How to bring back dingy whites?

[dustin92]

Ok, I have an issue- dingy whites. Anything white- dishcloths, t shirts, underwear, socks, towels and bath mats. I always wash in Hot water (Whirlpool Duet Sport front loader), on the Whitest Whites cycle, with Tide HE liquid or Arm & Hammer liquid (usually use the Tide on whites), and usually a generous dose of bleach (liquid chlorine). After the cycle finishes, I run a Quick Wash cycle with extra rinse selected and no detergent added. I add a single dose of Aldi's Satin Soft liquid softener in the rinse dispenser. So a total of 7 rinses, I like to rinse really well when using bleach. After all this, whites are coming out dull and gray- with a hint of yellow, which I assume is from our hard water. I have used a product called White Brite, which may help a tiny bit, but still not getting results I would expect- looks as if they are being washed with mixed colors. What am I doing wrong, and what product or combination of products do I need to use? I'm just getting a bit tired of doing everything that should be working, and getting dingy gray whites that look like they've been washed in cold water. Thanks!

 

[supersuds]

Sounds like a job for STPP

Very likely a buildup of hard water minerals. Washing with sodium tripolyhosphate and nothing else can help.

Here is a quick shot of a 1960's Calgon box with instructions for "reconditioning" dull whites. Not sure if present-day Calgon would be so effective, but you can always get some STPP from the Chemistry Store or elsewhere.

 

[washer111]

To me, it seems the first course of action would be to cull the Bleach. That would be the root of the yellowing - and its clearly not doing anything for you at this point. 

 

Then, I'd get a good powder for the main wash, something with Oxygen Bleach (Tide with Bleach?) which will whiten while the enzymes are hard at work. If you can't get powder, try one of those "in-wash" boosters. I can't remember exactly what it was, but I believe Bob (Appnut) had a particular powdered product he was quite impressed with. 

 

Also make sure your water heater is set nice and hot, since modern machines try to dupe you by tempering the wash temperature. Before running a load, start off with an empty machine, set it to "Hot" (and make sure the closest tap is drawn fully hot) to temper the wash tub. Cancel, allow it to drain, before adding your articles and going again. 

 

This should be it, but I'd be interested in what others have to say. 

 

[askolover]

I've run into this

before too...and I have a water softener so it's not our hard water and we don't have iron water. Tried with bleach, without bleach, used that Bright White stuff, tried bluing (it helped), tried boiling in vinegar, peroxide, baking soda, oxy clean, persil, even Calgon, and oxydol. Still had some gray...this was only on the white towels. Our water is as hot as it will go and the Asko boosts even further and has 4 standard rinses where the water is half-way up the door glass. I just gave up and have been replacing towels a couple at a time and saving the others for car washing, cat washing, and cleaning. I may eventually get some of those bleach-safe colored towels.

 

[mrb627]

My Advice

Powdered Tide + BIZ.

Works wonders. And BIZ recommends to use it without detergent for the toughest situations.

Malcolm

 

[mrboilwash]

Any of the comments mentioned above might bring you some improvement, but once dingy you`ll never get perfect whites again.

The key to perfect whites is prophylaxis.

 

[polkanut]

What Malcolm said x2!

<span style="font-family: georgia, palatino; font-size: 12pt;">Either powdered BIZ or BIZ Blast Packs will help tremendously.  You can read about other members tricks, tips and successes in the thread link I've included.</span>

Laundry Tips & Tricks: Part One

Tired of dingy whites? Stubborn stains? Faded colors? Well the answer to all your laundry problems are in this NEW thread. Yes with Laundry Tips & Tricks YOU TOO can have sparkling whites, bright colors and sweet smelling laundry! Hubby spilled Bosco on your antique tablecloth? Ask...

www.automaticwasher.org

 

[danemodsandy]

I Got Three Words for You:

BIZ.

BIZ.

And BIZ.

 

[imperial70]

I use Biz too. Works great.

 

[chachp]

Sears Ultra with Oxi Clean

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">...and an extra scoop of Oxi CLean.  I have a Bosch that boosts the water to about 160 or so in the Sanitary cycle which I use for my white towels, etc.  Undershirts I use the regular warm water cycle so they don't pucker up around the bands.  I use the Extra Rinse button.  I have sparkling clean, bright whites.</span>

 

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">I noticed a difference in my things when I went away from the Sears detergent.  I went back to it and my whites are back to bright white.  Towels, undershirts, dish cloths, wash cloths.  All very white.</span>

 

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">I do not have a water softener.  Our water is not hard but not soft I guess just normal city water (whatever that is).</span>

 

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Looks like you will get as many suggestions as there are replies.  This combo works best for me.</span>

 

[iheartmaytag]

Where is our Dear Laundress

When we need her?

