whites not bright...INSTYLE info added - YouLookFab Forum

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whites not bright...INSTYLE info added

crutcher

Veteran

My white jeans were just a tad yellow when I pulled them out ...no bleach on the laundry tag...I found a suggestion online and tried it...They actually looked great when I brought them in last night...Magic formula: 1/4 cup lemon juice and a bucket of boiling water...Soak for 1 1/2 -2 hours...Wring and hand in the sun...Looked so much better...Anyone with other suggestions?...

General

20 replies

Latest reply was from Gigi

carolbee

Veteran

Thanks for this, will save for future reference.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Brilliant tip. Thanks.

lyn67

Veteran

What carolbee said:-).

Aida

Veteran

Thanks for the tip, I'll be trying this as soon as we get some good sun!

dustt

Veteran

ok this is a really old tip from my grama - go buy some bluing at the grocery and follow the directions it does amazing things to whites that have dulled and yellowed a bit - use sparingly and according to directions!!!

http://mrsstewart.com/instructions-for-using-msb/

does this make me beyond old........???

Gail Mcnulty

I've got to try this bluing stuff..

dustt

Veteran

it's why they used to call all the old ladies blue hairs - they'd do a blue rinse to get rid of the yellow in their grey hair.... - ok that was a priceless tidbit of useless information!!

Caro in Oz

Veteran

dustt - you are funny X2 & I knew what you meant

Gigi

Veteran

I have a bottle of bluing...but I don't know if I never used enough of it, because my clothes were still yellow! I always put in about four drops. Didn't do a thing. Do you have to start with the bluing before the yellowing sets in?

dustt

Veteran

depending on the load size - up to a quarter tsp - diluted in a quart of water after the washing machine fills back up on the final rinse - no bleach and no fabric softener - keep trying!! if it's really old and severely yellowed there maybe nothing that can help it - but I've gotten some seriously yellowed tablecloths and white shirts WHITE again.

Gigi

Veteran

Thanks, dustt! I always put my bluing in with the wash water; maybe that was the problem. I'll give it another try!

crutcher

Veteran

I remember bluing from my own grandmother...Her clothes really never turned yellow because she was able...living in the south...to hang them out to dry all year long...What a wonderful memory...and it all came about because of yellow white jeans...smile..
Thanks ladies for your kind help...I appreciate your support...

karymk

Veteran

I soak whites in Bizz powder and hot water for a day.

Anonymous

What a great idea! Thanks for sharing, and I'm glad it worked!

kkards

Veteran

dustt, thanks for reminding me. i had forgot about bluing. (and i do remember the old ladies with the blue hair)

Aida

Veteran

Bluing sounds like it'd be more useful in a perpetually rainy place (like where I live), but I've got one of those water-saving-front-loading washers so there's no "water refill" stage the way a normal washer goes. I'd suspect that if I tried to add to the pre-rinse cycle it wouldn't get diluted enough. Hmm I'll have to think on that.

crutcher

Veteran

The May issue of InStyle came yesterday with a tip for keeping whites pristine (p. 384)...The piece said if you want to know how to keep whites really white, ask a chef...The procedure is to soak whites in hot water, plus Oxi-Clean for up to two hours before washing...Says it really works...
(With this PSA, Ms. Wishy-Washy retires...)

crutcher

Veteran

I added some information from InStyle...

rabbit

Veteran

Oxi Clean is kind of miraculous.

So my uncle showed me how they did the bluing thing in his family (I think his dad had a dry cleaning shop). After whatever bleaching/yellowing happened, either from use or because you were getting a stain out, take a plastic tub big enough for the item to circulate freely and add cold water. Add drops of bluing until the water is the color of a clear summer sky - mid range sky blue (it helps to have a white tub). Add your stuff and swish around. I don't remember if we washed it after.

You can test with ratty handkerchiefs first. If you add way too much bluing, whites will turn grayish, but it really takes a fair amount to get to this point.

Gigi

Veteran

Thanks, crutcher and rabbit! I have had good luck with Oxi Clean (well, with the "natural" knockoff, Oxo Brite), but some shirts are resistant. I will try soaking them separately in bluing, like rabbit suggests, instead of doing a whole load of whites. I have cream skinnies that I wash with the whites, and I want those to retain their yellowish hue. :^)