If initially a white T-shirt served exclusively as an element of men's underwear, today it is a completely independent item of clothing. Moreover, both women's and children's. It would seem, what is special about it? However, a simple light T-shirt can liven up both a formal suit and bad trousers. It complements a jacket of any color favorably, and in combination with a black bottom gives the image solemnity and elegance. The only drawback of white clothes is that they get dirty. But this trouble can be overcome.
How to bleach a white jersey T-shirt
Classic, high-quality white T-shirts are made from cotton jersey with minimal addition of synthetic fibers. It is not difficult to bleach a white T-shirt made from natural material, since cotton withstands aggressive influences and retains its structure and shape. You can safely use one of the following three methods.
Before starting whitening, carefully study the composition of the product, which is indicated on the label. Methods for knitwear are suitable if the item consists of 50% or more natural fibers.
Chlorine
Peculiarities. If your shirt has turned grey, the easiest way is to use bleach or another chlorine-based bleach. It is useful to repeat this procedure after several washes. But follow the recommended proportions and time, otherwise chlorine may damage the fibers.
Instructions
- Wash the T-shirt as usual.
- Prepare a solution at the rate of one tablespoon of bleach per 3 liters of hot water.
- Dip the T-shirt in the bleach and soak it thoroughly.
- Leave for 15-20 minutes.
- Rinse thoroughly in cold water.
Boiling
Peculiarities. Removing old yellow stains from a white cotton T-shirt is more difficult. If you want to restore the freshness of your favorite T-shirt, which you are not ready to part with, you will have to revive it by boiling.
Instructions
- Pour water into a large enamel pan or basin and dissolve bleach for natural fabrics in it (see the instructions for the product for the quantity) and a couple of spoons of washing powder (shavings of laundry soap).
- Submerge the shirt in water.
- Place the container on the stove and boil the product for 15 minutes to an hour, depending on the degree of contamination.
- From time to time, turn the T-shirt over with a wooden spatula so that the item is evenly saturated with the solution.
- After boiling, leave the T-shirt to cool in the soapy solution.
- Rinse the item in a large volume of water.
Ammonia
Peculiarities. Experienced housewives know that using ammonia can get rid of various contaminants, so they use the drug to clean the house. An ammonia aqueous solution will also help get rid of stains on a white T-shirt and return it to its whiteness.
Instructions
- Mix three tablespoons of ammonia and 3 liters of warm water (30°C).
- Place the washed T-shirt in the solution for three hours.
- You can speed up whitening by adding a little washing powder.
- Rinse.
- If possible, dry the T-shirt in the sun to ensure the effect lasts.
The best stain removers for white clothes
White products contain bleaches to maintain or restore the color of fabrics.
Such stain removers can be used to remove stains of various origins or sometimes added to washing powder to remove a yellowish or grayish tint on old clothes.
Clean Home Express effect
4.9
★★★★★ editorial assessment
87% of buyers recommend this product
Clean Home Express effect is a dry bleach with an environmentally friendly composition. It is suitable for all types of fabrics, including delicates and woolen items. The stain remover does not contain aggressive components - it is effective due to the active oxygen in the composition.
The product performs well in removing old stains from drinks and food, blood, ink and chemical dyes. It can be used to remove stains before the main wash or poured into the machine along with powder to enhance the effect.
The powder is supplied in 1 kg plastic buckets with a sealed lid and a measuring spoon inside. According to the manufacturer, one such package is enough for 125 kg of laundry. When dry, the product has a light aroma, but the smell does not remain on things.
Pros:
- does not contain chlorine and phosphates;
- does not smell;
- there is a measuring spoon;
- economical consumption;
- convenient packaging.
Minuses:
does not work at low temperatures.
The manufacturer claims that the powder is effective in cold water. Housewives recommend the product, first of all, as a supplement to powder when washing in water no colder than 40 degrees.
Frosch
4.7
★★★★★ editorial assessment
84% of buyers recommend this product
German stain remover Frosch is designed for application to stains before the main wash cycle. It contains no chlorine, the main active ingredient is citrate salt of citric acid. Thanks to this, the product is safe for all types of fabric and suitable for children's clothes.
The stain remover is sold in a 75 ml plastic tube. It is applied using a foam tip, which ensures deep penetration of the formula into the fabric with minimal consumption.
Pros:
- unexpressed citrus aroma;
- copes well with stains;
- environmentally friendly composition without chlorine;
- ease of use;
- can be used for children's clothing.
Minuses:
- Sold only in small 75 ml bottles;
- difficult to wash.
The product is designed for washing white clothes, but buyers assure that it can also be used with most colored fabrics. Thanks to its gentle composition, the stain remover will not spoil bright clothes.
Vanish Gold Oxi Action “Crystal White”
4.7
★★★★★ editorial assessment
73% of buyers recommend this product
See review
Vanish Gold Oxi Action powder stain remover for white clothes is one of the most advertised products. The manufacturer promises to remove any stain within 30 seconds and lighten the fabric by 3 tones.
