Keeping your whites looking and feeling their best can be a challenge, especially over time when they have passed through multiple wears and washes. Daily wear, improper fabric care practices, and environment- these are the primary factors that cause yellowing and dinginess in garments, making them look dull and worn-out.
Luckily, there are many ways to restore the original brightness of your white fabrics without resorting to harsh chemicals. With some expert tips and the right laundry care products, you can keep your wardrobe ever ready, shining as brightly as ever!
Why do fabrics become dingy?
Before looking into solutions, it’s crucial to understand why fabrics lose their brightness in the first place. Some common reasons for fabric discoloration are body oils, detergent build-up, environmental exposure, using deodorants with active ingredients, harsh chemicals, and improper laundry care.
When excessive sweat and soiling get accumulated in the clothing, it leads to yellowing, especially in areas of high wear like collars, armpits, and cuffs. The natural oils produced by the body can react with active ingredients in deodorants or antiperspirants, which results in yellow stains on clothing.
In some cases, people add too much detergent in the washing machine, hoping that it will lead to cleaner clothing, but, in fact, it results in fabrics looking grey or dingy after a while. The detergent build-up leads to excessive wear and causes fabric pilling.
Prolonged exposure to sunlight, pollution, and even hard water is another reason for discoloration in garments. Using the wrong water temperature, drying methods, or heavy-duty detergents can all contribute to fading in white clothing.
Finally, using harsh chemicals like chlorine-based bleaches causes yellowing in your garments, especially the ones made of cotton. With an ecofriendly laundry powder and some expert tips, you can prevent these causes of dinginess and yellowing.
OPTION 1: Pre-Soak your Clothing
Before you do laundry, make a habit of presoaking all white garments in lukewarm water for 3-4 hours. For sure, it will take some extra effort and thought, but the end result will be so much better. Simply doing so will get rid of most body oils, sweat, and any detergent or dirt build-up from your clothing. If there are any mild stains, they will go away as well.
OPTION 2: Use Lemon Juice or Distilled Vinegar
If there are stronger stains or more yellowing on your white clothing, add some drops of lemon juice or distilled vinegar into a tub of lukewarm water and then presoak the garments in it for at least 3-4 hours. If needed, repeat the process for some days till your desired outcome is achieved.
OPTION 3: Use sunlight for natural bleaching
Instead of using toxic chlorine bleaches on your favourite pieces of clothing, simply hang the fabrics under direct sunlight. The UV rays in sunlight act as a natural bleaching agent and make your garments appear brighter and whiter without using any extra chemicals. If there is stubborn yellowing, repeat the process for some days till the garment is completely revived.
OPTION 4: Check for Fabric Pilling
In some cases, white fabrics can start looking grey or dingy due to lint and pilling on them. These pesky little balls of fibre can take a toll on the appearance and longevity of your clothing and make them look and feel worn-out.
Consider using ecofriendly laundry powders like BIORESTORE Re-Tergent to take care of this problem. And in only one wash, by removing the pilling your cotton fabrics will be restored to their original vibrancy and handfeel without any extra hassle.
OPTION 5: Add some Bluing
Bluing is a colorant added to water in which you wash white garments. It neutralises the yellowish tinge from whites, making them look brighter. If your white clothing has been worn and washed multiple times, it’s a good idea to add bluing to your laundry care so that pristine white can keep on shining for longer!
In top-loading machines, you can add a few drops of bluing when you add the detergent, before putting the clothes in the washer. If not, you can also add bluing in the rinse, but as the clothes are already inside at this point, the risk of getting blue spots gets higher.
If you are handwashing, make sure that bluing is mixed equally and thoroughly in the water and even if, by chance, you end up with some blue streaks on the clothing, it is merely a bother rather than a laundry disaster- these wash out quite easily.
Preventing Yellowing and Dinginess in White Clothing
To prevent yellowing or dinginess in your white fabrics, start by avoiding staining in your clothing. For example, if your kids get a lot of food stains on their clothing, give them a napkin. Make it seem like a “cool thing” to wear, or a “trend” to follow. Otherwise, the red-sauce pasta that everyone loves will lead to a laundry day disaster!
Steer clear of chlorine-based bleaches as they are packed with chemicals harmful for delicate, and fine garments. Too much bleaching can even cause permanent yellowing in your white cotton fabrics, stripping away the added optical dye gradually with every wash. If you absolutely have to use bleach on your whites (in case of stubborn stains or too much yellowing), make sure to dilute it before using or opt for a “non-chlorine” alternative to treat your clothing.
Use an ecofriendly laundry powder, one with no toxic ingredients or harsh chemicals in it. Look for labels like “non-toxic”, “bleach free”, “phosphate free”, “ecofriendly”, or “gentle” when purchasing a detergent for your clothing. Liquid detergents are also a great option as they are generally milder than their powdered counterparts.
Finally, avoid using hot water for laundry unless your clothing is heavily soiled or has excessive sweat accumulated in it. This is not only beneficial for extending the lifespan of your wardrobe but is also more sustainable as most of the power consumed during laundry is attributed to the water heating process.
By following these simple fabric care tips, you can keep your favourite whites looking brighter and whiter for longer!
