How to Preserve your Whites?
A plain white T-shirt is the most versatile staple in your cupboard. The outfit possibilities are endless with million ways to style them up, from laid back to dress up, one can pair a white shirt or pant with just about anything for an instant fresh look. The only concern with these white clothes is how to preserve their pristine white color! Well, you can lock the pure white shine with just a few laundry tips and tricks. So here are some best advice
to not only keep whites white but can also make soiled, faded and dingy clothes look like brand new. Preserve your Whites!
Separate from other colors:
One of the major mistakes that people do is that they don’t bother to separate their white clothes from different colors. Here you have to keep in mind not only the dark colors but the light ones are also prone to transfer their color onto the white. To avoid this, you have to wash your whites first in a separate pile, then only go for colored clothes. Preserve your Whites
Keep the loads small:
The next major issue for your t-shirts to look dingy and faded may be overstuffing the machine. As with each washing process, dirt and grime get realized from clothes, so the amount of this unwanted stuff increases with the increasing amount of load. And this grime and soil particles again redeposit onto the dresses. The only way to avoid this is not to load too many clothes in your washer.
Turn the clothes inside out:
The tumbling action of the wash cycle and dryer causes abrasion due to the collision of clothes with each other and against the machine’s walls. This agitation causes breaking of the surface of the clothes; as a result, little fibers stick out. So before tossing your clothes in the wash, turn them inside out. This may reduce the damage and will keep the worst of fraying out of sight, i,e, inside of your clothes with the outside of it looking fresher. Also, while drying on a clothesline, hang the garments inside out to protect them from the direct sunlight to reduce the fading.
Soak clothes with salt water:
Table salt is an environment-friendly, inexpensive element that helps to keep the color of your clothes bright. Soak your whites overnight in saltwater. You can add ¼ to ½ cup of saltwater to the washer and then add the clothes and left them overnight. In the morning, just put some detergent and following the regular washing routine.
Keep the detergent amount minimal:
In the laundry, the most critical issue is not what type of detergent or soap you use, but the amount of it. Here more detergent does not mean more clean clothes. The primary purpose of detergent is to prevent the re-deposition of dirt once released into the water back to clothes again. So, if you don’t use enough amount of it, the cycle does not complete, and it holds the dirt until the drain cycle. And with more detergent, it coats on the fabrics and acts like magnet and dust got to stick on it. So, the right amount of detergent is essential, and you have to rinse them properly to keep them
cling-free.
Go with Non-chlorine bleach:
Bleach containing chlorine can damage synthetic fabrics like nylon and spandex and turn your white clothes to grey to yellow. A quality bleach works safely for only 100% cotton fabrics. While with non-cotton items, bleach causes permanent damage to the fabrics, too much bleaching can even introduce yellow tint on 100% cotton whites also. So, to be safe, one must go with non-chlorine bleach, as Oxi-clean.
Consider to use Blueing agents/ Optical whitener:
Blueing agents are best to get the super-white look, as the blue dye in the water deposited on the clothes during the wash cycle. As blue and white are complementary colors, the combination of these two helps to make it whiter. Mix it well with water or add with an adequate amount of detergent in the washing machine, as the direct pouring can cause spot over the clothes.
Try lemon juice & vinegar:
Lemon juice is a natural organic bleaching agent that bleaches the whites without using any harsh chemicals. Mix a half cup of lemon juice with eight liters of warm water and soak the clothes in it overnight or at least by an hour. Another natural beaching agent is vinegar that has mild acid, which acts as a whitener for the dingy clothes. It helps to dissolve the fabric softener or the detergent used so that they have been rinsed away quickly in the washing cycle.
Try Dishwasher liquids/ Tablets:
Dishwasher liquids and powders irrespective of brand contain oxidizing agents as a brightener that helps to breakdown the dirt particles and remove the color of strain. Add a couple of spoons of the dishwasher in a few liters of water is good enough to clean kid’s socks and under wares. Preserve your Whites!
Don’t over-dry:
Drying too much can cause singe and scorch fabrics; it can degrade the cotton quality and make them yellowish. Use the low heat setting of the dryer and take the clothes out while they are still a bit damp and hang them to dry. And to get rid of any wrinkles, use the low-heat iron setting.
Along with all the tricks mentioned above, only give an eye on the temperature of water you use for cleaning. Always use warm water instead of hot water as hot water degrades the color more than warm water.
With that being said, Dhobi G is the go-to help for anything related to laundry. You may browse many more similar tips at https://blog.dhobig.com/. Visit Dhobi G at www.dhobig.com. Make sure to check them out on Facebook as well as at https://www.facebook.com/DhobiGOnline/. Don’t forget to love your whites the best way possible!
With all these tricks, wish a happy white to you!
Preserve your Whites!