Want to keep your white linen sparkling? This mum’s inventive trick will help!
- Replies 3
There's nothing quite like the feeling of slipping into a freshly-laundered, crisp white shirt. Whether you're dressing for a special occasion or simply wanting to feel put-together for work, white always looks clean and polished.
But as anyone who's ever dealt with a laundry basket full of whites knows, keeping them looking bright is no easy feat.
If you're anything like we are - constantly on the hunt for a simple solution to turn your old clothing and linen sparkling white again - then we've got good news for you!
Home stylist Dina Santos has recently revealed a little-known trick for keeping your whites white during a wash cycle.
Sharing her hack on Instagram, the Brisbane mum said that all you need to do is to add two teaspoons each of salt and baking soda to each batch of white sheets during a wash cycle.
Credit: Instagram/@dina.sweethome.style_
"Add two full teaspoons of baking soda and two of salt flakes (I swear ladies, this works miracles and your whites come out beautifully)," she said in the clip.
For those of you who might be worried about using salt in your washing machines, it seems like the likelihood of it damaging the machine is low according to some appliance experts. So, this hack is definitely safe to use.
Dina also advised against overloading the drum with the clothing, pointing out that it will prevent the machine from doing its job of thoroughly cleaning each sheet.
She recommended: "Put all your whites in the washing compartment making sure you never overload."
The mum also noted that you should put whites on a warm wash so they "come out as fresh and clean as ever".
The video has gained thousands of views and hundreds of comments on social media from users thanking Dina for the inventive tip.
One person said: "This is such a fabulous tip. Can’t wait to try it."
"Baking soda is so good," another said.
A third chimed in: "I’m going to have to try this one! I’ve never used salt before."
The simple hack only requires the use of two teaspoons of salt and baking soda. Credit: Instagram/@dina.sweethome.style_.
It's not always a good idea to follow cleaning hacks from social media as we outlined in this article here. However, we have verified that baking soda is an excellent cleaning agent that you can use for a plethora of cleaning purposes.
Also, for those of you who are looking for more tips to whiten your laundry, don’t worry! We’ve got you covered!
Here are nine more easy tricks for maintaining the brightness of your linen without using harsh chemicals:
1. Distilled white vinegar
Pour one gallon of boiling water into a cup of distilled white vinegar. Place the white cloth in the mixture, let it soak there for the entire night, and then wash as usual. When washing white or colourful clothing, add one cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle to get rid of the detergent film that makes the clothes appear dingy.
2. Lemons
Lemons contain citric acid, which can bleach materials and is effective at whitening cotton, linen, and polyester fibres. One gallon of boiling water should be combined with a half cup of lemon juice (made from around four lemons). In the lemon water, add white clothes and let it soak for at least an hour. To make it whiter, you can soak it longer—even overnight. Next, wash as normal.
3. Baking Soda (without salt)
Add one cup of baking soda to a gallon of boiling water. After removing the pot from the heat, add the stained white clothing. Allow them to soak for at least an hour or maybe overnight. Wash the garments as usual. The sodium bicarbonate will aid in removing the soil that dulls cotton garments.
You can keep the brightness of your whites by using some unexpected cleaning agents. Credit: Getty Images.
4. Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is a gentle version of oxygen bleach that is safe to use on any washable fabrics. Use the same 3-percent solution that is available in pharmacies for first aid, and pour one cup to the bleach dispenser on the washing machine. Make sure the hydrogen peroxide is fresh because it degrades quickly (it should fizz when poured into a cup). Otherwise, you're just filling the washer with regular water.
5. Bluing
The traditional substance known as "bluing" adds a tiny amount of blue iron pigment to the fabric, which gives the impression that it is whiter to the human eye. It is available in powdered or liquid form. Bluing can be applied to either the wash cycle or the rinse cycle, but you should always dilute it and carefully follow the instructions. Although it fades after a few washes it can be reapplied again.
6. Colour Removers
Colour removers, which are used by textile artists to remove dye from fabrics, are chlorine-free but include sodium hydrosulphite. It can be used without risk on cotton, linen, silk, wool, rayon, ramie, and synthetic textiles. Garment made with natural fibres will yield the best results, but the substance can also brighten dull white polyester.
7. Dishwasher Detergent
This approach can be used when you don't have access to chlorine bleach or don't have space to store a large container of bleach. Sodium hypochlorite, or chlorine bleach, is a common ingredient in most powdered dishwasher detergents and will whiten natural fibre clothing. Make sure the powder completely dissolves before adding 1/4 or 1/2 cup to a gallon of boiling water. Then, before washing, as usual, add the stained white clothing to the mixture and let them soak for at least 30 minutes.
8. Borax
Borax, a mineral that occurs naturally, is a substitute for chlorine bleach. It aids in stain removal and cuts through dulling residue. Add half a cup of borax powder to a gallon of warm water before soaking in white garments for at least 30 minutes. Wash the linen as usual.
9. Sunlight
While the UV rays from the sun can make colourful clothing fade, they can also make white laundry shine.
The UV beams help to disinfect clothes and kill a variety of microorganisms in addition to bleaching clothing. White towels or bed linens should be hung and dried in direct sunshine.
