How do you keep white shirts white?

[dingdong05]

My ds has just started school and am now forced to have white shirts which will not stay white if I'm left to my own devices! I've avoided white things for years because having off white whites drives me mad!
HEEEEELP!

Vanish

Soaking in soda crystals for bleaching.

is that vanish in the washing machine?

I make sure if I'm doing whites, then it's only whites in that batch. That way they don't get the all-over-pale-grey effect. And I soak them in Biotex if they're getting mucky round the collars or cuffs.

Whites only washing. Biological powder that is NOT specified as for "colours". Vanish helps.

never ever wash them with anything other than white. vanish on the grubby bits on the collar and - best tip I was even given - short sleeves. ie no cuffs to scrape along their pencil/felt-tip/chalk daubings

Ooh yes short sleeves are fabulous.

BUT... school paint doesn't come out of your basic school shirt (think you would need 100% cotton or something). I hate that. Little pale orange marks that wouldn't come out no matter what I tried

Definitely wash all whites together

Also, temp v. important: if you wash whites at too high a temp, they sort of go grey!

Therefore I always have two piles of whites one for more sort of delicate whites like fancy t-shirts and tops which I wash at 30°c nd one for more robust whites such as towels and cotton knickers (that you need to wash at 60°c and above for hygiene purposes)

A good idea not to let your dcs wear a white top more than once as harder to get entrenched dirt out at low temps

Vanish stain stick is brilliant for individual stains.

For adult white tops put white vinegar on underarms to get rid of any potential sweat stains

[even more anal and obsessive than ThisisWhy ]

Lol I rarely wash anything at 60 - did oodles of research into it with nappies and pretty much all the bugs you kill at 60, you kill at 40 too.

That's interesting TIWYWTNT (sorry looks like I am calling you a twit, doesn't it? sorry about that!) as I always thought bedding had to be done at 60 but if 40 is OK that's a lot more eco-friendly and cheaper.

I like whitener sachets for my whites, and am also a fan of Vanish for collars etc.

Lol, should prob change my name

Yup, if cloth nappies are fine on 40 (normally recommended to do the occasional 60 wash just as belt n braces kind of thing) then bedding will be fine.

I agree with most of the comments ONLY wash white with white, never cheat. Countinthegreyhairs has the a perfect answer!!

Why thank you Anste [gleam of obsessive in eye/maniacal grin ]

Point taken about eco-friendliness and cost etc - agree machines and powders are much more able to wash at low temps nowadays - 'twas just thinking about occasions when there are viruses about or nits [yuck] or worms [double yuck] or vomit or anything else unsavoury ....

Thanks everyone!
Right, I need to:
wash white shirts after one wash.
only wash whites with whites
Wash them at... would 30 do? Or what about a quick wash?
get a vanish stick

I've already learned not to tumble the whole uniform together as the shirts end up covered in grey fuzz

Prewash with Biotex (and only wash whites with whites).
40 degree wash.
Not quick wash.

Depending on the type of school jumper, they end up covered in fluff for a few weeks when the jumpers are new. If it's a sweatshirt style, could you wash it a few times to stop this (might have to be inside out?).

I stick with whites only in white washes, and all seems fine.

Yes, sweatshirts will cover everything in fluff - I find a few inside-out washes gets rid of the worst, but you'll still get some. Luckily DS has gone for nice cotton jumpers this time, and his shirts are staying lovely so far...

In addtion to all the advicve already received re washing whites with whites and using non colour wash, I'd add drying them outside on sunney days where possible. Sun is an excellent bleacher!