Bright whites? How?

[velvetcandy]

Please talk to me about how you keep your white's white especially the children's clothes that are blue and white striped or can be prone to the white fading as the clothing has other darker colours on it. How do you keep these items white and not grey

Wash them separately at 40 degrees with a scoop of vanish.

Baffles me too bab plus I really can't be arsed with separating colours.

Fed up with clothes looking shit after one wash

What temp/ setting do you wash your standard washing on?

I use colour sheets and wash at 40. The Dylon ones in the red box for coloureds/darks/mixed washes. The whitening ones (usually Waitrose own) for whites.

I stringently separate colours:
all-white; nearly-white; light; quite-dark; really-dark

Persil non-bio for everything (only smell DH can stand); normally 30; grubby stuff at 40; only smelly towels at 60

all-whites get a scoop of Tesco vanish-a-like oxi-powder-for-whites

dry in sun if at all possible

my whites are great

My mum always used Daz and our clothes were always really white, I wash all my whites separately, with bio washing powder, seems to do the trick, I use vanish or other stain remover if they are grubby.

Powder detergents (I was amazed at the difference). Tablets, gels etc do not make clothes as white as powder. It also smells better for longer.

Oxy white or equivalent I use Asda own and it's great

40 degree wash is normally fine. The girls school gingham dresses go in with the whites and the whitening stuff and they look great.

Also read the dosage instructions on the pack of detergent, it's surprising how many people don't. You do need extra if the garments are visibly dirty. Most doses are based on the garments needing a freshen rather than a wash.

I have a messy curry eating husband and two girls that have no idea how to be prim and proper and our whites are always gleaming.

All towels and bedding go on at 60 and everything else on a 30 a 40 if more grubby.

I've always wanted to know the secret too but I don't want to separate colours, it's so uneconomical washing just 1 white polo and one white shirt for dc.

Our house generates so much washing it's never a problem. I do a full load every day of whatever colour basket is fullest - the dcs (and DH and I) have enough white shirts/polos that I can save them up for an all-white wash.

Separating colours, using powder and a scoop of vanish with the whites. Job done.

Off to buy vanish now

A scoop of Napisan in with the powder detergent works for me. As does having a pure whites wash. Anything with stripes, contrasting colours gets done in a different load.

A scoop of Vanish platinum is the best I've found, would like to be shown a more eco/less toxic alternative if anyone cld suggest?

If you mix colours, whites will always go grey & dull. Doesn't matter what detergent or cycles you use. So if you "can't be arsed" to sort your washing out, don't complain when it discolours

Soda crystals are better for the environment than vanish products I believe. They also keep whites sparkling (especially alongside daz powder).

Also I do those white striped with other colour tops, in with light colours and use soda crystals and daz powder. The colours stay where they should and the whites parts stay white.

Thanks.

My kids have the whitest polos in the school yard . You know how? I use one product. Ariel Original Powder. It contains a fabric and colour safe oxygen bleach and enzymes and optical brighteners which make whites simply dazzle. For a white wash, I use two scoops of this powder, and the cotton cycle at 60°c. It's best to hang your washing out in the sun as this naturally bleaches them even more, and activates the optical brighteners from the powder. Stop using liquid detergents, they're ineffective at cleaning, as most of detergent ingredients start reacting the minute they're mixed with water.

I use colour catchers. How about Ace bleach? Ive seen it in poundland.

Glad to read others don't bother with a whites wash, I get around it by not buying white/ white striped clothes for us, and anything that we're given that's not going to wash well in a mixed wash gets charity bagged or exchanged. I know I won't get away with this when the DC are school age, so I'll pay attention to the pps who have this part of life sorted

rabbit123 is right. I don't understand why people CBA to separate their washing. I just wash whites with my sheets. I often wear white tops because they suit me, and there is nothing worse than seeing white clothes that have gone a dingy grey.

I use Ariel for whites and towels, and Fairy for coloureds. I also line dry whenever I can because it is amazing how much difference the bleaching effect of the sun makes.

Ariel original bio powder plus vanish for whites is the only combo which seems to keep the boys school polo's white.

Some dyes are colour fast at higher temps, so a striped t-shirt will have to be washed at 60 to keep the dye from grubbying the white bits. I sadly can't tell you when this is the case but suspect that it might be on some cotton clothes that are marked as "wash at 60". Might be true for clothes marked "wash at 40" too of course. Always separate your washing and striped items are sorted by the palest colour.

I use washing powder as it contains bleaching agents and then a scoop of Vanish Platinum for whites.

Agree
Separate whites
40 deg
Lidl powder
I soak in powder/ vanish/ whatever if v dirty eg spag bol sauce/ white socks worn in garden/ grass stains
And was the next day if nec