Have you tried using baking soda (or any of the above) for whiter whites before? Better yet, do you know other tips for keeping your white linen bright? Share them with us in the comments below so other members of the SDC can use them too!
But as anyone who's ever dealt with a laundry basket full of whites knows, keeping them looking bright is no easy feat.
If you're anything like we are - constantly on the hunt for a simple solution to turn your old clothing and linen sparkling white again - then we've got good news for you!
Home stylist Dina Santos has recently revealed a little-known trick for keeping your whites white during a wash cycle.
Sharing her hack on Instagram, the Brisbane mum said that all you need to do is to add two teaspoons each of salt and baking soda to each batch of white sheets during a wash cycle.
Credit: Instagram/@dina.sweethome.style_
"Add two full teaspoons of baking soda and two of salt flakes (I swear ladies, this works miracles and your whites come out beautifully)," she said in the clip.
For those of you who might be worried about using salt in your washing machines, it seems like the likelihood of it damaging the machine is low according to some appliance experts. So, this hack is definitely safe to use.
Dina also advised against overloading the drum with the clothing, pointing out that it will prevent the machine from doing its job of thoroughly cleaning each sheet.
She recommended: "Put all your whites in the washing compartment making sure you never overload."
The mum also noted that you should put whites on a warm wash so they "come out as fresh and clean as ever".
The video has gained thousands of views and hundreds of comments on social media from users thanking Dina for the inventive tip.
One person said: "This is such a fabulous tip. Can’t wait to try it."
"Baking soda is so good," another said.
A third chimed in: "I’m going to have to try this one! I’ve never used salt before."
The simple hack only requires the use of two teaspoons of salt and baking soda. Credit: Instagram/@dina.sweethome.style_.
It's not always a good idea to follow cleaning hacks from social media as we outlined in this article here. However, we have verified that baking soda is an excellent cleaning agent that you can use for a plethora of cleaning purposes.
Also, for those of you who are looking for more tips to whiten your laundry, don’t worry! We’ve got you covered!
Here are nine more easy tricks for maintaining the brightness of your linen without using harsh chemicals:
1. Distilled white vinegar
Pour one gallon of boiling water into a cup of distilled white vinegar. Place the white cloth in the mixture, let it soak there for the entire night, and then wash as usual. When washing white or colourful clothing, add one cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle to get rid of the detergent film that makes the clothes appear dingy.
2. Lemons
Lemons contain citric acid, which can bleach materials and is effective at whitening cotton, linen, and polyester fibres. One gallon of boiling water should be combined with a half cup of lemon juice (made from around four lemons). In the lemon water, add white clothes and let it soak for at least an hour. To make it whiter, you can soak it longer—even overnight. Next, wash as normal.
3. Baking Soda (without salt)
Add one cup of baking soda to a gallon of boiling water. After removing the pot from the heat, add the stained white clothing. Allow them to soak for at least an hour or maybe overnight. Wash the garments as usual. The sodium bicarbonate will aid in removing the soil that dulls cotton garments.
You can keep the brightness of your whites by using some unexpected cleaning agents. Credit: Getty Images.
4. Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is a gentle version of oxygen bleach that is safe to use on any washable fabrics. Use the same 3-percent solution that is available in pharmacies for first aid, and pour one cup to the bleach dispenser on the washing machine. Make sure the hydrogen peroxide is fresh because it degrades quickly (it should fizz when poured into a cup). Otherwise, you're just filling the washer with regular water.
5. Bluing
The traditional substance known as "bluing" adds a tiny amount of blue iron pigment to the fabric, which gives the impression that it is whiter to the human eye. It is available in powdered or liquid form. Bluing can be applied to either the wash cycle or the rinse cycle, but you should always dilute it and carefully follow the instructions. Although it fades after a few washes it can be reapplied again.
6. Colour Removers
Colour removers, which are used by textile artists to remove dye from fabrics, are chlorine-free but include sodium hydrosulphite. It can be used without risk on cotton, linen, silk, wool, rayon, ramie, and synthetic textiles. Garment made with natural fibres will yield the best results, but the substance can also brighten dull white polyester.
7. Dishwasher Detergent
This approach can be used when you don't have access to chlorine bleach or don't have space to store a large container of bleach. Sodium hypochlorite, or chlorine bleach, is a common ingredient in most powdered dishwasher detergents and will whiten natural fibre clothing. Make sure the powder completely dissolves before adding 1/4 or 1/2 cup to a gallon of boiling water. Then, before washing, as usual, add the stained white clothing to the mixture and let them soak for at least 30 minutes.
8. Borax
Borax, a mineral that occurs naturally, is a substitute for chlorine bleach. It aids in stain removal and cuts through dulling residue. Add half a cup of borax powder to a gallon of warm water before soaking in white garments for at least 30 minutes. Wash the linen as usual.
9. Sunlight
While the UV rays from the sun can make colourful clothing fade, they can also make white laundry shine.
The UV beams help to disinfect clothes and kill a variety of microorganisms in addition to bleaching clothing. White towels or bed linens should be hung and dried in direct sunshine.
Have you tried using baking soda (or any of the above) for whiter whites before? Better yet, do you know other tips for keeping your white linen bright? Share them with us in the comments below so other members of the SDC can use them too!
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