White clothes are classic, chic and never go out of style, but they are very hard to keep clean and as white as when they are bought. There are some tips to make white garments always look perfect, with no yellow or grubby stains.
Textile engineer Magna Guedes once owned a laundry and used her fabric skills to work better for her clients. The first valuable information about the process of washing white clothes is that chlorine-containing bleaches should never be used, they actually have the power to remove stains, but due to the chemical components, the fabric can turn yellow and worn out. Prefer oxygenated products? explain.
Another important tip is always to check the information that is on the clothing label, the manufacturer discriminates everything that is necessary so that the piece can be preserved, washed and ironed correctly.
In all recipes and tips on how to whiten clothes you can use products that most people have at home, for example, baking soda works as a detergent, it helps to eliminate stubborn stains and even dilute the fat that stays in the fabric and ends up getting dirty over time.
Water is usually used hot or warm as it facilitates soap and baking work by softening the fabric fibers and making dirt loosen more easily.
Another widely used item is vinegar, which serves to whiten, soften, scent clothes, among many other things.
An excellent natural bleach is the sun, there is nothing better to stain or? Untie? than lather the piece with mild soap or coconut soap and put in the sun. It really brightens, but over time the sun can damage the fibers of the fabric, so be very careful not to make this a habit.
Magna warns that indigo has long been used to clean white clothing, but that it only creates an illusion of white, creating a bluish hue in color, so it is not advisable to use this product.
Check out the step-by-step tips that the textile engineer gives to help wash your white clothes and keep them always looking vibrant and beautiful:
1. Separate the clothes
The first step in starting to wash clothes is to separate white from colored ones. Colored parts may drop paint and stain white parts, so they need to be washed separately.
2. Remove the stains
Before you even soak your clothes it is good to check that there are no stains, if any, remove before soaking. The right thing is to remove the stain as soon as it is made, dry stains become more resistant and harder to remove.
There are several prewash products that remove stains, but in some cases even specialized products are not enough to clean perfectly.
Since most people who wear white everyday are health professionals, blood stains are common and in this case 10 volume hydrogen peroxide is great for removing these stains, just put a little over the stain and leave a few minutes.
Another good product to remove stains in general is alcohol, solvent and disinfectant, this product removes any kind of dirt.
3. Soak
It is not good to rub a lot of clothes, with the use and frequency of washes the fiber of the fabric begins to wear out. Therefore, before rubbing your white clothing, soak it. There are several tricks on how to soak so that the piece does not turn yellowish or grimy.
Cotton and linen: In a bucket place the garment and cover with hot water. Add a glass of alcohol, two tablespoons of baking soda and a glass of washing powder or grated coconut soap. Soak for 2 hours and wash normally.
Silk: Soak in milk and then wash with coconut or mild soap, rinsing well. Avoid placing pieces of delicate fabrics such as silk in the washing machine.
4. Wash clothes normally
There is a very good tip for washing white clothes in the dishwasher: For every five liters of water in the machine, add a glass of alcohol, two tablespoons of baking soda and the usual measure of soap. This recipe ensures your parts stay longer with "new faces".
Never wash your white clothes with too much fabric softener and always rinse very well, if any product residue is left, the clothes may be stained or yellow.
And lastly, to ensure the cleanliness of the white linen, put each piece to dry inside out. This will prevent the clothesline or some air dirt from staining the fabric.
My "Miracle" Laundry Whitening Solution (April 2024)
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