I was going through my daughters old clothes in preparation for the new baby in a few weeks. The clothes have been put away for almost 2 years. When my duaghter outgrew them I put them right into a rubbermaid container and then a few months later into the space saver bags. For some reason, when they were in the rubbermaid container, much of the clothes started turning yellow. I thought it was weird since they were in the closet in my bedroom and not an attic, basement, etc. Anyway...I washed the clothes in warm water with Tide and Oxi clean and the yellow did not come out at all. Does anyone know if there is a way to get the yellow out or if it's a permanent thing? I'm really hoping there is some way to get it out b/c it is on almost all of her newborn and 0-3 month clothes. Since this is my last child, I really don't want to buy her a whole new wardrobe : ( Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advanced!
It's been a few years but I remember washing the onesies(sp?)in regular detergent and adding Cascade dishwashing powder....the one used in the dishwasher. Worked terrific! Good luck !!
I used Snowy which is a powdered bleach on my kids hand-me-down clothes and it worked great. I filled the machine with the snowy and water and let them soak for an hour and then ran the rest of the cycle.
I never was able to get that yellow out.. With three girls i had to buy new for each!
There is a product called Yellow Out you can try or Rit (the fabric dye company) has some whiteners for non-bleachable items.
It's possible a residue in the Rubbermaid caused the yellowing. I recommend washing out plastic bins with dish soap and water and letting them air dry before using them for long-term clothing storage if you aren't using a second barrier like Ziplocs or Space Saver bags.
Good luck!
Hi C.,
You might try this trick my mother used on an old baby quilt that my grandmother had made for me (long, long, long ago!) It was white but had turned yellow and it was too fragile to put in the wash machine...
She soaked it in milk! It worked like a charm and it looks brand new now. You might google this to see if there are important details that I did not get on the full process:) good luck!
I tried everything I could think of, and it didn't help.
Hi C., You asked for suggestions on getting this yellowing out of your baby clothes. Shaklee's Nature Bright, which is their answer to dangerous bleach, might just do the trick. It is a non-toxic whitener that you can soak these clothes in. You mix it with water until dissolves and then add the clothes - put something heavy on them to hold them under water, and leave them soaking for several hours or even overnight. Rinse them out and throw them in the washing machine for a regular wash, except that you want to add some dissolved Nature Bright to this wash also. You might be very surprised and happy. I have been using it for a couple of years now and have been amazed with the results, even with old stains that have been washed and dried many, many times. I do happen to be a Shaklee distributor as well as a customer; so if this solution appeals to you, either go directly to my web site at www.emilytaft.com and simply order it, or contact me to ask more questions - I am only too happy to go into detail about using it, etc. You can reach me directly at ____@____.com or ###-###-####. Hope this helps. E. Taft
Hi C.,
This is very common but difficult problem. The stains are generally caused by iron fortified formula, spit up from formula fed babies and bowel movements from formula fed babies. After these clothes are washed, they appear clean, then during storage the residual iron oxidizes creating the yellow stain. Blood stains have similar problems on underwear. Using an enzyme cleaner such as Shout immediatly on these organic stains and then washing in cold water WITHOUT bleach as soon as possible is the best course. Once the clothing has been dried in the dryer or bleach has been used the stain will be almost impossible to get out.
I agree with soaking in oxyclean. (Try soaking for up to two days.) You could also try treating with lemon juice which may lighten the stain. I haven't tried the Rit product, but I have heard good things. Another thing I have seen people do with whites is soak the clothes in a tea solution essentially dying it to an off white to cover up the stain. This worked with a friends' old Christening dress.
Best Wishes,
J. L.
You got a lot of good responses of things to try, and hopefully something will work! I know you said you tried Oxi Clean, but I also encountered the yellow spots when I pulled the bins out for baby #2, and I had success with All free and clear and a lot of Oxi clean. I put in the detergent and Oxi clean, let the machine do only the agitation, then stopped the machine before it drained. I let it soak overnight, then in the morning I just let the cycle finish and every single yellow stain came out. I was so happy! Good luck to you - may you not have to buy all new stuff!
