Best products for getting school shirts white again on a budget

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I need some advice for a product that gets school shirts white again? School are always saying that my boys shirts aren’t white enough even though they are washed every day. Don’t really have them money to be replacing them constantly so what products can I use that actually get them white again? Thanks

Biological powder.

Whites washed only with whites.
Hung on line in sunshine.

If they are really dingy you may not be able to rescue them but if you can hang them out in the sun it really makes a difference..

Try Dr Beckmann Glowhite, £1.30 for 5 sachets at Asda. I would soak to make the most of the whitening. Then once whiter wash them separately to the darks from now on or if that's not possible, use colour catchers.

The cheapest of all would be looking up how to do it with very dilute bleach. I don't know the details but check if it's suitable for the fibre mix in the shirts. Also be careful, bleach can rot fibres or leave yellow stains. I would not suggest boiling as they won't be pure cotton.

Really odd for school to be complaining about this on repeat - how bad can they be? If they are really irredeemable then you could see if the PTA sells them second hand (ours are £1 but can be given for free).

I’m really surprised the school are commenting on this. I wash my ds’ shirts daily and they look crap by the time he grows out of them. Clean though and still whitish which is enough! Unless they have been washed in strong colours I don’t think they have a right to say this? Are they stained? I bin them if they have stains that don’t wash out

What do they mean, aren't white enough?

Are you buying standard white shirts?

At my son's secondary schools i see plenty of once white shirts that are perfectly clean but they have obviously been washed with the black jumpers and trousers and are now greying.

do you normally wash them in with darks? Is this is what your school is Taking issue with?

To get them white again if they've been washed with darks and are greying I would buy thin bleach (not the thick stuff that you put down the loo) and dilute and soak for an hour before washing and line drying in the sun.

Who exactly is commenting I find this bizarre and odd they are encouraging the use of harsh chemicals ?

Vanish granules .. a scoop in the drawer with biological liquid/powder … then dry in the sun. White wash only … no other colours.

Talk to the school again and find out exactly what the problem is. A state school in the UK won’t be complaining about shirts having gone grey in the wash - or if they are, there’s a rogue member of staff who needs a word with the head.

Yes no stains, shirts are whites shirts (not a different colour) He is year 7 so not sure how bad they are as he has only had them 6 months or so, will try to post a pic later

It is the head of year complaining

To you specifically or as a wider complaint?

A picture would be good because unless there's a misunderstanding I can't imagine why a school would be policing whether or not you mix whites and colours in the wash. Some families don't even wash their children's clothes, sadly. Do they have stains on from flicking ink at each other?

You can probably whiten shirts by soaking them in one of the powder type products overnight then washing. A little goes a long way so it shouldn't be too expensive.

To keep them white, only wash with other white or light blue items, with a standard detergent (the ones sold as "colours" do not contain bleach or optical brighteners). You probably don't need to be washing them every day unless they get them mucky or they are starting to get body odour. A squirt or splash of cheap white vinegar is good btw for armpit smells in shirts.

Only ever wash white with whites

If you can, use washing powder with a scoop of specialist white booster

Hang outside even on a cloudy day - the UV light is amazing for whites especially fading food based stains which survives the wash

I also use white vinegar in the pre-wash drawer along with a spoonful booster (on top of bio). This made a huge difference to my towels, white linen (shirt and napkins) and when my dc were wearing school shirts. I don’t use both every wash but did for the first few washes when I realised how grey everything was looking. Now I use white vinegar in every white wash (and coloureds for my DH’s t-shirts after he has been cooking 🙄). Agree also about hanging out in sunshine if you can - big difference.

I can also recommend Glo-white sachets. There’s also a liquid called Ace which you add to the wash along with usual powder/liquid. The results are great and it’s loads cheaper than Vanish.

The best way for keeping whites white is to wash them separately to any other colour. Mine also come up better washed at 60 than 40.

I’m cross on your behalf that a HOY would comment on this, and internally I’d be imagining taking them all in, chucking them at the HOY and yelling “you wash the bloody things…” 🤣 * note - I’d never actually DO this, but I’d enjoy imagining it!!

This is not hard. As pp have said you just wash whites together, biological powder (I use Daz) on 40 degrees or above. (I wash my whites on 60). I’ve had two people in my garden look at my hung out towels etc and ask how I get my ‘whites so white’ and I laugh because I really didn’t know there was any other way.

(This idea of hanging them in the sunlight is a myth - it would take months of being left in strong sun to have any noticeable effect.)

Is it an acadamy school that has very strict uniform policies?

I wash them with washing powder, and light colours

It’s an academy and they say it directly to them

I swear by steeping them in the Milton's fluid solution before the wash. Gets any stain out. Just mix it with water as usual and steep before washing.

I would tell your son to be polite and simply say "I'll tell my parents". Any more criticism then I'd suggest he simply say "My mum asked if you would email her about this if there is a problem"

Is your son dark skinned? Because school shirt fabrics are notoriously thin and crappy. If he is, I'd be contacting the school to say that a member of staff complained about how his brand new shirts aren't white enough and it's the only thing you can think of in which case you'd like an explanation as to why anyone would think it an acceptable thing to say?

Don’t wash them with “light colours”, just whites. And the bleaching in the sun is not a myth, it works.