The pain of every mother’s existence – keeping white school shirts, white. From sweat, stains, paint, grass burns, dirt, discolouring or just colour bleeding from other washing, white school shirts always have a short life span. But before you reach for the bleach, the ultimate chemical cleaner, try some a few of these safer, less-toxic DIY solutions out instead.
Reach for the lemons
Instead of calling it quits on those white school shirts, try boiling the shirt with lemons or lemon juice. Turn up the heat until the water bubbles and then let them soak for about an hour. You can also add lemon juice to your regular wash cycle to achieve similar results.
Power of the sun
Once your whites are freshly washed and wet, skip the dryer cycle. Instead of making them suffer through a super high heat, lay the shirts out in the sun to naturally whiten them. The sun is a natural bleacher without the dangers of chemical bleach. If you’ve ever left something out in the sun for a long period of time, you’d know just how whitening its rays can be.
Add white vinegar
Get your whites white again by adding a dose of white vinegar during the wash cycle. White vinegar even softens fabric, bringing brightness and comfort back to your clothes.
Ever try baking soda?
Combine four litres of water with one cup of baking soda and drop in your white laundry. Let it soak and your clothes will be fresh and clean once finished.
Dishwasher soap works too
Dishwasher detergent works really well to whiten whites. Simply blend a bit in with your regular laundry detergent and run your whites through their regular wash cycle.
