I always use soda crystals in every wash and use white vinegar instead of fabric conditioner. Separate whites from colours and don't keep washing at low temperatures. This also keeps the washing machine in good nick. Sunlight is also good for natural bleaching. Great video.
I've dabbled with all these methods and they do work to one degree or another. Once fool-proof method for me is using RIT Color Remover or RIT White Wash. The products are very similar - in fact the ingredients seem to be the same. The stove-top method is superior to simply adding it to the wash IMO. I have rescued several shirts, including one of my formal pique shirts that was washed (not by me, grrr) AFTER a load of colors but somehow still picked up a pink hue from the previous load. The shirt was properly pink and IMMEDIATELY turned super white again when submerging in the RIT product. The process is not for the faint of heart; the area needs to be well-ventilated and a mask is also recommended, but it works.
Here’s another tip… When you wash your whites, be sure if you have hard water that you regularly clean your washing machine filters which can trap rust particles. These often leave orange spots on white garments if you’re not careful. Also, when you’re done washing them hang them outside for the sun to do a full natural whitening process.
My favorite comment was that in order to reduce neck stains, one should wash their neck! Having gone through basic training I can attest to the fact that some guys need to be told to wash their nooks and crannies. 😂
I switched to a keto diet cos I had an insulin production problem, one of the weird side affects was my shirt collars STOPPED getting dirty. So much so I could not tell if I had worn them or not.
One word..... Dawn. As many have stated wash as soon as possible (within 12hrs). Concentrated Dawn dish soap cuts through grease and oil like a champ. The blue color dye added to many laundry detergents is there to brighten whites. Treat stains directly with Dawn, massage into fabric with finger. I hand wash all my garments in a sink using dawn for soaking. When it comes to whites and light colors I always spot treat and soak as soon as I take them off. For any stain that stubbornly persists on whites I use a tiny drop of shoe cleaner and brush it in with a tooth brush adding water as I go so the product spreads out. I keep a small visine type eye dropper vessel filled with dawn in my bag at all times. The faster you treat any stain the better.
Best way to wash white shirts making shirts really white is using an oxygen releasing detergent such as Oxyclean in hot water. The active oxygen releasing ingredient in Oxyclean is sodium percarbonate which releases oxygen in hot water, with sodium carbonate (otherwise known as washing soda) as a decomposition product. For heavy biological stains such as yellowed collars and armpits, the ultimate stain removing material is Alconox, which is based on enzymatic action that breaks down protein stain by cleavage of the protein molecule. Since its action is enzymatic, and enzyme protein cleavage is a fairly slow chemical reaction it is best to soak the shirt for a fair period of time, (hours). Alconox is fairly expensive and it is usually sufficient to spray only the stanined areas, folowed by washing (peferably with soaking) using a peroxide/percarbonate detergent in hot water.. (do not use these materials to wash wool or silk, which are protein fibers--pure sodium carbonate for washing can be bought in bulk which is what I do; it is generally color safe and usually brightens colors)
One thing I try to do when I plan wear white is getting my hair and beard oil in two hours before getting dressed just because I've had beard oil seep onto a couple of collars in the past
I've been using the Laundress Bleach Alternative from your white t-shirt cleaning suggestions. It's works pretty good, but yes...in certain spots, even with a long soak, a brush should be taken to it. I'm really now interested in this Blueing agent. I'm going to buy some. I appreciate the video! Cheers.
As a veterinarian I will say hydrogen peroxide is amazing. I have an neat ruined many shirts during emergency farm calls with horse blood, but some peroxide and cold water will fix quite a lot.
@@edwardbevington9351 oh believe me. Works. I was amputating a damaged dog tail and missed a small skin artery when tying off vessels, I looked like Jack the Ripper. My technician had it white as a sheet in an hour. Now we did burn 1/2 a bottle of H2O2, but cheaper than a shirt lol.
I usualy like to use bile soap. Just soak the spot you want to clean and then rub the bile soap against the stain and let it sit for 15-30 min before washing.
From personal experience, fabric softener ruins anything I wash it with. If you wash waistcoats/jackets/coats without fabric softener, it will be fine. Sure, you may have to iron it out a bit but I have no choice because there isn't any dry cleaning place even remotely near me. DO NOT USE FABRIC SOFTENER WITH THICK COTTON YOUR CLOTHS WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN
@@carbonado2432 Coats fabric in a waxy substance. Clogs dispenser drawer and other stuff you can google. Best to use white vinegar. It doesn't make your clothes smell of vinegar and is good for your machine. I don't like my clothes smelling of fragrance as I have my own colognes for that.
@@carbonado2432 It eats away at the stuff I put in it, so there's just teeny tiny cotton fibers that get built up on the fabric. I guess it's supposed to be "soft"
Not necessarily related to the video, but how would it be best to dress gentlemanly while being an massive outdoors man (hiking, camping, sports, etc)?
What’s the consensus on vinegar and borax? I had an ER trip from a bad cut in which i leaked quite a bit of fluid on a white shirt. That combo got everything out
Here''s a pre-treating hack for white shirt collars, underarms and cuffs: Gently brush those sites with inexpensive, baking soda/peroxide-formula TOOTHPASTE!
To remove red wine or ballpoint, simply soak the white shirt in a bucket ( submerge) of full cream milk overnite and then wash on a regular shirt cycle with regular washing powder. The lactic acid in the milk thrives on these 2 items and you’ll be amazed at the result. Easy
Can a White Dress shirt be worn casually? Mine has somewhat of a texture to it but I think it looks fine with Dark Jeans or Chinos. I probably just answered my own question but I appreciate the content as always. I also have a few OCBS for when its cooler but haven't purchased a White one.
@@carbonado2432 For OCBDS I skip a White one so I completely agree. Like I said above my White Dress shirt has a bit of a texture to it so it can be dressed up or down easily. The most casual I'll go with it is probably a pair of Dark Wash jeans otherwise I normally stick with slacks and Chinos. Thanks for your comment. I use to wear gold chains when I was in school but now I prefer just a watch.
*MY TRICK* I have a 1970's communist washing machine that beats the living sh!t out of them - washing is mostly a mechanical process... ... but heavy gauge well made machinery is very expensive to produce so now we try to wash them for 4 hours with lots of chemicals.
@@alexmarques2398 The etimology of the word is to "un-color" (des- colorer) something. According to the oxford dictionary, it means "to change color, or to make the color of something change, in a way that makes it look less attractive". You may want to check the meaning of "wordplay" on the dictionary yourself, it should give you a hint. BTW You must be fun at parties LoL
