White laundry get white again - 11 home remedies against gray haze

• White wash
  • gray haze
  • yellowing
  • bleach
  • home remedies
  • General remark

Sweat, deodorant, discoloring clothes in the washing machine or bad detergent: There are several reasons why white laundry turns yellow or gray. With which home remedies you bring your textiles back to radiance, learn in this post. Also, why bleach from the trade is not the optimal choice.

White wash

White laundry often loses its flawless radiance after a short time. Cleaned only two or three times in the machine, have shirt, blouse, pants and curtains unsightly yellow spots or equally unattractive gray haze on. But how can that be "> Grauschleier

How is Grauschleier?

Gray-colored textiles commonly have one of these four listed causes.

• too little detergent in the machine
• poor quality detergent
• Soap residues from the detergent
• discolored laundry by mixing the colors

Too little detergent in the machine

If you use too little detergent, the detached dirt can not bind with the rinse water, as it would be necessary to reliably transport it out of the machine. The result: dirt particles remain in the drum - and then settle in the textiles of the next wash load. If you repeatedly wash white textiles in a dirty washing machine, it is no wonder that you are soon wearing gray clothes in your hands.

Qualitatively inferior detergent

The "horror" threatens as well when using a low-quality detergent. It arises in the case as already described above.

Soap residues from the detergent

If you often wash your white laundry at 30 or 40 degrees Celsius, soap residue from the detergent can be the reason for the gray haze. In fact, the soap that contains every detergent dissolves slowly in the water at low temperatures. This has the consequence that the residues settle on the textiles and cause the unwanted discoloration.

Tip: To counteract this, it is recommended to dissolve the detergent in hot water at 30 or 40 degrees in advance and place it in the prepared form directly in the drum instead of in the main compartment of the machine.

Discolored laundry by mixing the colors

Wash white with colored or black, the consequence is greyscale. A little bit of color loses colored and black textiles with each wash - this "gets lost" in your white laundry and leaves a nasty gray haze.

In short: Wash white separately, ie separate from colorful and black textiles.

yellowing

And how does yellowed linen develop ">

Regular nicotine consumption does not only make the fingers and teeth yellow - it also forces discolored laundry. Sweat and deodorants with aluminum salts can also cause yellowing. The aluminum salts combine with the sweat - this leads to unsightly marks in the underarm area.

According to scientific studies, aluminum salts are harmful to health. They are suspected, among other things, to increase the risk of breast cancer and Alzheimer's. Therefore, make sure you only buy deodorants that contain no aluminum salts. Fortunately, most of today's deodorants are free of the potential pollutants.

Storage in the cabinet

If white laundry is left unused in the cupboard for a long period, yellowing often results. This is due to organic substances, such as food stains that age and gradually turn yellow.

Tip: Yellowed laundry usually becomes white again by washing it several times at 60 degrees and using a high-quality heavy-duty detergent. But: Not every textile can be washed at these temperatures ... In these cases, it makes sense to take a closer look at the home remedies described in this article and try them out.

bleach

Preliminary remarks: Bleaching agents are not the optimal solution ...

"Put some bleach in a bucket filled with water. Then put in the yellowed or gray fabric and let it soak for a few hours. Then remove the garment from the bleach water and wash it as usual in your washing machine. Your laundry is then again bright white. "

Something or other similar are the application descriptions of the manufacturers of brighteners. There are plenty of such means to buy commercially. But beware: Brighteners are usually nothing more than chlorine cleaners - known as aggressive chemicals. Experts advise against using chemical bleach, and for good reason: Textile fabric often does not tolerate such agents. There are thin spots in the fabric and sometimes even holes. Apart from that, bleaching agents pollute the environment.

Note: Depending on the composition of bleach ingredients, highly toxic compounds may be formed.

Also of so-called "linen-white-towels", which you should give with in the washing machine, take better distance. These "aids" contain optical brighteners. The latter lie down on the textiles during the washing process - to stick to it. Thus, they create a visual illusion, the user a particularly brilliant white pretending. The basic problem does not solve these cloths, because the dirt remains in the fibers. Thus, the white laundry is pure only on the surface.

