Washing White Clothes, The Best Care Tips For Light-colored Clothes

White clothes are a real classic. Whether the summer dress in white or the classic white blouse – there is hardly anyone who does not have a white item of clothing in their closet. No wonder: after all, the light color goes with everything and looks chic and fresh at the same time. The annoying thing about white clothes: They are particularly prone to stains and discoloration. After a short time the first gray haze can be seen or the white looks yellowed. And stains on light-colored textiles can sometimes be very persistent.

So that your white laundry stays beautifully shining, we tell you everything you have to pay attention to when washing white clothes, how to protect the textiles from yellowing and which household remedies best help to make whites shine. So that white textiles don’t get a gray haze in the first place, they should always be washed separately and never together with dark or colored laundry. Because colored clothing can rub off. White quickly turns pink or the typical and very annoying gray haze arises, which makes white laundry look less shiny after washing.

Before washing, the following applies: sort white and light-colored laundry and wash them separately!
However, not only laundry of different colors, but also white textiles with heavy soiling should be washed separately from the rest of the white so as not to contaminate the remaining fabrics. The same applies to light parts with colorful prints. These can also rub off and should be sorted out from the whites.

Which detergent is suitable for white clothes?

As a rule, it is recommended to use a heavy-duty detergent in powder form when washing white laundry. On the one hand, the detergent contains surfactants that are particularly good at dissolving grease stains and, on the other hand, enzymes that remove protein stains. In addition, heavy-duty detergents usually contain bleach and other optical brighteners, which means that they have a lightening effect on clothing. Important: Due to the bleaching effect, heavy duty detergents should never be used on colored laundry.
But be careful: not every material can withstand heavy-duty detergents. The substances it contains can cause permanent damage to the fibers of sensitive textiles such as silk or wool. In this case, a special mild or silk detergent should be used. Also important: the right dosage. The amount of detergent is measured according to the degree of soiling, the amount of laundry and the hardness of the water. You can find all the information on the detergent packaging.

At how many degrees is white laundry washed?

Since the bleaching agents in heavy-duty detergents are only activated from 40 degrees, white laundry should always be washed as hot as possible. However, the washing temperature depends heavily on the material. All information on the material composition and at what temperature the textile should be washed can be found on the manufacturer’s information on the care label.

Which is the right washing program for white laundry?

When it comes to the right washing program, the color of the textile is less important than the type of fabric. Delicate fabrics (e.g. wool and silk) should be washed on a gentle cycle at a maximum of 30 degrees and with a special detergent. Some (newer) washing machines also have a special wool or silk washing program that is suitable for washing delicate white laundry.

If the label states that the garment cannot be machine washed, it should be cleaned gently by hand with a suitable hand detergent.

Textiles made of cotton and linen can be washed on a normal cycle at 40 to 60 degrees. For textiles that can be washed at 90 degrees, such as underwear , towels and bed linen , on the other hand, the “hot wash” program is selected.

Drying white laundry: off in the sun!

White, insensitive textiles (e.g. made of cotton) are best hung outdoors in the blazing sun to dry. The sun bleaches stains and lets the laundry shine beautifully. A gray haze can be prevented particularly well with solar radiation. But also when drying, pay attention to the instructions on the care labels of the clothing, as there are materials that do not have to be dried hanging, but lying down. You shouldn’t dry sensitive items made of silk or wool in the sun, but rather indoors and lying in the air or between clean towels. If the material allows it and there is a note on the care label, white laundry can of course also be dried in the tumble dryer.

How do you remove stains from white laundry?

White clothing is unfortunately extremely prone to stains of any kind. Not only do you see the stains immediately, the stains are also very stubborn and cannot always be removed that easily. Especially not if the textile cannot be washed with hot water. The best way to treat stains is to pre-treat the laundry.

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