How to make white clothes and towels very white an bright using washing machine?

[PETER PAN]

Laundry shops can make white clothes very white and bright. What are
their secrets?

I am tired of white clothes and towels going brownish eventhough we
are using a lot of detergent and bleach!

Do we need any special detergent, water softener?

Please advise

[Barbecue Bob]

In article <2591d70a.0409262238.26d2f5bf@posting.google.com>,
peterpanus1999@yahoo.com (PETER PAN) wrote:

> Laundry shops can make white clothes very white and bright. What are
> their secrets?
>
> I am tired of white clothes and towels going brownish eventhough we
> are using a lot of detergent and bleach!
>
> Do we need any special detergent, water softener?
>
> Please advise

I have been able to make my whites gray or brown or pink by washing them
with colored clothes. That's OK. I'm thinking of wearing only black in
support of our troops until W is voted out.

Too much bleach can damage all colors including white. Too much
detergent can make whites dingy.

On the other hand, if you have hard water, you may need more detergent
to keep residue from clinging to fabrics. Adding vinegar to the rinse
can dissolve the residue. Drying whites in the sun can also help.

To keep white shirts white, wear a bib when eating barbecue. If you've
been to Barbecue Bob's, you already know we have FREE BIBS.
--
Barbecue Bob serving family-style roast bunny
at convenient restaurants
from Montana to New Mexico

[PETER PAN]

Hi bob,

Looks like the only sure fire way is to stop eating at Barbecue Bob,
or wear your free bibs for all occasions hehehe...

Anyway, thanks for your suggestions. We will buy a water softener just
for the washer and add vinegar to rinse to see what happen!

Happy barbecuing!

Barbecue Bob <bunny@nospam.com> wrote in message news:<bunny-757E40.03284527092004@corp-radius.supernews.com>...
> In article <2591d70a.0409262238.26d2f5bf@posting.google.com>,
> peterpanus1999@yahoo.com (PETER PAN) wrote:
>
> > Laundry shops can make white clothes very white and bright. What are
> > their secrets?
> >
> > I am tired of white clothes and towels going brownish eventhough we
> > are using a lot of detergent and bleach!
> >
> > Do we need any special detergent, water softener?
> >
> > Please advise
>
> I have been able to make my whites gray or brown or pink by washing them
> with colored clothes. That's OK. I'm thinking of wearing only black in
> support of our troops until W is voted out.
>
> Too much bleach can damage all colors including white. Too much
> detergent can make whites dingy.
>
> On the other hand, if you have hard water, you may need more detergent
> to keep residue from clinging to fabrics. Adding vinegar to the rinse
> can dissolve the residue. Drying whites in the sun can also help.
>
> To keep white shirts white, wear a bib when eating barbecue. If you've
> been to Barbecue Bob's, you already know we have FREE BIBS.

[jamie]

PETER PAN <peterpanus1999@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Laundry shops can make white clothes very white and bright. What are
> their secrets?
>
> I am tired of white clothes and towels going brownish eventhough we
> are using a lot of detergent and bleach!
>
> Do we need any special detergent, water softener?

I have very hard water, and adding a water softener is not an option,
because I'm in a rental house, and there's no room for one in the
existing closet where the waterheater and AC unit are.

I get much better results from OxiClean than I ever did from bleach,
but I don't go by the instructions on the container -- I put 4 scoops
of OxyClean in an extra-large load of whites along with detergent,
and let it soak in hot water overnight after letting it agitate a
few minutes and turning it off.

Our underwear almost glows in the dark. ;-)

My husband has work boots that for more than a year left dark brown
leather dye stains on the toes and heels of his socks every day,
and the OxiClean soak even got that almost completely out every week.
Some dingy and food-stained blue and white kitchen towels that never
came completely clean with bleach looked new again after a couple of
rounds of soaking in the OxiClean.

I get the big 12 pound pail of OxyClean from Sam's Club for about $10.
At one extra-large load of whites per week, it lasts me about a year.
It also doesn't rot the fabric out like bleach does; socks and
underwear are lasting a good 2 years instead of starting to fall
apart in well under a year of weekly bleaching.