Important note: Take a look at the label with care instructions, if you have not yet cut off the respective textile. Look at a crossed triangle "> Home remedies

11 home remedies for gray or yellowish discoloration

The eleven home remedies that we now introduce to you at a glance.

• vinegar
• salt
• Black pepper
• milk
• baking powder
• bicarbonate of soda
• citric acid
• hydrogen peroxide
• ink
• Horse Chestnut branches
• Sunlight (UV radiation)

vinegar

The "miracle cure" vinegar works against every cause of gray shrouds and yellowing. It has, for example, a lime-dissolving effect, so that it successfully fights, among other things, against possible lime soap residues in the textiles. In addition, the agent cleans up yellowed clothes. The acid penetrates into the fibers and eliminates the discoloration. Vinegar has the potential to get laundry shiny white again - without attacking the fabrics.

Note: Of course the white vinegar is meant!

That's how it's done:

Depending on the degree of soiling, add half to a full cup of vinegar to the fabric softener compartment of your washing machine. For extremely calcareous water, it is advisable to use a little more vinegar. The washing procedure itself is carried out as usual (program, temperature), provided it is correct (note care label!).

Tip: For stubborn stains, such as deodorant, red wine or coffee, it is advisable to pre-treat the textile with vinegar first. Just soak it for a few hours in a mixture of water and vinegar (ratio 2: 1).

Incidentally, the annoying vinegar smell flies at the latest when drying the textiles. And: yellowed clothes, which have not been used for a long time, are often negatively affected by their musty odor. Vinegar leveled this with its strong scent (which, however, soon adopted, so that the white laundry smells wonderfully fresh).

Tip for the future: Use vinegar regularly as a substitute for fabric softener when washing white textiles. This is how you deliberately prevent Grauschleier. In that case, a shot of the home remedy is enough, it does not require a whole cup of it. Pleasant side effect: vinegar makes textiles soft - ideal for towels and bed linen, but also for some clothes.

salt

Due to its fine grinding effect, salt has the ability to remove soap residues from both white and colored laundry.

That's how it's done:

Add about 100 grams of salt directly to the fabrics in the drum.

Black pepper

The particles of ground black pepper basically have the same characteristics as salt . They help to eliminate gray or yellowish veils.

That's how it's done:

Add a teaspoon of black pepper to the detergent. The mix is ​​again in the drum, NOT in the tray.

milk

Milk has also been bleached for centuries. The reason is the contained lactic acid . This combines with the "dyeing", which is responsible for the gray or yellow cast on the textile, and contributes to its dissolution.

Tip: Milk should provide excellent service especially for sensitive tissue and cotton. In addition to the bleaching effect, the home remedy offers a gentle care for the corresponding textiles.

That's how it's done:

Fill a bucket with two cups of cold milk and a cup of ice-cold water and a few ice cubes. Then soften the gray or yellowed textile for about an hour. Finally, a classic wash cycle is announced again.

Tips:

• possibly after the first wash, a milk margin will be left behind
• this should disappear on the next ride in the washing machine, however
• to get rid of the sometimes occurring milk odor, simply let the fabric dry in the air (preferably in the sun, which supports the bleaching effect)

baking powder

Baking soda is essentially composed of sodium salt and acid. In combination with water, the two substances react to carbon dioxide. The latter "bubbles" the gray or yellow out of the white wash.

That's how it's done:

In addition to the heavy-duty detergent, add a sachet of baking powder to the washing machine drum and wash the textile as usual.

Tip: The cleaning effect can be enhanced by adding a teaspoon of salt to the baking powder. In the case of yellow stains, it makes sense to sprinkle a dash of vinegar directly before washing.

Did you know ... "> white shoes clean again.

bicarbonate of soda

Whether as a main ingredient in baking powder or pure: Natron is able to get yellowed or gray laundry again bright white. In addition, the agent has an antibacterial effect.

That's how it's done:

Add half a cup of soda to the detergent. The rest is identical to the baking powder procedure. Alternatively or in addition, you can have the gray or yellow-spotted textile bathed in soda water for one night before washing. To do this, mix hot water with half a cup of soda in a large bowl.

