Getting bras white again

klare_2

Hi there,
hope I am putting this in the right place, i read this section all the time and have come to the conclusion that it is the 'wisest' as well as the most frugall!

I want to know why it is that my white pants and bra's go grey!!

I wash them according to instructions, always seperate them from even an essence of colour ,,, but within a short period of time they turn this nasty dingy colour!
Infact, I even had a pink bra do it on me recently, i never knew a colour that is grey-pink exsisted!!!

I am lacking in hope that there is anyway to return them to their original colour but is there anyway to prevent this in the future...

its very hard to make the hubby smile in grey pants! unless you count him laffing at pointing at me

badmumof1

OXI from the poundshop is gr8 for getting whites white

squeaky

Hiya, there's a very recent thread on getting bar's white again, so I'll add your post to that one.

It's likely that someone in there can tell you why, too.

whatatwit

Klare, maybe it's your machine that is turning them grey.

Take out and scrub the soap drawer and also clean as much as you can of the inside where the drawer goes.
Try running a hot cycle with some soda crystals on empty.
Give the rubber door seal a good wipe.

For pants and anything that has not got lacy bits on, soak in a weak bleach solution in the sink first and then straight into the wash. 30 degrees should be hot enough.

stilernin

whatatwit wrote:

Soak them in strong cold black tea and make them flesh coloured.

Brill' idea.... I often struggle to find flesh coloured bra's that I like.

How long does the 'dye' last for? and will it colour other stuff in subsequent washes?

.......and I presume that 'One Cup' just isn't up to the job??;)

lil_me

Napisan is the stuff used to clean baby nappies box usually looks like this http://www.britsuperstore.com/acatalog/Milton_Napisan_500g_Pack.jpg and is usually on the washing powder aisles in large supermarket, tends to be near specialist cleaning products/hand wash stuff.

nearlyrich

My student son tends to bung all his stuff in one load and his whites are not very white anymore. I use "Oxi" type stuff to revive it if he has washing at home. Got some in Aldi yesterday for £1.29 a tub it's about double that in most supermarkets.

whatatwit

stilernin wrote:

Brill' idea.... I often struggle to find flesh coloured bra's that I like.

How long does the 'dye' last for? and will it colour other stuff in subsequent washes?

.......and I presume that 'One Cup' just isn't up to the job??;)

I think how long it lasts depends upon the bra fabric.
I haven't tried it myself, I buy flesh coloured rather than white anyway, but it was a tip given to me by an old lady who comes into the shop.

I have noticed though that if a wet tea bag lands on a tea towel, the stain is there for ages.

mummyemma

Thank you all for your replies, i shall give your suggestions a try

Emma

Slinky

Re the why do whites go grey, I remember seeing something about this on the telly years about white clothing. I think it particularly related to man made fabrics, that in the process of manufacture they use things called 'optical brighteners' which if memory serves me correctly, were sort of chemical beads which stick to the clothing and reflect light, making it look white. The process of washing removes the brighteners and once they've gone, the true 'grey' of the fabric is what is left. The more you try and wash the clothes to make them white, the more you wash the brighteners out and the worse it gets.

I guess the only answer is to wash white bras on a short gentle wash to keep them whiter longer.

I always put mine in a net bag in the wash which cuts down on the amount of friction they get off other things in the wash, stops them stretching and stops the hooks damaging the other clothes.