Very dull topic but how do I get my "White" towels really white please?

[mumof3teens]

Have all "White" (well they once were......) towels for me and DH. They aren't very old but look very grey. Have tried off the shelf whiteners, but they don't look any better. Any ideas would be gratefully received.

Message withdrawn

Hang them out in the sunshine to dry - even if it's too cold to dry them. The sun bleaches them better than any chemicals.

I worked it out after wondering for ages why my friends whites were whiter than mine, having tried all the same stuff.

Soda crystals. My mum swears by this (and her whites really are whiter than white). She also hangs them out to dry and tumble dries them for 5 minutes or so, just to soften. She says that tumble drying makes them grey - well she says this as she surveys my slighlty off colour washing, anyway!

Thanks both - am off to get some vanish then in the sun they will go

napisan

make sure you dont wash in a bio liq or ecover...

in order to have white whites you need optical brightners (aka bleach).
these are contained in most washing detergents (colour or liq) except 'colour products' and some non bio liquids ie persil non bio or fairy non bio.
Ecover does not contain optical brightners hence they make a laundry whitner to use in your white washes instead.

At work when i go swimming i wash my towle with the childrens stuff after swimming... in the past few washes (where i have washed it at there always rather than mostly) and washed in fairy non bio liq it is alread definitley no longer white and more greyey

i meant make sure you dont wash in non bio liquid (not bio liquid)... or ecover

also meant powder or liquid rather than colour or liquid