for items containing elastic or lycra. You can find it with the baby products in the supermarkets (its main use is for soaking terry nappies) or you can buy it from chemists. And the good news is that it's pretty cheap. For best results, soak the items for 6-8 hours or overnight, then wash as normal.
If your items contain elastic or lycra, try Ecover bleach.
Don't use ordinary bleach unless all else has failed
Avoid using standard household bleach on your clothes unless all other action has failed and you're about to chuck the item out. Even then, start off using a dilute solution and only make it stronger if you need to. Also, there's really no need to buy those expensive little sachets of whitening stuff. Although they work, in my experience they don't work any better than the methods I've explained here and the harsh chemicals won't do your clothes any favours.
And if the sun shines
If by chance it's sunny outside and looks like staying that way for more than a few minutes, don't forget the bleaching powers of the sun. But remember, although it works well for natural fibres like cotton and linen, it tends to turn anything polyester or acrylic slightly yellow. So whip those ones off your washing line as quickly as possible.
Routine maintenance
To keep your whites beautifully white, only ever wash them with other white articles. Washing them with anything coloured, even if it's colourfast, will eventually make them dull. Many people also swear by adding a good dose of washing soda to their normal washing powder. It's cheap, environment friendly and can also help reduce the amount of normal detergent powder you need. So it's got to be worth a try.
How to Get Whiter Laundry
Fiona Katherine Goble
Website: [http://www.getacleanhome.com]
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