Whitening Whites: How to Keep Whites Looking White

Check out these tips for whitening whites and keeping your whites looking whites. I’m also sharing how to wash white clothes and troubleshooting tips for your white laundry.

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Whitening Whites

Keeping my white laundry looking white and bright has often been a source of frustration for me.

There’s nothing more annoying that a gorgeous white top, or even something as simple as clean, white undergarments, that come out of the dryer looking a faded gray.

I tend to shy away from products like bleach because they’re harsh chemicals and my kids have sensitive skin.

Aside from that, I’ve found in my experience with bleach that it actually causes many whites to yellow over time and seems to break down the fabric. It’s not exactly a gentle chemical.

I’ve tried a few natural bleach alternative ideas over the past few years and have had some nice success with them. I feel better about what’s going onto my kids clothes as well as what’s going down the drain.

Why Do Whites Get Dingy Looking?

White fabrics are notorious for developing a dull, dingy color over time. Unfortunately, fabric discoloration and yellowing whites are inevitable when it comes to white laundry.

However, there are a few tricks that will help with whitening whites when they become dingy:

Dye Transfer – Washing all white loads is ideal. Dyes can transfer from other articles of laundry, which then deposit onto your white laundry and dull their appearance.

Soil Transfer – Washing heavily soiled items of clothing with less soiled clothing can lead to dinginess. The dirt transfers from the heavily soiled items, isn’t completely rinsed out, and then becomes embedded in the fabrics of your white laundry.

Detergent Residue – Only use the recommended amount of detergent. Using extra detergent doesn’t result in whiter whites. The extra suds usually get left behind and build up on your clothing. The soap residue attracts dirt which make your clothes appear dingy.

Washing Too Large of Loads – If your washing machine is stuffed to the brim with white laundry, it doesn’t move well in the machine. The water and detergent isn’t able to wash all of the articles of clothing leading to ineffective dirt removal.

Dirty Washer – Dirt, grime, bacteria, oils, hard water deposits, mildew, and more can build up in your washing machine over time. These particles will then transfer to your white laundry causing it to become dingy and gray.

Dirt, Oils, and Odors – Unfortunately, even if you never spill anything on your favorite white top, always wash it with other whites, never use too much detergent (and the list goes on…) it can still become dingy over time from dirt, oils, and odors that transfer from your body.

Whitening Whites with Natural Whitening Products

Here are some of my favorite natural solutions for whitening whites. Read on to learn more about how to use each item to get your whites whiter!

• Branch Basics Oxygen Boost – use code KATIEGLE for 15% off
• Hydrogen Peroxide
• White Vinegar
• Lemon Juice
• Baking Soda
• Borax
• The Sun

Ways To Get Clothes White Without Bleach

Whitening whites naturally is possible! Here are my favorite natural bleach alternative ideas for keeping your whites looking bright and, well, white without resorting to a bottle of bleach.

How to Whiten Clothes with Vinegar

Whitening whites with vinegar is as simple as adding 1/2 – 1 cup of plain, white vinegar to your rinse cycle.

Not only does adding vinegar to your laundry help brighten white fabrics, it softens water, reduces static, and helps remove any soap residues or mildewy smells.

Vinegar also helps with brighter colors and eliminates bleeding from fabric dyes that may stain your clothes. Vinegar should not be used on silk or rayon clothing. When in doubt, check your clothing label.

Safety Tip: White Vinegar should never be combined with chorine bleach. The combination produces harmful fumes.

How to Use Borax to Whiten Clothes

Borax helps remove stains, is a color-safe bleach alternative, and deodorizer. To whiten whites, add a 1/2 cup Borax to your laundry directly in with the clothes – not in the detergent dispenser on a front loader.

It also softens hard water. As a bonus, your detergent will work more effectively in soft water, which will help your clothes get cleaner when you wash them (less dirt, oil, and grim residue also makes clothes whiter!).

You can also pre-treat with Borax by soaking stained garments or extra dingy whites in a mixture of 1 tablespoon borax to one gallon of water.

Baking Soda For Whitening Clothes

When whitening whites with baking soda, add 1 cup of baking soda per load of laundry directly in with the clothes – not in the detergent dispenser on a front loader.

Like Borax, Baking Soda helps remove odors, is a color-safe bleach alternative and gets your laundry detergent working better.

Related: The Many Uses of Baking Soda

Tip: Purchase Baking Soda in 13 lb. bags at Costco.

Whitening Whites with Branch Basics Oxygen Boost

Branch Basics Oxygen Boost is a great non-toxic laundry whitener. It whitens and brightens fabrics and removes stains and odors, yet keeps you and your family safe from fragrances, binding agents, solvents, etc. 2 pounds of this natural laundry whitener will treat approximately 32 medium sized loads of laundry.