Tip: The pre-treatment is especially recommended for textiles that should not be washed at 60 degrees Celsius.

citric acid

Citric acid can work wonders, especially with yellowish discoloration in the underarm area (deodorization).

That's how it's done:

Dissolve about twelve to 15 grams of citric acid powder in one liter of warm water. Alternatively, you can also use six to eight lemon slices. Then leave the fabric in the mixture for about four hours. It follows the classic wash - done.

Tip: If the yellow spots have not completely disappeared, it is often worthwhile to start a second round to achieve the desired effect.

hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide is not only good for bleaching hair, but also for bleaching white clothing and other textiles in the brightest of colors. In fact, the natural substance is also contained in some bleaches that can be bought on the market (although in those cases many chemicals are added ...). Gray or yellow spots: Hydrogen peroxide helps to remove the discoloration.

Important: Use ONLY hydrogen peroxide at a concentration of three percent. At a higher dosage there is a risk of chemical burns.

That's how it's done:

Add half a cup of the detergent to the heavy duty detergent. Wash as usual. Again, there is the possibility of pretreatment (especially in clearly visible stains recommended): Apply hydrogen peroxide directly on the sites, let it act for a few minutes and then start the laundry (yet WITH half cup of hydrogen peroxide in the machine).

Horse Chestnut branches

No home remedy in the true sense, but a very interesting variant for bleaching yellowing or graying laundry form Rosskastanienzweige. The contained glycoside esculin fluoresces in a way that it acts like optical brighteners in detergents - just in a natural way.

That's how it's done:

Cut a horse chestnut branch into pieces about two centimeters long and put them into a drum bag (in addition to the detergent - in this context, you can also make chestnut detergents on your own ...).

Note: The effect is usually temporary. But if you have the opportunity to come to horse chestnut branches, you can do the job well with every white wash.

ink

Yellow discolored textiles get their white radiance back by the addition of blue ink. Explanation: Yellowing reflects more red and green than blue light waves. Therefore, the discoloration is yellowish to the human eye. In order to achieve the "white view", the blue portion of the reflected light waves must become higher again.

Note: In additive color mixing, the maximum reflection of red, green, and blue light waves for our eye is white.

Blue ink helps to adjust the pigmentation of the fabric so that the light colors are again reflected fairly evenly. Of course, it can not be completely precisely controlled, but we perceive white with a slight blue cast as purer than white with a slight yellowish tinge.

That's how it's done:

Wash your yellowed white laundry for the most part as usual - with the only difference that you give about four to eight drops of ink in the fabric softener compartment.

Important: The ink works only as a brightener, it does not eliminate the cause. In addition, it is very likely that the effect on the next wash (without ink) already adopted. Therefore, it is advisable in the long run, rather on soda and Co. to sit down, so on home remedies, which proceed profoundly against the discolored laundry (its causes).

Tip: The trick with the ink often only has an effect on natural fibers such as cotton. In synthetic fibers, it rarely works, as they usually accept no dyeing products.

UV light and oxygen

Regardless of what home remedy you are trying to do, hang up your white laundry after washing out in the sun - for extra, gentle lightening. UV light and the oxygen in the air are virtually bleach of the natural kind. Although the bleaching effect is only light, it can increase the effect of the applied method somewhat.

General remark

Each home remedy reacts differently to your graying or yellowish discolored white wash. Therefore, we advise you to always PREVIEVE a test on a comparable (but no longer required ...) textile (same material) to make sure that the substance is not affected.

To prevent graying and / or yellowing white linen in the future

Finally, here are two important tips on how to prevent gray or yellowish veils on your white textiles in the future.

• ALWAYS wash white laundry separately (not with colored or black)
• Use only high-quality heavy-duty detergent, preferably powdered
• Surfactants dissolve stains and other dirt
• The detached dirt particles flow off with the rinsing water and, thanks to the grayness inhibitors in the detergent, can not be put on your white clothing during the next wash cycle
• In addition, bleaching agents and optical brighteners are contained in the heavy-duty detergent - they brighten the tissue