Need help getting white's white!

looby75

My daughters school uniform now includes a white blouse with the school logo embroidered on. They cost £13 each so I can't afford to replace them very often (as I used to with her old school shirts which were 2 for £2.50 at asda) The school she goes to is in a very old building and is FILTHY, so her blouses get really grotty really quickly and now it's getting to the end of the school year they are turning a nice shade of grey

I've tried rubbing soap on the cuffs and collars, vanish spray and bar, glow white whitener packets you put in the was and some oxy powder stuff too. Some of them helped a bit but not as well as I would like (and it's costing me a fortune in trial and error)

Any ideas?

Pink.

Hi looby,

This older thread might help: bright whites?

Pink

elona

I got this tip from the "queen of clean's "book.

Rub left over dregs of shampoo into collar and cuffs as it combats perspiration and grime.

Have you tried leaving blouses on the line in strong sunshine - even wetting them again and again and then hanging them out. Lemon juice in water as a rinse?

janb5

Do you do separate washes for the white and coloured/delicate wash as that will stop it going grey over time. If the washing label allows it periodically do the white stuff on a 50degree wash periodically which keeps it white. Also check the filter as sometimes that gets clogged up fast which doesnt help.

seraphina

Can you dip the collars and cuffs in a mild bleach solution before each wash?

I also no longer use fabric conditioner on my whites wash - this can really make whites go that nasty shade of grey.

looby75

Thanks for the tips everyone, especially the shampoo one. I always have bottles with bits left in the bottom so I'm definitely going to try that one.

I always wash the whites separately the main problem is that the school is so dusty and old that dd's blouses get as filthy in one day as you would normally expect a blouse to get in a week! The school is due to get knocked down in a couple of years but until then it's going to be a fight to keep her white shirts white LOL

looby75

just a quick update. The shampoo idea is fantastic, the collars and cuffs have come up cleaner than they have been in ages.

I also did a test run of adding a bit of bleach to a white(ish) wash of my tea towels (as per a tip on the thread Pink posted ) and they do seem to have come out a bit whiter than normal. I might try it with dd's blouses next time.

CarolnMalky

I always use Bio powder on my whites, it works for me.

cardtart_2

Has any one tried 'ace' the gentle bleach you can use it even with a coloured wash and I have been pleased with the results.

looby75

I used to use ace but it brought my kids out in a rash so I had to stop. Worked well though, even got out spag bol stains!

System

I use Napisan in my whites wash. It costs £1.69 a box from Tesco and lasts me about a month.