When it comes to saving your stained white clothing, it’s important to consider that each spot needs a specific plan of action, depending on what caused the spill in the first place. It’s not exactly a perfect science, but we sure have learned a lot in our laundry rooms through good old trial and error!
Because we’ve managed to stamp out quite a few unsightly stains in our day, we have compiled a handy guide to help you maintain your most treasured “lights”. Here are 9 ways to keep your white fabrics white! For full tutorials, be sure to click on the links below.
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Baking Soda
The Doctors
If you are a seasoned DIY cleaner, we are sure it comes as no surprise to you that this household cure-all tops our list. While this magic powder will banish pretty much any discoloration, we think it works best on getting rid of nasty armpit stains. As a bonus, it also diffuses odor!
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OxiClean
inujillow via Flickr
Though we aren’t one for promoting store-bought products – there are usually better dupes that can be found in your kitchen cupboard! – we have to admit that OxiClean really does pack a punch, especially when it comes to caked-on food stains. Hey, it isn’t the top-selling laundry pre-treater for nothing!
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Aloe Vera
ruben25 via Deposit Photos
Who knew that the stuff that heals sunburns and dry skin is the very thing that removes pesky grease and oil stains from clothing? Believe it or not, using pure aloe as a pre-treater helps to dissolve even the most hopeless of drips and smears.
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Dish Soap
Clean My Space
Accidentally throw your new white t-shirt in with your darks? A mixture of ordinary dish soap, water, and glycerin will bring that tee back to its original color in just one load. Kiss color transfer goodbye!
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Cream of Tartar
Joe Mabel via Wikipedia Commons
It’s not just an ingredient used in baking—this powdery stuff actually doubles as an effective pre-treater. Just mix some cream of tartar with water and spread onto any offending stain before the wash cycle. Works like magic!
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Borax
Joe Mabel via Wikipedia Commons
Aside from being a pretty mean toilet cleaner, this borax mixture also works wonders on white fabrics that have lost their brilliance. It’s a great way to make your lights look like new again.
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Lemon Juice
tookapic via Pixabay
A must for those searching for a gentler alternative to bleach! A simple lemon juice, water, and hydrogen peroxide concoction works just as well as those harsh chemicals, all without the noxious smell.
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Distilled White Vinegar
Mike Mozart
It’s no secret that ordinary white vinegar has the ability to make even the stinkiest of clothing smell great, but many don’t know that it also has a whitening effect. Throw some in your next load, and you will see a difference!
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Clothesline
Mike LaCon via Flickr
On top of being an environmentally-friendly alternative to the dryer, hanging white clothes from a clothesline actually helps to preserve their snowy hue. After all, faded white is still bright white!
Now that you know all about how to remedy your white clothes’ worst stains, we want to hear from you. Have you tried any of the aforementioned methods? If so, were you happy with your results? Do you have any that you would like to add to the list?
