Laundry: make whites whiter

[getforfree]

Some of my whites have stains on them that don't wash off. One of my friends suggested to boil it for a half an hour. So I took my largest pot I own, about 2 gall,put some water, 1 tablsp dishwasher detergent and little-bit regular detergent. Turn the stove on, put clothes in the pot. You have to mix it for some reason too, so I took my wooden spoon and mixed it like every 5-7 min.

It took the hardest stains off. Some of them I couldn't wash even with Tide in hot water.

Note: some clothes that are not meant to be washed in hot water can get damaged, so read the label before doing that.

I am wondering how much did it cost me to have my stove on for half an hour, I have nat. gas.

[lynclarke]

Have you tried goop scrubbed into the stains? You can buy a tube of goop at Dollar Tree to see if you like it. I also add borax to the wash cycle. My whites are pretty darn white. lynclarke

[getforfree]

I add borax too, and I have lots of cleaners for stains. Some stains just don't wash off. If i spray all the socks, some stains on the shirts, the $2 bottle will be gone in like 2-3 washes. And even that don't clean all the stains.

My 3 y. o. DS's shirt and shorts had oil stains on them (he "helped" my DH change the oil). I couldn't clean it with any prewash or detergent or anything, but I boiled it for like 30 min and the stains are almost invisible now. You can only see it if you look really close, before you could see it from 20 feet away.


Some white socks I couldn' wash with anything, the bottoms would still look dirty, now they are pure white, maybe even whiter than when they were new.

I actually like how it cleans, I just wonder if it's cheaper than using the spray-on prewash thing.

Now in the summer only DH wears socks(to work only), kids sometimes in the evening when it's cool, so I have less whites. But in the winter I am going to have at least one load every week "white socks only".

[shelbylovesmelby]

Hey is Borax safe for septics??? I've heard powder soap isn't any good for them.

I swear we have the dingiest whites in town! *LOL* People have always said add bleach & I don't want to risk it KWIM? Heck I get lil bleach slpatters on my stuff just cleaning so I don't use bleach very much either.

[Crystallas]

Most white clothes are cheap. If they wont wash out with normal effort, i buy new ones.

Then maybe if I complile a large amount of keepers, then I take the next level.
Boiling with dishsoap.. great tip. I'll try that sometime. Usually I use just hot wash with yellow-out.

[poundwise]

Originally Posted by shelbylovesmelby

Hey is Borax safe for septics??? I've heard powder soap isn't any good for them.

Borax is fine for septic systems. In fact, it is often recommended as a cleaning agent to replace more harsh chemical cleansers that are not good for the septic system.

[CheaplyClever]

Originally Posted by shelbylovesmelby

Heck I get lil bleach slpatters on my stuff just cleaning so I don't use bleach very much either.

I get bleach on me just bringing the bottle home from the store! At home, I take off my shirt before I add it to the washer or pour it in the toilet. Seriously. At least I do wait until nobody is home.

I like your idea on boiling whites. I'm not sure how much cost is involved boiling the water. It has to be cheaper than a bottle of spot cleaner though. How do you complete the load? Rinse by hand or in the washer?

I do all my laundry in cold water and I have to admit that DH's tidy whities are not as bright as they used to be. I'll try this too. I think I will use the burner on the gas grill to keep heat out of the house.

[getforfree]

I select the clothes that need to be boiled and put it separatly.When I have at least a couple items, which would take up 2 gall of space in my pot, I wait untill I have enough whites for a full load. I boil the clothes in the pot, and 30 min later, when I turn it off, I start the load with whites, then when rince cycle starts, I add those from the pot in there too. I tried to rinse by hand, but, adding it to the load takes less softener and water, and it's less work too.

[markio26]

i let the stain soak overnite in cold water only... then the next day, i take a cotton swab and dab it with clorox, if it is a white garment with a stain... let it set a cpl of hours and wash with detergent in cold water in the washer...
for white socks i use detergent, clorox, and dish washer detergent in cold water and let sit in washer overnite, and then run the washer cycle... it usually whitens them...

[Saving in So Cal]

The oxygenated soaking solutions have work for me on just about every stain but grease stains. Although the directions suggests each batch of soaking solution can only be used once, I make a batch on Saturday and use it through the week with no noticeable deterioration in effectiveness. You can also add a scoop of the powder to your washing machine.

[getforfree]

Originally Posted by markio26

i let the stain soak overnite in cold water only... then the next day, i take a cotton swab and dab it with clorox, if it is a white garment with a stain... let it set a cpl of hours and wash with detergent in cold water in the washer...
for white socks i use detergent, clorox, and dish washer detergent in cold water and let sit in washer overnite, and then run the washer cycle... it usually whitens them...

Thanks, I finaly tried it. I had stains on one of my white shirt, and couldn't wash it off, I took a cotton swab and treated the stain, it came off!!!