why does my white laundry turn gray?
 

I'm not exactly June Cleaver, you might be able to tell. ha.....does anybody have a good solution for getting white stuff to stay white? I wash my whites in hot water with the recommended amount of bleach, and it just doesn't seem to do much. My t-shirts I work out in just look dingy gray after a few months....any particular detergent you guys find works better than others? should I use more bleach? Or should I perhaps consider getting a better washer?

I put a cup of vinegar in my white load. I use warm water and no bleach, easier on the cloth. The vinegar seems to help keep things white.

My mom always used to wipe out her washer with bleach and run an empty small cycle between her colors and whites.

I thought it was crazy, but I also realized that she never had grayish whites :)

This may seem old fashioned but have you ever tried using Borax (along with your normal detergent) with your whites? This seems to brighten them up if they've gone dingy. I wash my husband's and son's white karate uniforms and add Borax into the wash and I can see a visible difference between the white of their uniforms and some of the others in their class.

Anyone remember bluing? Does it even still exist? I know my grandmother added it to the rinse water for whites, and apparently, a blue tinge makes whites appear whiter.

I don't use bleach regularly, but I do wash my blues with my whites, and it really does seem to help.

Oh, and I checked bluing is still made. I don't know if there are more than one company, but the Mrs. Stewarts brand is still in business.

You could try using something like Oxyclean (powder) to your whites instead of bleach. DO NOT use them together -- the fumes are powerful (spoken from experience. :lol:)

I usually do whites on hot water, sometimes letting them soak for 5 mins after the bleach has been dispensed. I'll often do a second rinse to really get out all the bleach too.

If all else fails hang them outside in the sun. The sun is a great bleaching agent.

thanks for all the advice guys! I will be trying all your ideas, hopefully I'll be back to wearing white colored white clothing soon :)

My hubby and I wear white shirts with our uniform and I always hang my whites in the shade. Stops the sun from making them go yellow. My Mum always use washing soda with her whites, Don't know much about bleach. But I will try that vinegar one for my boys gear.