Unfortunately, white things don’t stay white for long. This especially applies to bed linen, curtains, kitchen towels, shirts, T-shirts, etc. These products come into contact with frequent and difficult-to-wash contamination (sweat, dust, fat, household waste). Ordinary washing is no longer enough and radical methods are used, such as boiling laundry for bleaching.
You can return the white color to things in various ways , but they all have one thing in common – if you add boiling water to the used agent, the whitening effect will be much better.
Basic rules of boiling
You cannot boil things in a washing machine, as it does not provide for heating water higher than 95 degrees. Therefore, the laundry should be boiled on the stove in a special dish. In order not to spoil the fabric and make the situation worse, follow these rules:
- Do not use aluminum utensils for boiling, as aluminum has a tendency to oxidize, thus the white fabric will acquire a dark shade. It is better to boil in galvanized dishes.
- Make sure that there is no rust on your dishes, otherwise it will inevitably spoil things.
- Stir the laundry several times during the entire boiling time, so you will ensure better cooking.
- Do not put more than 1.5 kg of clothes in 10 liters of water, otherwise the laundry will not be boiled and yellow stains will remain on it.
- Do not boil white and colored at the same time.
- Put things in warm water, not boiling water.
- Before boiling, cover particularly persistent stains with household soap or a stain remover.
- After boiling, rinse the laundry in the washing machine or by hand several times.
- Do not take out the laundry immediately after boiling, but let the water cool down.
When boiling things, open the windows, turn on the hood, create the most effective ventilation to avoid condensation on the ceiling and eliminate unpleasant odors (for example, if you boil laundry using ammonia).
How to enhance the whitening effect
Before boiling, you can dissolve any agent in the water that will help you to enhance bleaching and return the whiteness of things. Experienced housewives use such improvised “whiteners”:
- Soda + salt. For 10 liters of water, you will need 250 g of soda and the same amount of salt. Such a tool is best suited for children’s things, as there are practically no allergies to it.
- Household soap. Add 200 g of laundry soap to a 10-liter pan. To better dissolve it in water, rub the bar on a grater. Such a solution is very effective, especially in combination with 1 tbsp. of soda
- Chlorine. A very effective, but rough tool. Use it as rarely as possible, otherwise the fabric becomes thinner and eventually becomes unusable. It is better not to bleach anything except linen and dense cotton with bleach. To bleach linen or cotton linen, you will need 500 ml of chlorine, 0.5 kg of powder and 0.5 kg of salt per 10 liters of water.
- Vinegar + soda. 4 tbsp. soda extinguish 100 ml of vinegar, add 3-4 tbsp. vegetable oil and add to water.
- Hydrogen peroxide and ammonia. Pour 4 tablespoons into the water. peroxide and the same amount of ammonia. In such a solution, laundry cannot be boiled for more than an hour.
Which fabrics can be boiled, and which cannot?
Not all fabrics can be boiled for bleaching, for some of them high temperatures equate to death. It is possible to boil flax and cotton. But you can’t boil:
- wool;
- synthetics;
- kapron;
- silk;
- lace products;
- thin fabrics.
If products made of such fabrics are soiled and you cannot remove the stain yourself, contact a professional dry cleaner. So you will save the thing, even if you pay money.
Resume
Boiling linen for bleaching helps not only to restore the linen, but also to disinfect the fabric, which is especially important for children’s clothes. Be especially careful when choosing a bleaching agent, as not all of them are safe for fabrics.
Do not be skeptical of our grandmothers’ remedies, they can be more effective than expensive bleaches. May your clothes always remain clean and fresh!