Optical Brighteners

[servisspectrum]

Can anyone inform me if optical brighteners cause coloured clothing to fade? I usually use Persil 'Small and Mighty' colour liquid but can't stand the smell whereas the non bio liquid smells soapy and pleasant. The non bio has brightening agents but wondered if this would be ok. Liquids should be ok as they can't contain bleach but it would appear that most liquids like Daz, Bold, Fairy etc are aimed at white clothing which seems odd. I can't help but wonder if colour care detergents are a gimmick?

Sandra

 

[gmmcnair]

I don't think they cause fading per se, but, a detergent with a lot of optical brighteners will sometimes cause darks to look faded...hence, detergents like Cheer for Dark Colors.

I think it's about 70% marketing, and about 30% problem....I just avoid the optical brighteners altogether, and go for clean. I have noticed that, while my whites no longer glow, my navy blue and black clothing do look slightly better.