A white T-shirt is a must-have for everyday men’s and women’s wardrobes. It is worn regardless of the season, weather, style of clothing, as an independent element, when composing multi-layered images or simply under warmer things. At the same time, not everyone knows how to wash a white T-shirt correctly in order to preserve its snow-white color, get rid of stains, yellowness, and a gray tint.
So that you don’t have to spend too much money on buying new T-shirts, or settle for a sloppy look, let’s try simple home remedies and tips. These recommendations of housewives will help preserve the original appearance of your favorite clothes for a long time.
How to wash
Basic recommendations:
- Regular washing. The white color can be preserved only if the clothes are refreshed regularly (every 2-3 socks or as they become dirty).
- Do not leave for later, wash immediately, otherwise dirt and sweat will get into the fibers of the fabric and it will be difficult to remove them without loss of quality.
- Read the label. It shows how and at what temperature you can wash your T-shirt.
- Sort by color. Wash a white T-shirt only with white clothes and nothing else. If you do not have enough light clothes for washing, you can always wash only the T-shirt separately by hand.
- Washing temperature. It is indicated on the label or determined by the type of fabric of the T-shirt. If it is exceeded, the thing will either stretch or sit down. For cotton – up to 60 degrees, cotton with the addition of lycra – up to 40, wool – up to 30. Important: washing woolen items requires special attention, which you can read about in detail here .
- T-shirt with a pattern can only be washed by hand, in cool water, inside out, with powder for colored fabrics or household soap.
Determine the detergent according to the type of washing, fabric and convenience. That is, they can be detergents for hand or machine washing, liquid gels or ordinary powder. The main thing is that the product is completely dissolved in water. If necessary, use stain removers.
It is easy to wash in a washing machine, follow the recommendations. Start washing whites with your t-shirt, get clean clothes when done.
When washing by hand, it is important to completely dissolve the detergent in water of the required temperature. After that, a white T-shirt is already soaked (you can leave it in water for up to one hour), then wash and rinse. Use household soap if you need to wash away stains or return the white color to the fabric. A soap with the inscription 72% and marked “for whitening” or “for stain removal” is suitable. They need to rub the T-shirt completely and leave it to stand, after a few hours – take it out and wash it.
Wash and return the laundry
If over time the white color of the T-shirt has turned gray or turned yellow, or spots have appeared at all, then we recommend washing with the addition of bleach. At home, you can do without expensive advertised bleaches, the products that can be found in any home are suitable:
- hydrogen peroxide + baking soda;
- potassium permanganate;
- ammonia.
With the help of such cheap drugs, you can get rid of a worn-out look, a gray and yellowish shade.
Hydrogen peroxide . A teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide is dissolved in 2 liters of water, after which a white T-shirt is soaked in the solution for 15 minutes. For uniform bleaching, you need to turn the clothes every few minutes, and the maximum result will be ensured if a little baking soda is used in the same solution.
Mangantsivka . Manganese, despite its bright color, will not harm a snow-white T-shirt, on the contrary, it will return it to its original shade. There is no need to be afraid that the thing will turn pink. 200 g of powder and a little potassium permanganate are dissolved in a 10-liter container of water. The water should be hot. Already washed clothes are dropped into the composition, the container is covered with a film. After the solution has completely cooled, the T-shirt is removed and thoroughly washed.
Distilled alcohol . This option is for removing the grayish tint on worn cotton and linen items. Dissolve 5 tablespoons of ammonia in 10 liters of water and lower the white clothes. After 2 hours, take it out and wash it under running water.
Woolen and cotton T-shirts
Another method of washing and simultaneous bleaching, which is suitable for clothes made of natural fabrics. Add ammonia (1 tablespoon), peroxide (3 tablespoons), a handful of salt, and washing powder to 10 liters of warm water. Keep the t-shirt or T-shirt in the warehouse for about 20 minutes, turning the thing over from time to time, then rinse thoroughly.
Getting rid of stains with the help of “Laundry”
In the presence of a large number of old stains from sweat, perfumes and cosmetics, grass, coffee, food, you can resort to a more radical, but also cheap means – “Underwear”. It is suitable only for T-shirts completely made of cotton, without any impurities in the composition of the fabric.
Do not mix “Linen” and ammonia, it will start a chemical reaction with poisonous fumes.
Removing stains with ” Laundry ” step by step:
- Dissolve the detergent in 3 liters of water.
- Add to the solution 1 tbsp. l. “Underwear”, avoid getting the concentrated agent on the fabric, it will seriously damage it.
- Lower the white cotton t-shirt for 20 minutes.
- Remove the item, rinse well under plenty of running cold water.
If the condition of the white T-shirt is so deplorable that it is necessary to resort to boiling:
- Choose a container that is not iron or copper – to avoid metal oxidation.
- Add 2 caps of the product and 200 g of powder to a 10 liter container with water.
- Lower the T-shirt into the water and boil for 1 to 1.5 hours, turning it over from time to time using a wooden stick.
- Rinse the thing in warm, and then in cold water.
Be careful
Excessive eagerness in an attempt to restore freshness and neatness to a white T-shirt can be harmful. To avoid such a situation, do not apply products to the fabric itself, it can destroy its fibers. Follow the recommendations for the type of fabric for which this or that product is suitable.
Keep drugs out of the reach of children or animals. The room where manipulations are performed must be well ventilated.
Even with the most careful wearing of a white T-shirt, it is impossible to avoid stains from sweat, from foundation cream and lipstick, from accidental contact with surrounding objects and people. It is not necessary to immediately rush for a new thing, this one can also serve you well. Just use the tools at hand, and after a few hours, a snow-white T-shirt will be pleasing to the eye again.