Looking for the whitest whites possible.

[lakewebsterkid]

Instant Pot

I have done this numerous times. I find that washcloths actually come out fairly clean using this method because of the very high temps and oxygenated bleach. I do recommend heating slowly and using an enzyme detergent to try and remove some of the protein stains before roasting them into the fibers.

 

[stan]

Well Jon

After all these suggestions..what else have you tried, and any good results?

 

[oliger]

I was planning on a follow up. I don't do a lot of whites, so it has taken a while.

Here are a few socks, the whitest I can get them. They are to me noticibly better, though there is much room for improvement.

I used hot water, and poured in a few pans of boiling water while the washer was filling. I soaked in white-brite (as suggested.) During the wash, I used ariel powder with added phosphate, and borax to soften tbe hard water. Then a little bit of liquid bluing. Bluing makes a noticible difference on the white parts, but no difference on the dirt, as I would expect. Bluing seems to be what takes clean white to spectacular white. -A very last step. I also line-dried. Overall marked improvement, but far from perfect. From what I understand, a lot of whitening is cumulative. I am still experementing.

The socks look better in person than in the picture, but I am definitely still open to suggestions

 

[combo52]

Whiter Socks

When things like socks get that dirty throw then in a plastic bucket with warm water and a 1/2 cup of LCB for 10 or 15 minutes then wash as usual,  

 

I wear white socks and they get about as dirty as yours and I ALWAYS use LCB in the dispenser of my Calypso,  and they stay very white without using all sorts of additives, soaking or really hot water.

 

John L.

 

[askolover]

Or start buying the kind of socks with gray soles...that's what I did for Tony and my dad.  Tony's always running in and out to the deck in his sock feet.  The gray soles don't show stains. 

 

[vacerator]

Yes, or

get all grey socks. We have a lot, and black, etc. ankle socks for working out, walking, etc.

 

[launderess]

Secret to whitest whites isn't a mystery, but what our grandmothers or great grandmothers knew....

First start the way you mean to finish. It is far easier to keep whites white, rather than attempt to restore what has become grey and dingy.

Simple old school basics:

Never wash in dirty water; heavily soiled whites should be washed separately from those with only moderate to light soiling.

Two or three short washes are better than one long wash. This is true especially for whites and more so if one is not careful about sorting according to soil levels.

If necessary pre-wash or soak badly soiled/stained whites before adding to wash load if there isn't enough for a separate wash.

Over use of chlorine bleach over time actually can make whites grey or yellow. A good modern detergent with advanced oxygen bleaching system coupled with 120F or above water temps should cope with most soils and stains.

Change and launder things often. If a shirt is soiled around the collar after one day, don't just chuck into hamper to sit and marinate for several days (or worse longer), but get it to the wash soon as possible.

Longer perspiration and body oils (along with stains) sit on wash more difficult they are to remove. In case of former those oils become rancid and via a chemical reaction leave yellow marks that can be difficult to shift.

Learn to use detergent properly. Too much without rinsing it all out turns whites grey or yellowish. Too little has same affect because soils aren't kept in suspension and end up back on wash.

 

[bradfordwhite]

1. what is your water like?  Is it soft, aerated, filtered, iron free, .....essentially perfect water?  If not,  you're bound to have issues.  Iron will turn clothes orange.  Hard water will turn clothes gray and dingy.  Sulfur in water will turn clothes (and hair) green. 

 

2. how are you wearing your whites? 

 

 A.  Are you walking in your socks on dirty floors?  On hard floors that have an oil finish that can transfer to cloth surfaces?  Are you wearing your white socks in shoes that are dirty or have a dark color insole?  Are you walking outside (in shoes) in areas that are dirty or sandy kicking up dirt that gets into the shoes?  It will grind into the socks.  Are you walking on dirty carpet with white socks?

 

B Under clothing: are you letting it dry after using it or throwing it in a heap?  How many times do you wears it?  Are you wearing any kind of clothing that is transfering colors to your whites?  Are you using any type of oils or chemicals that are being soaked up by the garments?

 

C. Bedding and towels:  Again, what are you washing in?  How often do you change your bed sheets?  It should be weekly at most. 

 

3. In general cleaning:  do you soak when necessary?  Do you remove heavy stains when they happen and soak lighter stains? Do you hang dry outside for the sun to naturally bleach?  Do you use baking soda in your wash?   Bleach in the rinse? 