--
jamie (jamiemck@newsguy.com)

"There's a seeker born every minute."

[Lloyd Randall]

In article <slrnclgomn.1d3.jamie@bozo2.local.net>,
jamie@spam-me-silly.net (jamie) wrote:

> PETER PAN <peterpanus1999@yahoo.com> wrote:
> > Laundry shops can make white clothes very white and bright. What are
> > their secrets?
> >
> > I am tired of white clothes and towels going brownish eventhough we
> > are using a lot of detergent and bleach!
> >
> > Do we need any special detergent, water softener?
>
> I have very hard water, and adding a water softener is not an option,
> because I'm in a rental house, and there's no room for one in the
> existing closet where the waterheater and AC unit are.
>
> I get much better results from OxiClean than I ever did from bleach,
> but I don't go by the instructions on the container -- I put 4 scoops
> of OxyClean in an extra-large load of whites along with detergent,
> and let it soak in hot water overnight after letting it agitate a
> few minutes and turning it off.
>
> Our underwear almost glows in the dark. ;-)
>
> My husband has work boots that for more than a year left dark brown
> leather dye stains on the toes and heels of his socks every day,
> and the OxiClean soak even got that almost completely out every week.
> Some dingy and food-stained blue and white kitchen towels that never
> came completely clean with bleach looked new again after a couple of
> rounds of soaking in the OxiClean.
>
> I get the big 12 pound pail of OxyClean from Sam's Club for about $10.
> At one extra-large load of whites per week, it lasts me about a year.
> It also doesn't rot the fabric out like bleach does; socks and
> underwear are lasting a good 2 years instead of starting to fall
> apart in well under a year of weekly bleaching.

That sounds cheap. OxiClean is mostly washing soda, a water softener.
That's what helps your detergent work and keeps residue from sticking to
the cloth.

OxiClean can be too slow for a washing machine. You solved that by
soaking overnight.

Some swimming pools use bleaching chemicals without chlorine, but
bathing suits deteriorate as fast as they do in chlorine pools. In the
laundry, I wonder why household bleach has a reputation for being
harsher than oxygen bleach.

--
Best Regards,
Lloyd

[Phisherman]

On 26 Sep 2004 23:38:24 -0700, peterpanus1999@yahoo.com (PETER PAN)
wrote:

>Laundry shops can make white clothes very white and bright. What are
>their secrets?
>
>I am tired of white clothes and towels going brownish eventhough we
>are using a lot of detergent and bleach!
>
>Do we need any special detergent, water softener?
>
>Please advise

Household bleach whitens whites but too much will weaken the fabric.
I use a simple detergent, a small amount of bleach, water softener and
borax to whiten laundry. Always separate colors and whites. Hanging
laundry in the sun to dry will help bleach them. I do not use any
fabric softeners.

[PETER PAN]

Lloyd Randall <broth@eels.net> wrote in message news:<broth-
>
> That sounds cheap. OxiClean is mostly washing soda, a water softener.
> That's what helps your detergent work and keeps residue from sticking to
> the cloth.

Dear all,

Thanks for your kind suggestions. It seems that combinations of
various approaches will definitely solve this problem very well.

Are there any water softeners that can be added to the water that
would work without long soaks? Brands? What stores?

I think I need softened water but would rather not having to add a
bulky tub into the wash room.

[PETER PAN]

Phisherman <nobody@noone.com> wrote in message news:<buahl0daa5u8doqp0pbsgq3vsulvju7k8n@4ax.com>...
>
> Household bleach whitens whites but too much will weaken the fabric.
> I use a simple detergent, a small amount of bleach, water softener and
> borax to whiten laundry. Always separate colors and whites. Hanging
> laundry in the sun to dry will help bleach them. I do not use any
> fabric softeners.

Dear Phiserman,

What brands of water softener? Where to buy? What is Borax?

The sun is out of the question for us because the LA smog would just
add more dirt to the clothes. You should see how dusty the cars are
here! Besides we really have no time to hang clothes out!

Thanks for your suggestions. Please understand that I am only doing
the research for my boss!