This bleach is used in different ways: in paste form for application to an old stain, diluted for pre-soaking clothes, and also as a detergent enhancer.
Housewives confirm the declared quality and recommend combining all methods of use to clean the most stubborn stains, as well as washing white items with Vanish at a temperature of 60-90 degrees to obtain maximum effect.
Among the active substances of the product are surfactants, active oxygen and enzymes. There are no phosphates or chlorine in the composition, which means that the stain remover does not spoil the structure of the fabric fibers. The powder is sold in plastic buckets with a screw-on lid of 90, 250, 500 or 1000 g.
Pros:
- convenient packaging;
- can be bought in almost every store;
- measuring spoon included;
- copes with various contaminants;
- does not contain chlorine and phosphates;
- removes yellowness and grayness.
Minuses:
- not suitable for wool, silk and leather;
- Strong smell.
Before use, it is recommended to test the product on an inconspicuous area of clothing.
Methods for synthetic products
Remember that synthetic fabrics cannot be bleached in the same way as natural ones. If you ignore the following recommendations, the gray tint will become permanent and the structure of the fabric will be damaged:
- do not boil synthetic T-shirts and do not wash them in hot water;
- do not use bleaches or powders with chlorine;
- do not push too hard;
- Do not dry in direct sunlight.
Oxygen bleach will help wash a yellowed white synthetic T-shirt. The choice of such funds is quite wide. For example, Ariel or Tide gel capsules do a good job. You can also use the folk remedies described below.
Potassium permangantsovka
Peculiarities. Helps eliminate yellow spots and refreshes white color. The concentration of potassium permanganate should be minimal, otherwise brown spots will appear on the white background.
Instructions
- Dissolve several crystals of potassium permanganate in warm water.
- Make sure that the grains dissolve without sediment.
- Pour potassium permanganate into the soaking container. The solution should be pale pink.
- Add laundry detergent and mix everything well.
- Place the washed T-shirt in the solution for about an hour.
- Rinse.
Salt
Peculiarities. A synthetic jersey with a rich history is unlikely to be brought back to life. Washed clothes not only turn gray, but also become covered with pills - part with this T-shirt and buy a new one. But if your T-shirt needs to be restored, ordinary table salt will help save it.
Instructions
- Dilute 500 g of salt in 5 liters of warm water.
- Soak the T-shirt for three to four hours.
- Wash it.
Soda and ammonia
Peculiarities. This product will help restore the color of a T-shirt if it has turned gray over time or after repeated washing.
Instructions
- Dilute two tablespoons of ammonia and two tablespoons of soda in 10 liters of warm water.
- Soak for at least three hours.
- Powder wash the T-shirt and rinse thoroughly to remove the particles that give the fabric a gray tint.
If white turns yellow
White clothes turn yellow due to hard water, as a result of using washing powders for colored clothes, insufficient rinsing, or lying in the closet for a long time. Also, if a T-shirt is left in a closet before it is completely dry, small spots of mold may form on it. How to remove a yellow stain from a white T-shirt? Natural fabrics will be saved by the same digestion. But if the item is made of synthetics, you need to know how to remove yellow stains from a T-shirt without boiling.
Laundry soap
- Soak the T-shirt in slightly warm water for several hours.
- Rub with 72% laundry soap until rich foam forms.
- Fill with warm water and leave for another hour.
- Wash and rinse.
- It is advisable to repeat the procedure again.
Ammonia
- Dissolve three to four tablespoons of pharmaceutical ammonia in 10 liters of warm water.
- Soak the shirt for three to four hours.
Peroxide
- Add a tablespoon of peroxide to 5 liters of warm water.
- If the fabric turns gray, add a tablespoon of ammonia or soda to the peroxide.
- Soak the T-shirt for half an hour.
- To ensure even whitening, turn the T-shirt over several times.
How to remove stains on a T-shirt
- Butter can be removed from any material using “fresh traces” with dishwashing detergent. Apply it thickly onto the greasy mark, do not wash it off for 2-3 hours, rinse and put the blouse in the wash.
- To enhance the effect, it is useful to mix the dishwashing gel with baking soda and generously spread the dirty area on the back and front sides of the product.
- Scrub the stain with a toothbrush and after 10 minutes, rinse with warm water. The method perfectly removes greasy marks, but it is recommended to use it for high-quality, well-dyed fabric.
How to remove grease stains on a T-shirt if they are fresh? Rub them as hard as possible. soap and leave to soak for several hours.
Oil stains and other dirt can be removed with ordinary vinegar. Dilute it with water 1:1, wet the stain on the T-shirt and rub lightly. After 1 hour, the product needs to be spun in the washing machine.
For dark colored T-shirts, you can use mustard powder. Dilute the mustard with water until creamy and apply to the stained area for 30 minutes before washing.
Anti-stain measures
You can quickly get rid of stains of any nature on a white T-shirt using baking soda. Just wet the “blot” and gently rub the product into it with a sponge or soft brush. Leave for half an hour and then wash. Baking soda is also effective for machine washing: add a tablespoon to a portion of washing powder and that’s it.