 

4. Are your expectations realistic?  Clothing wears out.  It won't be white forever.  Do you realize that?

 

5. How are the machines you're washing in?  If you have an old style top loader, is it leaking oil into your wash from the transmission?  Are rubber parts decomposing and tainting the water?  Is there a part in the tub that's rusting and discoloring the wash water?  Are you using a gas dryer?  If so, STOP.  Get an electric.  Gas dryers are awful.  They use the same air used for combustion to go directly into the dryer.  What ever impurities are in the gas come in contact with your clothes.  They do discolor your fabrics in addition to giving it an awful smell.  When shopping thrift stores I can always tell items that have been through a gas dryer many times.   

 

In short, perfect white laundry is something you have to EA-A-R-RN. 

You can't just buy it in a bottle like they falsely claim on T.V.  If you're a slob (and I'm not saying anyone here is)  you aren't entitled to the whitest WHITES.  Absolutely NOT.  If you aren't willing or able to position yourself with equipment and good habits, well...... I wish you the best.  But NO, it ain't happenin'.  

 

[eronie]

A properly operating Gas dryer will NOT yellow clothes.

 

[foraloysius]

"It won't be white forever"

Well, in my house old white garments can still take the test. As a matter of fact my whites get whiter than they usually were when they were new. Never use chlorine bleach, it sanitizes and sort of whitens them, but it's for a reason bluing is so popular in the USA.

And furthermore, listen to Launderess, she knows what she is talking about.

 

[bradfordwhite]

It doesn't matter if it's "properly vented" or not. The venting has nothing to do with the faulty design of a gas dryer.

A gas dryer, in order to be acceptable, should incorporate heat transfer technology just like a gas furnace uses.

Do gas furnaces have an open flame that enters directly into the duct work of a home?
Absolutely not. And why? Because the burning of these gases not only creates soot but the off-gassing contains dangerous chemicals that create Carbon Dioxide that will kill living beings.

Why in hell would one want their clothing exposed to that?

Gas dryer's need to be re-designed so that the heating area has a separate exhaust and the heat transfers to the dryer without contacting the air.

They should just cancel them altogether, imo. Electric is better anyway.

I've handled at least 300 major appliances in my life and gas dryers will always have a sooty smell to them and when you open the drum door (if it's a white or light colored paint) you will see the discoloration. The more use it's had, the worse is.

With an electric dryer, it can be 40 years old and as long as they weren't drying things like blue jeans or other clothing that the dye has come off on the drum, the drum won't have "the stains" or that horrible smell.

When Almond appliances were seen more frequent I've come across almond dryers where the inside of the door is even discolored enough that you could tell the difference between the paint and the gas gunk.

And it's the very same staining that you will find on the access door of a gas water heater or around the burners of a gas stove or oven.
It's disgusting.
From what I've read and seen, it's even worse with propane.

Electric also tends to be a softer heat which is gentler on the clothing helping to retain colors and decrease clothing wear.

Electric dryers are less expensive as well.

So, on your journey to the Whitest Whites, you will not have success using a gas dryer.

 

[bradfordwhite]

Another thing I forgot to add to the surprisingly long and perhaps impossible list.

This is relating to dryer use. It doesn't matter what source the heat is.

Another issue with dryers is they suck a lot of air and exhaust it OUTSIDE. It would be nice if the intake were also attached to the outside so they wouldn't be using conditioned inside air.

But here's the point: if the air being sucked into your dryer is dirty say from cooking grease, or cigarette smoking, or burning wood or coal for heat, or from a dirt floor musty basement, or who knows what some people get up to. That filthy air will get sucked into the dryer and be around your clothes. It will have an affect on the finish clothing.

 

[bradfordwhite]

Another thing I forgot to add to the surprisingly long and perhaps impossible list.

This is relating to dryer use. It doesn't matter what source the heat is.

Another issue with dryers is they suck a lot of air and exhaust it OUTSIDE. It would be nice if the intake were also attached to the outside so they wouldn't be using conditioned inside air.

But here's the point: if the air being sucked into your dryer is dirty say from cooking grease, or cigarette smoking, or burning wood for heat, or who knows what some people get up to. That filthy air will get sucked into the dryer and be around your clothes.

 

[vacerator]

Perhaps

it may be better when we're all "carmel"? LoL

 

[sarahperdue]

Launderess!

So great to hear from you!

Thanks for all of the good information... It is quite possible that I don't "deserve" the whitest whites, but I'm working on it

Sarah

 

[cycla-fabric]

All I have to say is my dryer is natural gas and almost 20 years old, and its still nice and white inside with no sooty smell to it, and it is used every other day. A gas dryer is cheaper to run than electric one to boot too.

Doug

 

[eronie]

The gas water heater in the pic is Not properly vented!!

 

[bradfordwhite]

Thought of several more things people.  You're really going to hate me unless you're really serious about clean water and laundry.

