It’s summertime, and you’ve been waiting all year to free your favorite white outfit from the closet it’s been hiding in… only to find out your item is more yellow than white. Yikes!
This summer, don’t let your whites get the best of you. We’re sharing our best tips for how to keep whites looking great. From the best way to wash white clothes to removing stains, learn how to get your whites white and keep them that way.
Washing White Clothes
Keep your whites looking bright by washing them every time you wear them, even if they look clean. The ammonia in our sweat gets into fabric and damages it over time, so your perfect white shirt may be yellowing by the next time you pull it out. For the cleanest whites, always wash separately on a warm cycle.
How to Get Stains out of White Clothes
If you have trouble keeping your clothes white, you’re not alone. Sweat and oils can quickly turn your favorite top yellow, and the longer you wait between washes, the worse the discoloration gets. Between sweat, stains, or other mystery marks, it can be particularly difficult to keep your whites looking as bright as the day you bought them. Read on to learn our best stain-removing tips that won’t damage your clothes.
Step Away from the Bleach
If your go-to trick for getting rid of pesky stains involves bleach, you’re doing more damage than good. Bleach is so strong that it actually breaks down the fibers in your clothes, significantly decreasing their lifespan. To help your clothes last for years, skip the bleach and use a gentler solution. Or, for an even easier fix, take your item for dry cleaning and let the stain removal experts handle it. Point out the stain to your dry cleaner so they can determine the best way to remove it without damaging your clothing.
Get Stains out with Sodium Borate
For a tried and true at-home method of getting whites clean, try soaking your clothes in a cleaning solution that contains sodium borate, like Oxiclean. Thanks to its time-releasing properties, sodium borate will gently re-brighten whites over time, without ruining your clothes. For those hard-to-remove spots, like grass stains, try mixing sodium borate and water into a clean bucket and soak your clothes for a few hours. Then, toss the whole thing into the washing machine using a warm wash cycle. If you have an especially bad stain, go to a dry cleaner near you right away. By looking at the stain and the fabric, they can decide whether to dry clean or wet clean the item. Either way, your garment will come back looking as good as new!
Get Stains out with Vinegar and Lemon Juice
Don’t have any sodium borate on hand? No problem! Add 20 ounces of water, a cup of vinegar, and a half cup of lemon juice into a clean bucket. Let your item soak for 24 hours, and then wash your clothing separately using normal laundry detergent. If you need your garment sooner, head to your local dry cleaner for free, same-day service. Or, save even more time by scheduling a free laundry pickup and delivery.
Leave it to the Professionals
These at-home methods can help in a pinch, but the absolute best way to care for white clothes is to bring them to a reputable dry cleaner. Even if you don’t have any stains, Dependable Cleaners will do everything they can to get your whites sparkling.
With excellent service and a quality guarantee, your whites will look as good as the day you bought them. Plus, Dependable Cleaner’s free pickup and delivery, convenient locations, 24-hour kiosks, and other time-saving services mean you can sit back, relax, and feel confident showing off that tan in the whitest whites.
