Am I really this dumb? The answer I'm afraid is, "Yes. I am really this dumb". I'm not exactly sure how bleach works. "What??!!" you shout at the computer. "How can anyone not know this??!!" Let me clarify;
I get the basic principle of it, that it makes your clothes whiter. But I never really use it. We just suffer along with kinda grungy socks and I tend to shrug it off. But I want to know some basics if I decide to use it. Here's a sample question; You wash a tube sock. It's white with a stripe across the top, possibly red, possibly blue .... Do I wash it with the whites and a cup (or whatever measurement the label says) of bleach, or will that make that stripe run and ruin the rest of the whites? I know this is the most trivial thing, but I can't help it. I never really was shown how to do this and I'm pretty curious.
I could pretend to have an 'I'm protecting the earth' frame of mind and say that I've been taking a stand lo these many years, but that would be a lie. I just don't know any better.
Also, if the socks are already grungy (we live in a 100 year old house and still have some of the old flooring so there's no escaping it) how much would I expect the socks to whiten? Anyone have any super-whitening methods they'd like to pass on?
Thanks very much ladies! You may begin the collective eyeroll!
I rarely use bleach, but I use OxyClean powder in with my lights and that seems to brighten them. Rarely do I have enough for an all white load, so I only use bleach if it is all white.
I do not use bleach because it gives me a headache. The laundry room is in the basement (we live in the basement) ... and my MIL uses it and I can't go in my own living space for the entire day ... heck I am getting a headache just thinking about using bleach on clothes ... you can use lemon juice, vinigar, baking soda, oxiclean or the other suggestions made ... I like the idea of drying on a line.
lmao! you are too cute! :)
i don't use bleach each either so don't feel stupid! my socks are grungy too so i can relate a lot. i'm no help, just thought your question was too cute! :)
What I am now doing is line drying things. The sun is a natural disenfectant so that's taken care of. And it's a natural bleacher and it's free! What I do to avoid the crunchy feeling is a I get some of those laundry balls that you now see every where (or you can go online and find them) and I dry them for 10-20 minutes with dryer sheet. No cruchy! And my whites are gloriously white!
i use bleach for certain loads of laundry - towels, washcloths, socks, certain underpants. If it's only white cottons you can add the bleach right away. But if your load of laundry includes colors (like the stripes on the socks) add the bleach once the washing machine is "agitating". Try to pour it in either diluted or around the water where the whites are. it will tend to fade the colors somewhat - but it shouldn't change the colors too much if you do it right.
Personally I love using bleach - I feel like the towels and washcloths are cleaner, no dead body skin, etc. - and especially for certain underpants - grubby boys and adult females if you know what I mean.
Good luck!
Oxy clean will super whiten them, but it will probably bleach out the colored stripes (but they won't run onto the white part). Bleach will get them whiter, but probably not super white until after a few washes. It will not cause the stripe to run, but might turn a red stripe to pink. I usually use a "color safe" bleach like Chlorox 2 if I want to brighten up whites without ruining the other colors.
You are not dumb at all..at least with this question you aren't,,haha.. Bleach is something I never got into using. When I was little we had our own water well and it had a high concentrate of iron so bleach turned things orange/yellow. My M. stopped using it. I just never thought about using it. I bet in all these 37 yrs of marriage I have bought 1 small bottle of bleach and it was for some craft project. I use Amway laundry soap and our clothes seem to be just fine. For stains I use Dawn dishwasing soap(the blue one) and hand scrub the spot. I know a lot of people use the bleach free soaps you can buy in any store and they work fine too. I see no reason to need bleach. It slowly wears out your fabrics anyway because its so harsh. See, now you are even smarter!
You're in good company! I have only ever used bleach on all-white clothes that were hopelessly stained, and I'm always afraid to use too much. On my whites & towels, I use a color-safe "brightener" but I can't swear that it does a whole lot of good.
Occasionally to help disinfect the towels, washcloths, underwear, undershirts, socks, etc. I will wash them in hot water, no soap, and a cup of vinegar. It also makes them very soft, and can help clean the washer at the same time. And I promise your clothes won't smell like vinegar!
I think there were several question above, so let me see if I can provide my opinions in an orderly fashion:
Bleach will not cause the color to run, but hot water will. If you choose to use bleach, I would use it on the warm setting with light colored clothing (including white with a bright stripe). With the use of bleach, the stripe may fade some, but it isn't fading because the color has bled into your laundry water. I don't recommend using bleach often- your clothes will wear out/become threadbare faster. What I do recommend is suning. As you live in a old farm house, the clothesline should be your best friend! Whites and brightes hung in sun right from the washer should whiten up pretty well, harsh chemical free!
.
I mix chlorine bleach with water. Maybe fill a measuring cup to 1/4 cup with bleach, and add water to the 1 cup point. I put it in the washer in the 'chlorine bleach' hole, tehehe, for lack of a better term. I use it on colors, even dark ones, as well as white. I don't get any bleach spots on the colored clothes.
:)
I use bleach with whites, and yes, even if they aren't COMPLETELY white (like your striped top tube sock example). The colors don't run, but over time the brightness of the color does fade some.
As an alternative, if you aren't comfortable with bleach or just don't like the idea of it, you can try vinegar. I have both washed with it, and used it as the fabric softener, lol. It does cause your laundry area to smell a little while the clothes are washing, but the odor fades by the time the water drains. :)
I bleach all whites. My hubby has shirts that have black lettering, etc. and the bleach doesn't ruin it.
Chlorine bleach lightens everything, whites and colors. I had some striped dishtowels that looked dingy so I bleached them and instead of black and white they are not light grey and white.
Most of the time I now use Clorox 2. It's color safe. It's also good at removing some stains. It does a good job brighening whites, too.
I too haven't mastered bleach. On the rare occasions I have tried it, I have a tendency to add to much and cause everything to yellow. And I have been known to spill it on my good clothes I was wearing while pouring it into my machine. I also worry about the kids getting into. So I just steer clear of that stuff. It's just to caustic for me. But I have been pleased with the results of adding borax or oxiclean to the laundry. Just a scoop and it really seems to brighten the whites and it's never made colors run or fade. And I have never tried it, but I have heard that a cup of lemon juice is an environmentally friendly bleach alternative.
