Laundering white denim - YouLookFab Forum

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Laundering white denim

Antje

Veteran

Now that I "got it" and am embracing white denim (yay) I'd love to know how to wash it. I'm a klutz and get dirty - think coffee or food stains, grey marks from brushing my dirty car, etc. Embarassing but true. Do I throw bleach in the washer? Any advice appreciated Thanks!

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14 replies

Latest reply was from Tanya

Jenniferblue

Antje, First read the fabric care label inside the white denim jeans. The label should give you a good starting point as far a laundering. You also need to look at the fiber content in the fabric. Don't add bleach without knowing if your pants can take it. Sometimes it turns fabrics yellow. I'd start with an easier hand and work on specific stains as they crop up. Hope this helps.

Laura

I'm not sure what you should use, but don't use bleach. Over time, this will break down the fabric, and the fabric will end up thinner and thinner. I've had good luck with shout, but then again I don't stain things very often. Sorry I couldn't help more!!

Dana

Antje, do you have a washer that you can soak things in? I have two young boys who are always getting stains on their clothes and I put all my whites (mind you, I haven't ever washed white jeans so I can't attest to that) on a hot wash with regular detergent (I use Tide free) and a scoop of oxiclean powder. I let them sit in the washer overnight after they've aggitated a little to mix them all up and I usually get most things out that way.
I probably wouldn't wash the jeans on hot but warm should work. Our whites stay pretty clean and bright. For really bad stains I use clorox 2 the color safe bleach, but I don't know what that would do to the fabric.

Julia

I always keep a Tide to Go pen with me. I use it immediately if I get a stain so I don't have to wash the whole piece too often. It's been working greatly for me.

Nicole

Veteran

I can assure that your new jeans care instructions will suggest you use chlorine bleach. It will probably say 'use non chlorine bleach when needed'. I do about 2 loads of white laundry each week in the summer (1 in the winter), and I do use bleach and hot water. But when I get my new white jeans, I wont be bleaching them. Actually ever since YLF, I've been washing my nicer clothes seperately from the rest of my family and hanging them to dry.

Shout will work on any dirt type stains. Lestoil will work on any grease based stains. And non chlorine bleach will keep them white and shiny. Keep them out of the dryer and keep the water warm. If you find a stain didn't come out after washing it, you could try throwing it in with some chlorine bleach--but I wouldn't bleach them on a regular basis.

Tanya

Veteran

I know that this is a silly question, but could you tell me the name/brand of the non-chlorine bleach Nicole? I have been looking for it forever and I still haven't found it.

Nicole

Veteran

Dixiegirl mentioned it in her post too.. Clorox 2 and Seventh Generation makes one that is supposedly more earth friendly.

Tanya

Veteran

Hmm I could swear that Clorox 2 contains chlorine, but I could be wrong. Thanks for the info, I'll look for Seventh generation!

Nicole

Veteran

Hmmm I don't think so...I could be wrong. I thought the whole concept of color safe bleach is it didn't contain chlorine. This site might be helpful for you...

http://healthek.com/bleach/

Where is Shiny? She's the self proclaimed Laundry Queen or something like that.

Tanya

Veteran

I just checked the label on my Clorox 2 bottle and it just says: 'whitening agent'.
I hate when manufacturers are so vague about the chemical composition of their stuff. I have emailed them and asked, hopefully they answer soon and I'll let you know.

Jenniferblue

Thanks for the reminder Julia. I have to get a new Tide-to-Go pen for the summer. Really great for all those summer "oops" moments. Keep one in your purse. Angie also talked using (hmmm, what was it?) Tilex on certain stains. Only on certain fabrics. Hopefully someone will remember the details.
Love whites and cottons in summer but the downside is there's more laundry to do to keep things looking fresh and bright. A small price to pay!!

shiny

Veteran

Laundry queen here!

I always use Wisk. There is something about this brand that makes your clothes stain-resistant to begin with. I think Tide may have followed suit as well. If you prefer cheaper brands, just alternate every few washes with Wisk - and use Wisk the first time you wash. It really does seem to protect your clothes and make removing stains a lot easier.

For whites use hot water (I use cold on everything else). Wash whites separately - make sure you remove those red socks from your pants legs before you throw the whites in there!!

I would NOT use bleach.

For stain removal, I use Zout.

To keep whites white, try this product: http://www.mrsstewart.com/pages/purpose.htm

I just learned about this... have yet to try it but it sounds intriguing!

Antje

Veteran

Thanks to all of you laundry queens! I'll get one of those Tide-do-go pens, sounds very practical and perfect for me. And I'll try Wisk, I think! I usually use 7th Generation or another eco-friendly detergent, but sometimes there seems to be a tradeoff between using eco-friendly detergents and getting stuff really clean. I might try the 7th Generation non-chlorine bleach, maybe that'll do the trick. And maybe I can even manage not to get my white not too dirty, but somehow I think I should brace myself
The only thing I'm still unsure about is the warm vs. hot water. Seems like the opnions are split; I might just go with warm to start. Better safe than sorry...
Just like Nicole, I started about a year ago to wash most of my clothes separately from the rest of my family's (I do mostly cold washes on gentle cycle for mine now), and line-dry most of them.

Tanya

Veteran

I have just heard back from the Chlorox 2 company, it indeed does not contain chlorine. Hooray! Nicole was right