6 Natural Ways to Whiten Clothing

Written by Saumya Gaur  • 

Of all the colors, the one color that truly embodies the characteristics of grace, poise and elegance is the color white. Nothing can beat the classic combination of a white shirt and blue jeans or the graceful white saree with a golden or red border. Although, as much as we love wearing white, it becomes difficult to do so simply because of how much maintenance and effort goes into maintaining white clothing. Even things like the everyday grime and pollution can ruin your clothing. The white clothes may lose their sheen due to sweat and oil stains. It also happens that after a couple of washes, white clothes lose their original sheen and take on a yellowish hue. All this leaves your precious white clothing looking old and dull.

Now, you can either take the dry clean route in order to restore the clothes to their former glory or you can use the products available in the market. While dry cleaning won’t necessarily restore the clothes to their former self, the products that are sold specifically for the upkeep of white clothes might work well. However, these products are loaded with chemicals that might be harmful to your skin as well as for the environment too (1), (2). In order to avoid using them, let us look at some of the DIY methods, which make use of natural ingredients to whiten clothing at home, that too without harming the environment.

1. Use White Vinegar

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Yes, you heard that right, we said vinegar. But no, this is not the kind that you use as a condiment. White vinegar is also known to soften clothes, and you can also use it to breathe life back into your dull, yellowing white clothes (3). All you have to do is add about half to one cup of white vinegar to your detergent and wash your clothes as you usually do. You can also rub a little vinegar on the areas that are prone to staining, and let it sit for a while before washing it.

2. Add Lemon Juice To The Mix

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That’s right, that lemon sitting in your fridge doesn’t just come handy for making a salad dressing or lemonade, it can also help in brightening and whitening of white clothes. All you have to do is add a tablespoon of lemon juice while putting the clothes in a normal wash cycle in the washing machine. You can also boil the clothes along with some lemon juice, and then let them sit in it for a while before you give them a rinse (4).

3. Use Borax

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Borax is a natural mineral which is readily available in the market. It is basically a salt of boric acid. Yes, it is a chemical but like everything else, it isn’t harmful when used in moderate quantities. Usually, the laundry detergents that we use leave residue behind on the clothes which make them appear dingy over time. Adding a spoonful of borax to the mix while doing laundry can remove this residue and leave them in near-mint condition (5).

4. Separate Your Clothes

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This might seem obvious, still, let us state it for the benefit of everyone. It is common knowledge that you should wash your white clothes separately, still, if you end up lumping your white clothes with light-colored clothes, it is better to stop that. This is because even minuscule amounts of color transfer can make your white clothes look grey and dull.

5. Let The Sun Do Some Work

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If you wash your clothes in an automatic washing machine and dry them in the dryer, it might be time to revisit this policy. Hanging your clothes out to dry them in the sun not only conserves energy, but it is also a great method of lightening your clothes. The UV rays of the sun remove the residue present in the clothes making them appear brighter.

6. Baking Soda

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This easy-to-find kitchen ingredient is also a great stain-fighting tool. If you want to remove a few stains on your white clothing, you can do a spot treatment by applying a paste of baking soda and water to the stains and letting them sit for a while before washing. Otherwise, you can also just add about half a cup of baking soda along with your detergent when you put them in the machine for washing (6).

Now, the next time you think of throwing away that yellowish kurta, which you used to love in its earlier pristine white condition, just try any of these methods. The trick to prolonging the utility and longevity of white clothing is its maintenance. You can now do that easily without using harmful chemicals like bleach. You can also take better care of your clothes by avoiding the use of hard water to wash them and not spraying them with perfume or other sprays, as both these things stain them. If you have any other tricks or grandma’s secrets to whiten clothing, share them in the comments section.

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