 

14.  Know your water delivery.  In other words the water pipes from your water treatment system to your washer, but also from your well or municipal well to your water treatment appliances.  

If your pipes are corroded, can you guess how that's going to affect your fixtures?

 

You can have an excellent water treatment system but if the pipes between it and your washer are disintegrating with iron scale the water will be contaminated by the time it gets to your machine.  right.  So clean plumbing lines mean new plumbing lines preferably of the plastic variety.

 

In 2000 I bought a 1960 house that still had the original pipes that look worse than the picture.  It was really as if the inside was filled with layers of paper.  Now, the previous owners had a softener and they had installed all new bathrooms with copper plumbing, BUT the main lines in the house were by these awful iron plumbing lines....... that I had fun removing with a saws-all and replaced with CPVC.

 

 

15. Make sure your water softener and other water treatment appliances aren't contaminated with bacterial Iron. 

Bacterial iron is as bad as it sounds.  It's very difficult to treat.  It won't filter un-oxidized and it won't be removed in a water softener. It will how ever GROW inside a softener and plug it up.  

So make sure you use an Iron treatment in your softener every 6 months if you know you have iron in your water.

 

Older water softeners may need the resin replaced which you can do yourself but it's kind of a job. What a difference it makes.

 

 

16. Over use of liquid fabric softener.  The stuff creates a waxy substance on your clothing.  Use too much of it and the next time you wash the laundry detergent may not work at all because the softener, which actually does the opposite of detergent, will have no effect.  It does in fact counter-act detergents.  Too much will nullify your detergent.   It will be like washing with no detergent. 

 

When I do use liquid, I never use more than 1/2 teaspoon.  It's too much perfume for me anyway but I do like that Downy smell.

 

 

17.  Don't be afraid to wash twice.  If you have stuff you know is grimy.  Running it through once may not be enough.  Wash once, then wash again.  Same thing with face washing or brushing teeth.  The second time around tends to give more sudsing action and is almost a guarantee of clean.

 

 

18.  Know what your definition of clean is.  Some people think that just running clothes through a washer means they are clean.  DONE.  It doesn't matter if they come out clean.  The machine coming in contact with the laundry was the stamp of cleanliness for them.  No further discussion.

Now , this is a specialty website.  I doubt anyone here is that light in the brain, but one never knows.

I think we all know what clean is and is not. 

 

It ISN'T just making it smell "nice" like the scent in the bottle.  

 

 

 

[circlew]

Galvanized pipes are the worst - whether for water supply or drain lines! My house (built 1952) originally had copper water lines, but drains were galvanized branches, and cast iron mains. The 2" galvanized would clog frequently as the rust had built up so thick the effective diameter was about 1/2". They also had developed leaks. The cast iron however was still in very good condition. 

 

The plumbing has all been replaced with copper supply lines, and PVC and C.I. drains. Copper has inherent anti bacterial properties, doesn't support combustion, and doesn't produce poisonous gasses in a fire. However, it's not suitable for all types of water. Highly corrosive water will cause it to develop pin holes and leak. In those cases plastic such as PEX is a good choice.

 

Also, the water lines in the street can cause issues. They can get rusty and discolor the water. My street is scheduled to have the mains replaced in the next few years, as part of them are over 100 years old.

 

[bradfordwhite]

Yes Tom

Definitely.

 

"Also, the water lines in the street can cause issues. They can get rusty and discolor the water."

 

You can have all new plumbing in your home but if your lateral (that's the pipe that goes underground to the street or well)  are bad, or if you have a well and IT is pumping bad water, you will have bad water inside your brand new pipes.

 

I rented a 60+ year old lake home a few years back in mid Minnesota a place which is notorious for hard water, smelly water and water with iron in it.   This home had been completely gutted and remodeled before I moved in...... but they kept the original failing well.  And that water was BAD.  You turn the new water faucet on outside and what came out had literal chunks in it.

 

It stunk, it had bacterial iron in it, and the water softener that was in the house was already plugged with iron bacteria just from sitting 2 years empty. (The seller had it on the market asking WAY too much and decided to rent)

 

Just running the water in the white bathroom sinks left red stains after a few days.  It was bad.  That's how I learned how to deal with iron and bad water.  I was kind of forced to if I wanted a decent shower and laundry.  It was a good lesson.

 

I built my own ventilated aeration tank that let the gasses go out side and it oxygenated the water,  made a filter board, and installed my own new water softner.  

 

That water was perfect, so nice.  But you had to change the prefilter once a week and it was always covered with the worst stuff.  But the "mess"  was all in one place and it was easy to change.  Cheap too.  I've since found back flushing filters that clean themselves.