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When it comes to wardrobe basics, white clothing are an absolute essential. Whether it’s a crisp, button-down or simple T-shirt, white is versatile enough for all occasions, and also goes with all other colours, making outfit pairing a breeze. The downside? Whites tend to fade or yellow over time, especially if they’re worn often. Here are some tips to keep your all-white garments and linens looking as good as new:
1. Wash White Separately
It may be tempting to toss all your unwashed clothes into the washing machine, but doing so will dull white clothes over time. Coloured garments lose some of their dye molecules during the washing process, which then transfers onto white fabrics. Therefore, only launder white items together at all times.
2. Sun Your Clothing
If you have hung printed clothes out to sun before, you may have noticed instances where prints slightly fade. This is due to the sun’s natural bleaching properties. As a result, hanging out your white clothing does wonders to keep it bright in an eco-friendly manner.
3. Tackle Coloured Stains
Address a food or drink spill immediately to avoid potentially “setting” it during the washing process. Stains can be pre-treated with agents such as enzyme detergents and oxygen bleach. It is advisable to test the colour fastness on a small area of the fabric before adding a stain remover.
When using bleach, check that the fabric can be bleached in the first place on the care label as the information is readily available.
4. Remove Perspiration Stains
To rid perspiration and deodorant stains, pre-treat with liquid detergent, dishwashing liquid or clear shampoo. Simply apply directly onto the stain and scrub with an old toothbrush. Rinse with clear water after, and wash the fabric as usual in the washing machine.
5. Try Some Natural Alternatives
To remove discolouration and keep your whites gleaming, add one cup of lemon juice or distilled vinegar to the wash cycle. While both have natural bleaching elements, lemon also helps your clothes smell fresh.
6. Use Optical Brighteners for Maximum Effect
Using a detergent that contains optical brighteners will make fabrics appear whiter than they actually are. The brighteners bend UV light waves to showcase blue light, minimising the amount of yellow light your eyes see, which in turn make fabrics appear whiter.
7. Do Not Overload Your Washing Machine
Resist the urge to overload your washing machine. Detergent loosens dirt and grime on clothes, but there needs to be enough space between items and enough water to really give your items a thorough clean.
8. The Right Dosage
When measuring detergent to add to your load of laundry, know that less is always more. Too much detergent and fabric softener coats fabrics, and when there is a lot of residue on clothes they attract and stick to dirt. For peace of mind, choose Bosch washing machines with i-DOS technology, an automatic dosing system that dispenses the precise amount of liquid detergent for perfect cleaning.
9. Dry Clothes on Low Heat if You Use a Dryer
High heat can singe fabrics in a dryer so always follow directions on clothing labels. To be safe, use a lower heat setting and take the clothes out of the dryer while they are still a little damp to allow them to dry naturally.
10. Clean Your Washing Machine
To remove odours in the washing machine or to clean the drum, run the Cotton 90°C program or the Drum Clean program, without laundry. Add washing powder or a detergent containing bleach.
