How to wash white clothes that turn yellow?

Many people like to wear white clothes. White clothes look cleaner and make people more energetic. However, white clothes often turn yellow after being washed a few times. You can continue to wear white clothes after they turn yellow. It would be a pity to throw them away. The following editor will tell you how to wash white clothes that have turned yellow. This way you can wear white clothes for a long time.

Generally speaking, there are several reasons why white clothes turn yellow:

Fluorescence agent weakens

Fluorescent whitening agent is a fluorescent dye, also known as white dye, and is also a complex organic compound. Its characteristic is that it can excite the incident light to produce fluorescence, so that the dyed substance obtains a sparkling effect similar to fluorite, making the substance visible to the naked eye very white, achieving a whitening effect. If the fluorescent agent on white clothes becomes weaker, they will not look so white naturally. White clothes without the fluorescent agent will appear yellowish visually.

Protein stain coagulation

Our clothes will be exposed to many protein stains during the process of wearing and using. If the water temperature is too high during washing, the protein will coagulate on the fabric. If it cannot be completely washed, the protein coagulated on the fabric will oxidize and become more and more yellow over time. So it is important to note that when washing white clothes that are worn close to the skin, try not to use too high a temperature.

Oil residue from the body

Sometimes, we will see serious yellowing under the arms or inside the collar of white clothes. In fact, that is because sometimes, the main reason for the yellowing of white or light-colored clothes is the oil secreted by the human body, especially clothes made of polyester fabrics, which are more prone to yellowing. In addition, there are soap residues left over from washing. If they are not rinsed thoroughly, they will cause large areas of clothes to turn yellow.

Tips for washing yellowed white clothes

If white clothes turn yellow, add bleach to the detergent solution and soak for 20-30 minutes before washing. This can restore the original white color simply and quickly, but, as we all know, bleach is harmful to both the human body and fabrics, so it should not be used frequently. So what other methods are there that don’t require bleach? Next, I will teach you some tips on how to wash white clothes that have turned yellow.

Natural methods

Rice washing water: Do not pour out the water used to wash rice. You can soak white clothes in the rice washing water. Soak them for a while, soak the yellowed clothes in it and rub them. When you take them out, you can see that the clothes have returned to their whiteness.

Boil orange peels in water: Keep the orange peels you have eaten and boil them in boiling water. Then soak and scrub the yellowed white clothes in the boiled yellow water, and the white clothes will be as white as new.

Lemon juice and salt: When washing white silk fabrics, add some lemon juice to the water to make the clothes whiter. If the yellowed area on the white clothes is relatively small, you can put some lemon juice on the white surface, then add a little salt and rub it to remove it. Then hang the yellowed clothes in the sun to dry.

Boil spinach in water: If white clothes are kept for a long time, they will turn yellow. The main component of the yellow stains is protein. Spinach will release soluble protein components after being boiled in water. 1. Buy a handful of spinach, blanch it in hot water, then remove the spinach and leave only the boiling soup for later use. 2. Rub the area with yellow stains in the spinach water and soak for 10 minutes. 3. Remove the clothes after soaking and wash them in the normal washing process. Done. The clothes are white again. However, if your white clothes are not pure, they may be stained.

Chemical methods

Ammonia: Ammonia can easily restore white clothes to their original state. When washing, you can add two drops of ammonia to the water to completely restore the white color.

Hydrogen peroxide: To bleach silk and wool fabrics, you can use 3% concentration of hydrogen peroxide, the liquid volume is 10 times the weight of the fabric, and add a little ammonia water to make it weakly alkaline. After soaking and bleaching for 5-10 hours at room temperature, wash and dry.

Ink: In a basin of clean cold water, drop 3-5 drops of pure blue ink, stir it with your hands, then put the washed white clothes into the water, pull them up and down 3-5 times, and take them out to dry.

How to Prevent White Clothes from Yellowing

Wash white clothing separately from other clothes, even those of similar colors or those that do not fade. Soak white clothes in clean water for fifteen minutes after washing, and try not to leave any residue of soap, laundry detergent, etc. on the clothes. When drying clothes, turn them inside out with the inside facing the sun and the outside facing the shade.

If the fabric of your white clothes is silk, you can soak it in skimmed milk, or you can put some milk in the water when washing. Milk can keep the color white and prevent the clothes from turning yellow.