"optical brighteners simply because they are never rinsed off"
Yes, they are, eventually.
This is why detergents and fabric softeners along with other products contain OBAs. The chemicals applied when textile was manufactured would wash away eventually with repeated laundering. So the idea came to put the things into detergents and almost everything else that touches laundry to make fabrics "look like new".
If you stop using laundry products with OBAs eventually the level on fabric will decline. You'll notice things do not appear to "pop" in sunlight or under florescent lights. This or simply get a black light blub and test fabrics that way.
OTOH if one is rather keen there are other methods: http://www.thesmarttime.com/articles/oba-removing-treatment.html
Many of the so called "restore" products for whites and colorfast laundry are nothing more than heavy dosages of oxygen bleach and fabric brightening agents.
https://www.tintex.ca/blogs/tintex-...removing-blue-optical-brighteners-from-fabric
For those worried about OBAs and skin, you needn't be; human skin is constantly shedding so whatever FWAs that do rub off on skin will soon slough off. Of course continuous contact with textiles treated/laundered with products containing such chemicals will only redeposit again, but there you are.
Yes, they are, eventually.
This is why detergents and fabric softeners along with other products contain OBAs. The chemicals applied when textile was manufactured would wash away eventually with repeated laundering. So the idea came to put the things into detergents and almost everything else that touches laundry to make fabrics "look like new".
If you stop using laundry products with OBAs eventually the level on fabric will decline. You'll notice things do not appear to "pop" in sunlight or under florescent lights. This or simply get a black light blub and test fabrics that way.
OTOH if one is rather keen there are other methods: http://www.thesmarttime.com/articles/oba-removing-treatment.html
Many of the so called "restore" products for whites and colorfast laundry are nothing more than heavy dosages of oxygen bleach and fabric brightening agents.
https://www.tintex.ca/blogs/tintex-...removing-blue-optical-brighteners-from-fabric
For those worried about OBAs and skin, you needn't be; human skin is constantly shedding so whatever FWAs that do rub off on skin will soon slough off. Of course continuous contact with textiles treated/laundered with products containing such chemicals will only redeposit again, but there you are.