• No bleach.
• No ammonia.
• No dyes.
• No fragrances.
• Safe for septic tanks

I love to add 1-2 scoops of this non-toxic laundry whitener to my white laundry loads, especially to our sheets and extra stinky white loads (teenage boy socks!). Oxygen Boost is also great for soaking whites when they need a little extra TLC.

I am a big fan of Branch Basics and have been using their products for YEARS. You can read my Branch Basics Review if you’d like more information.

Branch Basics Coupon Code – Branch Basics has kindly provided a coupon code for all Good Life Eats readers who want to try out their awesome non-toxic cleaning supplies! Use the Branch Basics Coupon Code KATIEGLE for 15% OFF!

How to Use Hydrogen Peroxide to Whiten Clothes

Hydrogen Peroxide is more than just a first aid kit staple. Whiter whites can also be achieved with hydrogen peroxide! The great thing about hydrogen peroxide is that it is safe to use on all machine washable fabrics.

Here’s how to use hydrogen peroxide when whitening whites:

• Laundry Booster – add 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide to the detergent dispenser along with your detergent.
• Bleach Alternative – add 1 cup hydrogen peroxide to the bleach dispenser on your washing machine.

Hydrogen peroxide is also a great stain remover! Here are a couple of ways to use it to remove stains from whites:

• Paste – combine equal parts hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and water. Spread the paste onto stained areas and allow it to sit for 30 minutes to an hour. Gently agitate the area to remove excess before adding to the wash.
• Spray – Blood stains are best removed with hydrogen peroxide. I keep a spray bottle of hydrogen peroxide in the laundry room to spray on clothes than have blood on them. The hydrogen peroxide will fizz after applying. Let it sit a few minutes, then rinse, and repeat if necessary. Afterwards, wash as usual.

How to Wash White Clothes

Keeping whites white starts with washing whites properly. Here’s an overview of the best way to wash white laundry:

1. Wash Whites Separately

I always start by sorting my laundry into whites, colors, and darks. We also wash cleaning rags, dog beds, and extra dirty workout clothes separately from our regular day to day laundry.

2. Keep Whites Whiter By Pretreating Stains

I always start by treating any stains. With multiple kids (and 2 of them boys) there’s often smears of all sorts of things on their clothes…or mine.

Pretreating any stains before starting your laundry is an essential step to keeping your whites white. For best results, I like to pretreat the stains at least 30 minutes before I plan to start the load so the stains can begin to break down. Always spot test in an inconspicuous area first to make sure the garment is colorfast.

How to Pre-Treat Stains

• Remove the clothing as immediately as you can.
• Rinse the stain and/or soak.
• Treat with your favorite stain remover. I LOVE to use Branch Basics All Purpose Spray as a stain pre-treat solution.
• Let the pre-treat solution soak before washing the item.
• Always spot test in an inconspicuous area first to make sure the garment is colorfast.

3. Should You Wash Whites in Hot or Cold Water?

It is recommended to wash whites in the warmest wash temperature that their fabric can handle. Cold water doesn’t remove stains as well and very hot water can shrink fabrics. Warm water is best for most white laundry loads.

However, I always use extra hot water when washing white laundry loads that are towels, rags, or sheets. I’m not worried about them shrinking and they’re usually extra soiled.

4. Check the Stains Before Adding White Laundry to the Dryer

I always check the stains I pretreated after the wash cycle before adding those items to the laundry. The dryer will bake the stains in and they’ll be even more difficult to remove.

• Examine stained items as they come out of the wash before placing them in the dryer.
• If the stain is still there, then let the item hang dry and treat it again in another load of white laundry.
• Don’t put stained clothing in the dryer until the stain is gone.

Sometimes a particularly stubborn stain may need to soak to get it to remove. To do this, I like to fill a bucket with warm water, 1/2 teaspoon of Branch Basics Concentrate and 1 scoop of Oxygen Boost.

5. Dry White Laundry On A Lower Heat Setting

Using the lowest heat setting on the dryer will help your fabrics last longer.

In the event that you do miss a stain that didn’t quite come out, lower heat settings are also useful – the stain won’t be quite as baked into the fabric as it would if you had used the maximum heat setting.

Washing Whites: Troubleshooting Tips for Whiter Whites

• Pre-sort white laundry. Keep an extra dirty laundry basket in your closet or laundry room and only put dirty white clothes in it.
• Run an extra rinse cycle if you’re concerned that your detergent (and dirt) hasn’t been completely rinsed from your laundry.
• Wash heavily soiled white laundry separately or pre-soak those items before washing them with your regular white laundry.
• Don’t overfill your washing machine. It’s actually best if you don’t even fill it to it’s 100% capacity. Think of the time you’ll save by having white laundry that actually comes out clean.
• Clean your washing machine. Use the self clean cycle if your machine has one. If not, run an empty hot water cycle and use a cup of vinegar instead of detergent. Make sure you scrub the lid and gasket after the cleaning cycle.

What’s your favorite way to keep your whites white? Do you have any tips for naturally whitening clothes?

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