There’s nothing more annoying than buying a fresh white t-shirt, wearing it a handful of times, and discovering it has lost its brand new gleam. Or even worse, spilling something down it the very first time that you wear it.
There are plenty of products on the market that promise to instantly get rid of any stain, but more often than not, they don’t work as well as they should. So if you’ve been left with too many stained t-shirts or just dingy old whites in general, there’s no need to rush out and buy yet another bleaching product. According to one cleaning expert on social media, you can do the trick with three simple items you’ve probably already got in your cupboard.
Cleaning expert Chantel Mila on TikTok has shared her easy technique for transforming your ‘dingy whites’ that promises to leave them looking bright, white and fresh once again.
She said: “Say goodbye to dingy whites. This method works so well to whiten and brighten stained white clothing, linen, socks and towels and leave them looking new again.”
Her technique is much more cost-effective than investing in stain removal products, since you only need a couple of household staples that go a lot further than one specific product would.
How to brighten clothes and remove stains
First of all, take a large bowl, basin or bucket, and add the stained clothing. Then, fill the bowl up with warm water, making sure the contents of the bowl are fully covered.
Then, add half a cup of hydrogen peroxide. This will help to brighten and disinfect the clothing — a 3% solution is best as it’s not too harsh but still works well to remove stains.
Next, add half a cup of baking soda to the mix. Known for being a powerful yet natural cleaner, baking soda will help to deodorise your clothes, as well as helping to cut through any grease.
Another multipurpose item that works well in this case is washing up liquid. Adding a tablespoon to the bowl will help to banish any oil-based stains in your clothes, which can be an absolute nightmare to remove.
All there’s left to do is give the bowl a quick mix around and leave to soak for an hour, to allow all the different products to work their magic. Finally, place the clothes in the washing machine, and wash as normal.
You should find that the stains have disappeared and your clothes look much brighter than before.
