Doing the laundry is one of those necessary but mundane household tasks that nobody really enjoys. While it’s generally just a case of throwing clothes in the washing machine and pressing start, sometimes your laundry needs a little more attention to get garments looking as good as new. This is particularly the case when it comes to whites, as over time they can start to turn a bit grey. A combination of factors can cause whites to lose their brilliance, including using too much detergent, limescale accumulating in your mashing machine and not washing whites on their own.
But luckily, there is a very easy way to get your whites looking fresh and new again, and you don’t have to rely on bleach to do it. Instead, cleaning experts recommend using white vinegar.
Unlike bleach and some other cleaning products, white vinegar doesn’t contain any harsh chemicals as it’s simply made from acetic acid and water.
The natural, non-toxic ingredient is also eco-friendly and very effective at cutting through grease, grime and dirt, making it the ideal cheap solution to brighten up your clothes.
The vinegar acts as a mild acid that helps to dissolve any detergent, limescale and hard water residue lingering in your clothes that causes white fabrics to appear grey and dull, thereby restoring their brightness.
Experts at Real Simple explain: “Because distilled white vinegar is mildly acidic, it can help break down detergent residues, mineral deposits, and other buildups that cause fabrics to gray over time. You can use distilled white vinegar as a soak, either on your machine’s soak settings or in a separate washing pail or the sink.”
As an added bonus, white vinegar also acts as a natural fabric softener by breaking down these mineral deposits, so your clothes should feel like new.
Cleaning experts recommend adding around 125 to 200ml of white vinegar to washing machines during the rinse cycle to help remove detergent buildup and brighten clothes, or for a deeper clean, soak clothes in a solution of hot water and white vinegar for at least 30 minutes before washing.
Experts at Laundry Heap add: “Distilled white vinegar is one of the best natural stain removers that can be found in almost every household. The acetic acid in the vinegar is mild, so it does just enough to remove stains without ruining your clothing.
“To remove stains with vinegar via pre-treating, you can dilute the vinegar with water (vinegar 1:3 Water) or soak in undiluted vinegar and allow garments to soak between 15-30 mins or even overnight depending on the stubbornness of the stain.
“For stains that are a little tougher to remove, you can either pour vinegar directly onto the stain and let it soak up or rub the vinegar into the stain and let it soak up. Leave to soak for as long as necessary. You can also make a spot treat paste by adding baking soda to a mixture of water and vinegar.”