Labor day may have come and gone, but that’s no reason to stash your whites in storage. With a little care and a few insider tricks, you can keep your white clothing bright, vibrant and stain free year-round.
Don't put away your whites with Labor Day
Here’s Meurice’s top tips to keep those whites their very whitest.
Of course, start with the care labels. No matter what garments you’d like to clean, care labels are the road map to keeping them in good condition. Even if you think you know what a garment is, check the label. There are often surprises.
Sort your wash carefully, and don’t overload the washer. Our clients ask all the time – what do we do differently from other cleaners to keep whites bright? The surprising answer – we sort very, very, carefully! The number one factor we see in whites that have greyed is dye transfer or bleeding from other garments. So, don’t permit any wiggle room. Yellows are not whites. White with a dyed pattern is not white (wash that separately). Off-white more often than not is not white. Strict sorting will pay big dividends.
Treat stains immediately and never dry or press a stain. Heat and time are the two biggest factors in setting stains. Do don’t delay when you see a stain, flush immediately with water and wash as soon as you can. If the stain is still there, keep washing until it’s not!
UV rays have an impact on natural fibers. We don’t practice this method in our plant, but we’ve heard from clients that swear their cotton tees were brightened by drying on an outdoor line, and we believe it. Just don’t hang them over any gritty NYC streets!
Fluorescent dyes are often used as a brightener in whites. Unfortunately, these can often deteriorate over time and wash out of the textile. When that happens, there’s not much you can do. You’ll still be looking at a white garment, but it may appear dull because of the loss of its artificial brightness.
Wash whites after each wearing. And remember, hot water is always best for whites.
A few other things to keep in mind:
- Don’t let stains linger on any garment, but particularly with whites, since stains are so ready apparent. In the business we call them invisible stains, because certain blemishes like body oil and perspiration don’t always show right away. In addition, some stains can caramelize or oxidize over time – think about how an apple browns after the skin has been removed.
- Don’t leave clothes in plastic bags, even the ones from the cleaner. Fabric needs to breathe, and fumes from plastic breaking down can lead to yellowing and discoloration.
- Don’t neglect to clean your washer. Your whites will only come out as clean as the inside of your washer. If there is grime and dye leftover from past loads it can tint the color of your clothes. To clean your washer, add 3 or 4 cups of distilled white vinegar to an empty load of hot water. This should be done every 2-3 months for a machine of average use.
- Finally, don’t bleach. Bleach doesn’t remove a blemish, but covers up stains by dying them, often an ugly shade of yellow or grey. Bleach is great for your grunge jeans, but spare your whites!
