Because you don’t always have it on hand.
Table of Contents:
Have you ever bleached your favorite shirt one too many times? It starts to wear and have thin spots. Whether it's a set of sheets or an article of clothing, bleach will eventually 'eat' at the fabric as much as it eats at the stains. There are also other concerns with using bleach. It can cause skin irritation or burns if not properly diluted, it can make you dizzy from breathing in fumes. As if that isn’t enough, given enough time on your shelf, liquid bleach will break down and no longer be functional. Fortunately, there are plenty of options that you can use instead of turning to bleach that will preserve your clothing.
Item Used: The Sun(!)
Soak Time: NA
Water Temperature: NA
This is the only one in our list that is applied after you’ve washed your clothing, and that’s why it’s going first. And, it’s the SUN. For this you need to turn your clothes inside out after washing them and then hang them on a clothesline outside. While the sun will whiten whites, it can also fade your clothes if they have other colors on them. Using this method also means that you will be cutting your electric bill some, as well as making your clothes smell nice.
Item Used: Lemons
Soak Time: 2 hours or overnight
Water Temperature: Hot Water
If you need to get rid of set-in stains, grab a few lemons. You can use these delicious fruits in one of two ways. You can either soak the clothes for 2 hours, or you can soak them overnight. Either way, you're going to want to slice your lemons into slices about 1/4" thick, and use more depending on how much dirt there is. We estimated at 1 lemon for a standard level of dirt and 2 lemons if you're dealing with more.
Item Used: Baking Soda
Soak Time: standard wash
Water Temperature: standard wash
If you want to whiten your whites in a "set it and forget it way," try this. Note: This method is only going to work if you have a top-loading washing machine.
Start by setting your machine to the desired load settings, but don't add your clothes yet. Instead, let the drum fill with water. Once it has grab 1/2 cup of baking soda and add it to the water, stirring the water if needed until the baking soda has fully dissolved. Once that's done, add in your clothes and let the machine run as normal.
If it's a larger round of laundry you can put in as much as 1 cup of baking soda.
Item Used: Powdered Dishwasher Detergent
Soak Time: 30 minutes
Water Temperature: Hot
If you don’t have bleach but you do have powdered dishwasher detergent, you’re in luck. Although this post is mostly about avoiding using bleach, we know that there are some occasions when you’re short on time and you need that stain busting power fast. Most dishwasher detergents of the powdered variety contain sodium hypochlorite. This will whiten most whites, but it works especially well on natural fibers like cotton, wool, hemp and linen.
To use this you’ll want to use ¼ c per 1 gal of hot water. Mix the two and ensure that the detergent has fully dissolved before adding your clothes. Allow them to soak for 30 minutes before rinsing in cold water and transferring them to the wash.
Item Used: Aspirin
Soak Time: Several Hours
Water Temperature: Boiling
When in doubt, if you have nothing else in your house, head to your medicine cabinet. If you have aspirin tablets, you’re in luck. For this, you’re going to need 10 tablets for every 1 gallon of water.
Grab a large pot, and figure out how much water you need to cover whatever it is you’re working on without overcrowding the pot. Now remove the clothes and set the pot to boil. While that’s working, count out the number of tablets you need and start to crush them. You want them to be in a fine powder before you add them to the water. They’ll dissolve more easily that way. Once the water is at a boil add the powder and stir till it’s dissolved. Now remove from the heat and add the clothes to the mixture. Allow them to soak until the water is cooled.
Item Used: Distilled White Vinegar
Soak Time: Several Hours
Water Temperature: Warm Water
DIstilled white vinegar is an item many of us keep in our homes. From recipes to cleaning, it’s a staple in many homes. You can use it for softening clothes, getting rid of that gross musty and mildew-y smell that towels seem to pick up, AND for whitening your whites.
There are two ways you can use it. You can either wait until the last rinse cycle of a wash and add in ¼ c to the load. Or you can get a basin of warm water, add 1c to it and then soak the clothes for a few hours. It depends on how bad the stain or smell is, and what your schedule looks like.
Item Used: Borax
Soak Time: 30 min or longer
Water Temperature: Warm
Borax is one of those household superheroes that we don't really think about. There are many different sites that proclaim its many uses around the home for everything from getting rid of bugs to removing stains and residue on your clothes. But, we're willing to bet that at least 50% of you don't have it in your homes. (Not that we blame you, you can't keep /everything/ in your home.)
For a gallon of warm water, you'll mix in 1/2 c of borax and swish it around until it dissolves. Then add in your clothes and allow it to soak. You can use this on most clothing, without having to worry. We do recommend avoiding delicate items though, just to be safe.
Item Used: Hydrogen Peroxide
Soak Time: 30-60 minutes
Water Temperature: Wash Standard
Hydrogen peroxide, H202, or “the bubbly stuff you put on cuts,” whatever you call it, you’re bound to have it in your medicine cabinet. It’s wonderfully useful stuff that can be used several different ways to help with laundry.
If you’ve got a standard load that needs some whitening: When you go to start your load of laundry, pour in 1c of 3% hydrogen peroxide into the detergent or bleach dispenser. You can use this as it’s own secondary wash, or you can include it as part of a standard wash cycle. Either way, continue to load and run your machine from there.
If you’ve got set in stains that need help: Grab some liquid dish soap from your kitchen (we suggest Dawn as that’s what we’ve used to best results.) Apply a few drops of that to your stain and then pour the peroxide over it. You need enough to soak the stain and the area around it. Now grab a small scrub brush and scrub for a minute or so. Set the item aside and leave it alone for at least an hour. When you’re ready to wash it, come back, rinse it with cold water and then toss it in the wash.
If you’ve got underarm stains turning your shirt grey: Mix up equal parts water, hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. Apply the paste to stains and let it set for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Once your done scrub off the paste into the trash, we advise using a scrub brush. Now wash as normal.
With all of that said, what do you think? Which of these did you know of? which ones had you never heard of till now? Do you have any family tricks that we missed? Let us know in the comments below or over on Facebook!
If you're here because your washing machine is broken, or any of your major appliances really, we can help. Fridges, ovens, stovetops, ice makers, washing machines, and dryers, we service them all. If yours has decided to start giving you trouble, now is the time to call and set an appointment so we can get things back into working order for your home. Even if you're just uncertain about a particular sound or how something is working, we're happy to help. We do repairs as well as maintenance checks on all major appliances in the hope of keeping your home running smoothly. You can reach out to us by phone at ((214) 599-0055) or by going to our website.
