How to keep whites white

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I love wearing white tops when they're brand new, but as soon as I wash them, they look faded and greyish. Drying them in the sun is only possible a few times a year. How do you keep your whites white?

Only wash with other whites and occasionally I may put a couple spoonfuls of bleach in. Plus as you said, sunshine.

Maybe try a detergent that says it is for bright whites?

Something's wrong if your washing machine is turning whites grey in the first wash
. How old is it?

Apparently it’s to do with optical brightners and the fabric treatments these days or something and 1/2 cup of bicarb added to the machine helps keep them white.

It’s definitely whatever they do to fabric these days as I have an old white bhs t-shirt that is still super bright, and they went out of business in 2016!

There's something called blueing that - well, it's blue but makes white look whiter because it reflects blue light. They use it on white fabrics in the factory, then it gradually gets washed out. I use a liquid one but you have to be very cautious with it (I've accidentally dyed a few things blue!) Also comes as powder, which you can get in single dose sachets.

@WishICouldWinnow, your older t-shirt was probably made with cotton that had been aggressively bleached. Factories are using less harmful chemicals now, and - as with low-energy bulbs, etc - there is a performance cost.

Only wash with other pure whites. Biological powder. Line dry where possible.

Napisan - originally produced for cloth nappies to keep them white, but now used for any white clothing

I follow Nancy Birtwhistle on instagram and my whites a lovely after following her advice.

I add soda crystals and a teaspoon of green bleach (sodium per carbonate) to the drum for whites then do On a 20 degree wash.

It's also not harmful to clothes or the environment, like bleach is.

Her other cleaning recipes are amazing too - now make my own fabric softener and it's lovely. No more plastic and I get to choose the scent (it's just white vinegar vegetable glycerin and essential oil).

I use Napisan contains Sodium Percarbonate too) just checked box!

Also a splash of Vanish & an aspirin. Always.

I've only ever washed whites with other whites, detergent as normal and at 40°...always come out as white as they went in

Ask my daughter- her son's school shirts are still white 3 years on BECAUSE HER MOTHER (me) WASHES THEM! For years, her dh washed everything in together, his work uniform (red and black) school uniform (black, grey and dark blue) and my dgs polo shirts were always grey by the first half term. When they went over to proper shirts I said I'd do them, as I've got a lot of white and pale stuff so can make a load every week. Very proud of my whites!

That reminds me of my son, in his teens many years ago he was a Goth and he had a lovely white shirt with flounces and ruffles all down the front, that shirt always had to go to his Nans to be washed, he didn't trust me not to turn it pink.

Nancy has some great ideas, I'm thinking of getting her book.

I have various treatments for white clothes tried - soda crystals seem to work very well.

My problem is my kids wear the Nike crew socks in white but then wear them round the house (or on a scout hike 🙄, through the garden) so the dirt doesn't have a chance of coming out.

I just use a GloWhite sachet. Sometimes GloWhite Ultra if I'm feeling adventurous.

Yes, same here. They never lose their brightness.

I second the only wash whites together. DD's school shirts stayed white, our T-shirts and bras stay white.