I do believe she would recommend blueing, as bleaching actually brings out the brown color of the natural fibers. Though most detergents contain optical brighteners, I would still defer to our Dear Laundress.

 

[dustin92]

Sounds like Biz it is then- I have used Sears detergent in the past and was NOT impressed. It left clothes very harsh and scratchy, and I was none too impressed with the cleaning. Our hot water is around 140°f, and the washer doesn't temper the settings- cold is full cold, warm is hot and cold, hot is full hot. Will pick up some Biz the next time I go to Walmart (and maybe some Tide with bleach powder) and will give that a try. A couple of my T shirts that I wear to bed and both of our white bath mats have reached "light gray" rather than white, and we have some white bath towels that are less than 6 months old that are looking more like beige. Still open to any and all advice!

 

[imperial70]

160 degree sanitize cycle

I love that cycle. Use it on my white linens no chlorine bleach. It's a slow heat process so the enzymes in Biz really get to do their job. But that's with my GE PFWS4600LWW that has the heater. Before that it was a square door Frigidaire front loader or my speed queen TL. Biz seemed to perform fairly well in those too when I used the soak cycles (warm or cool water) followed by a hot (tap hot) wash.

Not sure but I think enzymes need some soak time to start munching on the stains for lack of a better term. I think that laundress has commented on these stain problems in some other threads. Laundress is the Nobel Peace Prize winner of home laundry science.

 

[danemodsandy]

Dustin:

To "turn around" the dinginess problem you have, it will probably be necessary to use BIZ both as a pre-soak and as a laundry booster.

I would follow the box directions for pre-soaking, soaking at least one day, if not two. Soaking in BIZ is done in warm water, to activate the enzymes contained in the product.

I would follow up with a hot wash using BIZ as the laundry booster - again, following the package directions. There is really no need to use a detergent with a bleaching agent; it's not necessary, since BIZ contains oxygen bleach in addition to the enzymes.

Whatever you do, skip the liquid chlorine bleach (LCB) from now on. It can make things look brighter short-term, but over time, it promotes yellowing and it greatly accelerates fabric wear. There are those here who swear by extra rinses and sours to neutralize the problems with LCB, but it's much simpler and cheaper to avoid the stuff in the first place. It does have occasional uses for laundry, and it's a great, cheap disinfectant, but laundering with it regularly can cause problems.

For regular bleaching, oxygen bleach is great stuff. OxiClean is the most commonly available brand, but Huish's Sun brand knock-off is just as good and a much better value - around $6 for a five-pound tub at Walmart or Family Dollar.

P.S. - The BIZ product I use is the powder. Also about $6 for the large box at Walmart.

 

[chachp]

To bleach or not to bleach..that is the question!

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">When I bought my washing machine the salesman told me there was no bleach dispenser in the machine and if I used a chlorine bleach in the machine it would void the warranty because of what it does to the stainless steel drum I think.</span>

 

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Sure enough, when I got the machine the book clearly states not to use a chlorine bleach but use powdered oxygen bleach instead.  This started my love affair with Oxi Clean.  I have tried other brands without the same success but have not tried the brand Sandy mentioned so I may have to do that.</span>

 

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">I think using LCB is a personal preference.  I noticed when I stopped using it my clothes did get brighter and they last much longer.  Now I know why.  I thought it was the detergent and Oxi Clean but it sounds like it could have just been the prolonged use of LCB that was causing it to get worse instead of better.  I was also guilty of using more and more thinking it would improve the situation. </span>

 

 

 

[arris]

Laundress

We need to find a way to summon Laudress,like Samantha would summon Dr Bobay... LOL

 

[arris]

Laundress

Typo in my previous thread, meant to write " Dr Bombay "

 

[whirlcool]

Due to atmospherical conditions in New York at this time you probably should use an incantation to bring our Laundress to this thread....

 

[powerfin64]

another excellent

oxygen bleach to try is "Dirty Jobs" found at Walmart. Has 5 enzymes in it! I'm sold on it and I think is better than Oxi-clean.