What to do with grotty white towels?

booter

Stardrops can be bought from Home Bargains. I always wash (grubby) white towels with bio detergent powder and add some soda crystals (also in HB) and do them on a hot wash. If that doesn't work, then get the dye, but I'd avoid red (but only because of the risk that the rest of the laundry will end up pink at some time!)
And agree with Eliza - frost seems to help with whitening (or if nothing else, the washing smells good!)

valk_scot

Yes, dye them. And get the person/people who took them on surfing trips to both pay for the dye and do the dyeing. Consequences and all that? We have one shelf at the bottom of the linen cupboard for the old shabby towels for swimming and apres-rugby use and gawd help anyone that takes a house towel for either. If your lot still can't take a telling after that, charge them for new towels and let them find out just how expensive the items they're wrecking are?

littleowl

Soak them in hot water and Vanish in a bucket over night. Next day rinse and machine wash at 90 degrees with soap powder and a capful of Vanish. Line dry. My white towels remain white washing like this. ( as they never do go grey I don't need the soak stage but that is what I do with antique white linens). It might help to soak them in cold water before the Vanish soak - this opens the fibres and allows subsequent actions to be more effective.

Sheahaven

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

If you don't want to dye them and would rather have clean and white towels I would try and ungrotty them first. Don't bung them in the washing-machine with bleach try soaking them overnight in a plastic bucket with a dilute bleach-solution instead. If you have Napisan add that to the washing-machine or one of those peroxide/oxy additives to a VERY HOT WASH after your soaking. Now, where can you get that Reckitt's Blue-Bag stuff for brightening whites? Not seen that in an age.

Erm...
I think saw these packs in Home bargains and Tesco, recently.
HTH

shandyclover

Thanks for all the tips - I learnt a few things here.

I had no idea that frost was good for washing, or that soaking in cold water opened the fibres.

I think I will try the stardrops, soda crystals and very hot wash first (since I have it in the house), then if that fails the vanish and the branded bio detergent - do you recommend any particular one? Also would a generic brand of the vanish oxy-thingy work?

If that fails it's probably time to dye.

The chief culprit for dragging the posh towels down to the beach was actually hubby.:mad:

BitterAndTwisted

Lidl's Formil bio detergent is as good as anything else I've ever used and I quite like the scent of it. They have their own W5 oxy stain-remover which is cheaper than the branded ones. I wouldn't splash out on some fancy and more expensive peroxide stain-remover as I think the generic ones are just the same. My local pound shop had a big tub of it the last time I was there. Also Lidl have a special on the Vanish one this week if you must.

Naughty husband. Maybe he should be the one who's given the laundry-chore to get those white towels sorted.

valk_scot

shandyclover wrote: »

The chief culprit for dragging the posh towels down to the beach was actually hubby.:mad:

Well, that's fine then. He should be capable of dyeing a few towels for you, no? It will set the kids a good example too, of why it's best to listen to mum when she tells you to take care of things.

rachbc

bleaching will make them a slightly yellowish white and also over time weaken the fibres meaning they won't last as long. I would wash on 90 to start with and take it from there - I have to say after buying a big box on offer I am a convert to persil washing powder over any non branded ones and over liquids.

Oh and hang in the sun to dry

rosie383

As someone who has a load of faded old towels I quite fancy buying some dye and giving them all a new lease of life. If I follow the instructions to the letter, are they likely to 'run' the next time I wash them? Or will they be safe enough?

jools27_2

I have been dying towels for years, and have never had a problem with running!