If the stains are old, then enhance the effect of soda with peroxide and ammonia. Proceed in three steps.
- Mix five tablespoons of soda, three tablespoons of ammonia or peroxide until smooth.
- Apply the mixture to the stain and leave for three hours.
- Wash it.
It is not always possible to remove stains from a white T-shirt even by boiling. Sweat leaves salts on fabrics that traditional bleaches do not respond to. In this case, ammonia works effectively. Apply the product to a fresh stain with a cotton pad and wash after 20 minutes. Old stains will disappear if you mix ammonia with salt.
How to remove a stain from white clothes: a few tips
1. Don't put off washing.
The sooner you start cleaning a fresh stain from your clothes, the better you will get it out. This is especially important for white clothes. You can start by washing it as usual (stain remover will also help during washing).
*You can use laundry soap. To do this, you need to treat the stain with a small bar and then wipe it with a brush (if the type of fabric allows).
2. Do not use chlorinated bleach.
White is also a color and using chlorinated bleach on white clothing will remove the white color from the fabric. It is best to use peroxide-based bleach.
3. Do not soak the stain.
This will only help the stain set into the fabric even more.
4. Keep the stain away from heat.
It is better to keep dirty clothes in a dry place, away from sunlight. Also, do not dry your clothes with a hairdryer, as the remaining stains will eat into the fabric even more.
Do not iron clothes that have a stain on them.
5. Dishwashing detergent is great for pre-cleaning stains.
6. You can mix peroxide with dishwashing detergent and apply the resulting mixture to the stain.
In severe cases, you can leave the mixture on for a while and wash it off later.
In what cases can only dry cleaning help clothes?
It happens that the only way to clean your clothes is to take them to the dry cleaner. Here's when to do it:
1. Immediately after a stain from fatty foods (cheese, butter) appears.
2. Immediately after contamination of delicate fabrics that cannot be washed in a machine (silk, wool, cashmere).
3. There is an old stain on the clothes.
T-shirts with a pattern
Prints are applied to fabric using thermal printing. The paint penetrates deep into the fibers and adheres firmly. You can bleach or remove stains from a white T-shirt with a pattern using any of the above methods that are suitable for the composition of the fabric.
Some precautions exist only for items decorated with batik or embroidery - it is not advisable to boil them or wash them in hot water. Such clothes are washed by hand and refreshed with special bleaches.
- Oxygen. They do not cause allergies, do not require boiling or hand washing. The composition includes baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. When combined with water, the powder releases oxygen, which breaks down dirt and eliminates odors. Stains from sweat, food, grass and other organic contaminants are affected, but the design does not suffer.
- Optic. In fact, it is not even bleach - the optical effect of radiant whiteness is provided by reflective particles covering the fabric. Suitable for plain T-shirts without large stains or yellowing. It will also not be possible to bleach a faded white T-shirt, but optical brightener will give a shine to a T-shirt that is slightly gray from washing.
What to do with the “colored victim”
We know very well that white items need to be separated from colored items before washing, but anything can happen. Let's say your favorite T-shirt got into a washing machine with colored clothes. What to do if she turns all the colors of the rainbow? Act quickly and in three stages.
- Immediately soak the T-shirt in ice water and laundry detergent.
- In another container, dissolve a double dose of suitable bleach and soak the T-shirt for six hours.
- Boil a cotton T-shirt with powder and bleach.
These measures do not help in all cases. If stains remain, mix shavings of 72% laundry soap with half a glass of salt, add a tablespoon of starch and citric acid. Apply the paste from the inside out for six to eight hours. Rinse under running water or in a washing machine. This method can “revive” a white item in 80% of cases.
Hydrogen peroxide and hydroperide
If you need to restore the whiteness of things, but you have neither laundry soap nor whiteness on hand, then just add 3% hydrogen peroxide or one hydroperide tablet to the water, and your T-shirt or socks will be snow-white.
These products work great on both thin and thick fabrics. You need to add 200 ml of peroxide or 10 hydroperide tablets to five liters of water and put the item that needs to be whitened into the solution. After 3 hours, clothes can be rinsed in clean cold water with added salt.
So if you are thinking about how to bleach a T-shirt at home, then you should resort to this method. You just need to wash it first, as usual. It is not recommended to wash things after peroxide or hydroperide; the reaction with the powder can be unpredictable.
How to maintain snow-whiteness
Your clothes will remain neat for a long time if you follow simple care rules:
- monitor the temperature when washing and ironing: an overheated iron leaves yellow-brown prints, and too hot water deforms clothes;
- be careful with the sun - direct sunlight is beneficial for white linen and cotton items, but artificial fabrics turn gray and yellow in the sun;
- control the humidity - in the room where clothes are stored, as well as in the closet, do not leave half-dry items on the shelves;
- use the “correct” hygiene products - persistent yellow stains remain after using deodorants containing aluminum;
- soften the water when washing - basic folk remedies like vinegar do not allow hard water salts to turn white fabric yellow.
It is not always possible to wash a yellowed white T-shirt to its pristine whiteness. Therefore, it is better to use the described recommendations and not run things.
