dirty laundry

[peanut]

Ok what's the secret? How the hell do you get whites white again? I wash them with bleach but have no luck getting the dirt stains out of my whites, they look terrible. How could something like dirt be so darn stubborn?

[sunflower68]

I know peanut!! It makes me mad that I can't get the was as clean as my mom can. I have found over time that increasing the soap and the temperature (to 60 degrees +) on a white wash does help.

[emmapayne27]

Household Borax is quite good

[shaneystar2]

Only ever wash white stuff on it's own. Never put coloured in with whites no matter how pale or colour fast. Bleach will yellow whites eventually and cause the fibres to rot. Try "Keep it White"from Glocare which you can get in Wilkinsons or any hardware shop.In fact I think they sell it in Tescos too.
When...the weather turns sunny try and dry outside in bright sunshine..this has a whitening effect. If they are badly stained try soaking in Vanish before washing or you can get Vanish for the machine. Biotex is good too.Good old fashioned household soda is good as it softens the water which loosens the dirt.
The thing is if you have washed them too hot or tumbled and ironed them the stains will have "set ".
I wash all my whites with Daz and they always come out lovely and clean.

[peanut]

I live in the usa and don't know if any of those products are available here. Also, i thought you were supposed to wash your whites in hot water. Also, if the stain is "set" how do you get that out?

[shaneystar2]

Hi peanut ..once a stain is set it's the devil of a job to get it out.
Stain remover may help or soaking in household soda.
I didn't realise you were in the USA. Thing is if you wash stuff really hot ( on a boil wash)and there is a stain,for example a grease stain stain,the hot water will set the stain.It's always best to deal with stains before you put your stuff in the machine. I always wash whites at a 60 degree wash. Sorry I can't be of more help .
Good luck with your laundry anyway !!

[smudge]

Like Shaney, I only ever wash whites on their own & can never understand why people mix colours!

I use Persil Non-Bio & Comfort Softener Pearl capsules. If there are stains on the Grandchildren's tops, I soak them in a weak solution of bleach, rinse well, place them in the washing machine - no prob's!

Although I use my tumble dryer throughout the winter months, I dry nearly everything on cool, so as not to overheat/scorch the clothes.

I love to see a line full of 'whites' blowing in the wind - brings back lovely memories of my Mum on wash day!

[smudge]

P.S. I wash whites on 60 degrees & colours on 40.

[peanut]

Thank you everyone, three stars 4 all.

[netibiza]

Here's our smudge doing the laundry:

smudge

[smudge]

Ah, bless you Neti & thank you so much for your lovely e-mail message. Nice to have such kind genuine people around. I will be thinking of you when I'm at my sister's funeral tomorrow. Lovely picture too.

Love Smudge -xxxx-