Keeping white laundry white!

[newyorkbreakfast]

Hotels and restaurants can do it so why can't I? I've tried Dr Beckmann sachets, Vanish Oxy stain pre wash and I wash them at 60C. My towels and tea towels come out of the wash stained and tired looking, like they've given up on life. I know I could choose colours but I like white towels and bedding. Any tips?

Only wash white with white. No stripes, embroidery, embellishments, only white. Put Napisan in the wash.

Scoop of bicarbonate of soda in every white wash

I wash white towels and bedding on a boil wash. This also cleans the machine which gets musty and smelly if you constantly do low temperature washes.

Thanks I'll try those things. A boil wash as in, 95C @savesaveforthat ?

This is a bit of a zombie thread, but I’ve made a discovery!!

This is totally counterintuitive, but I’ve started washing dingy whites on a 20° wash AFTER I’ve given them a soak in washing soda…I’ve managed to totally redeem some bedlinen which was genuinely heading for the bin!

@Lifebeganat50 what is washing soda?

Maybe soda crystals?

Percarbonate soda is better than bicarbonate/ soda crystals for whites. It's like a natural bleach, soak overnight then wash in the machine

Yes washing soda is soda crystals

I restored my daughter's white bedding by soaking in Vanish Oxy Action Crystal White and line drying in the sun. My own white bedding always looks better in the summer after some sun drying.

Professional services use chemicals like hydrogen peroxide. Most of us as homeowners wouldn’t know where to start with that.

i go nuts with trying to get my whites clean - between products and washes I may as well buy again for the money I spend.

Ace laundry bleach is good. Put some in a white wash.

I’m trying to cut down on the environmentally harmful chemicals I use, hence going old school with washing soda (and also sodium percarbonate).
I believe Ace is toxic to aquatic life

@Cantsleepdontsleep I feel like I’ve been on a mission this week!

The mattress topper I’ve redeemed had blood stains which had been set by being chucked in the washing machine by my daughter (who thought she was doing the right thing to be fair)…I did some reading up and bought hydrogen peroxide for £3 to spot treat the stains, and the washing soda I always have in the cupboard…I’d have been £60 to replace it! It’s honestly like new!

Line drying in that rare commodity, the sun, makes such a difference.

It really does!

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5014334-putting-washing-on-the-line-in-the-sun?page=7&reply=133357507😁

I wash whites with white, use biological powders, prewash if stained and line dry when possible. I don't usually wash at very high temperatures and my whites stay white unless a family member gets involved and puts lights in with my whites! I had forgotten about washing soda, I have some and will experiment. Nancy Birtwhistle was using it for towels on my phone today and washing at low temperatures.

@yikesanotherbooboo Ive been washing at 20° for a few months now, and I genuinely don’t see a difference from washing at higher temps-even on gym clothes. I’ve not said anything to family, and no one’s said anything, so if nothing else it might save a wee bit of money on the bills