bleach on laundry?

[scrimper]

ive heard a few people mention bleach on laundry threads but never taken much notice as it didn't appeal to me at the time.

However I now have issues with all the kids school socks looking gross and same with the colors on the school summer dresses.

so my question really is - is it safe to add bleach to a white wash? and if so, can I also do it with the blue gingham summer dresses or will it ruin the blue bits?

have tried the various stain removal products and leaving in the sun.

It'd ruin the dress, stick to whites only.

ok. any other ideas how to get the colors white?

I've put milton in the conditioner dept of the machine and its all turned out fine - wouldn't do it with anything containing another colour though

I'd probably put the dress through a boil wash or the hottest wash you have on your machine and throw in some salt along with the vanish powder

If you are in the UK, and use an ordinary washing powder (not a liquid), it contains non-chlorine bleaching agents. Persil really does wash whiter.

Liquids, and cool washes, are not much good for white whites IMO.

There are UK washing powders without bleaching agents, branded "X for colours" to reduce fading.

I have heard that in the US, powders do not contain these agents, so people often add chlorine bleach. I can't swear that this is accurate.

Washing detergents are also formulated differently for hot countries (where the tapwater is warmer than here) and I hear, in Australia, where the dissolved mineral content of the water is different.

I'm in the UK. x

I soak in W5 stain remover from Lidl and then wash in Prudax from Morrisons...works really well. I bought Prudax after comments on here...

Ecover laundry bleach is non-chlorine and it says can be used on colourfast stuff. I've used it in whites to good effect, trying to remember if I've used it on colours.

Vanish powder is great too

Bleach won't ruin colours, provided it is fully diluted before it comes into contact with the clothing. Which is very hard to do in a Front Loading washer as you have to pour it in as the machine is filling. I have done it successfully though.

Pigletjohn - thankfully the detergents in the US do have oxygen bleaches. However, the reason chlorine bleach is so heavily used is for sanitation.

For a long time (and still pretty much now) and always the case with Top Loaders: the washing machines over there, do not the heat their own water, so the hottest water you can get is what comes out of the tap; so bleach is used for whitening and sanitising.