It’s normal for your white clothes to start to go dull and grey after a while, but luckily there’s something you can do to make them look good as new – and you don’t have to fork out a fortune
It’s normal for white clothes to become dull and grey after being worn and washed regularly – but there is a cheap way to brighten them without reaching for the bleach.
It can be sad when your favourite piece of clothing starts turning an unintentional shade of grey, but it’s fairly common. White clothes are often coated in optical brighteners, which wash off over time, leaving them looking grey.
However, you don’t just have to leave your crisp white clothes to wither away. Fans of online cleaning sensation Sophie Hinchliffe, also known as Mrs Hinch, have come to the rescue of someone who was desperate for advice about whitening discoloured white clothes.
Taking to the a Facebook page where fans of Mrs Hinch share their own cleaning tips and conundrums, one social media user asked: “I’ve got a couple of old white t-shirts that over time have turned that nasty grey colour. I’ve soaked in buckets of Napisan but I haven’t been able to turn them white again! Any pointers please?”
There was no shortage of helpful suggestions from fellow cleaning enthusiasts – and many were offering the same piece of advice. Several people advised the woman not to use bleach, as it can “break down the fabric” – but to instead use an item you can pick up from any supermarket – Vanish.
One person wrote: “Bleach breaks down the fabric, so they won’t last long at all and do go yellow. Vanish is best,” while another added: “Put in a bucket with warm water [and] white vanish powder tub.”
You can pick up Vanish from most local supermarkets, as well as online. For example, Vanish Oxi Action Laundry Stain Remover Powder White will cost you £6.50 at Sainsbury’s for a 1kg tub. Or you could purchase a 470g tub from Ocado for £5.50.
This product claims to be able to whiten your clothes “up to three shades whiter”. All you have to do is add a scoop of the bleach-free formula alongside your laundry detergent.
For optical results you can leave your clothes to soak in one scoop of it, mixed with 4l of water, for around six hours. Then rinse your clothes, and they should be looking bright and white again.
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