- 1). Wash whites in the hottest water suitable for the clothing. Check the care tags for water temperature directions. Choose the "whites" cycle on your washing machine, if it has one, to most effectively clean whites.
- 2). Wash only white items together. Adding other colored items to the wash may transfer colored dyes onto the whites.
- 3). Add no more than 1 cup of liquid chlorine bleach to the machine. Front loading machines only require a 1/2 cup of liquid bleach. Add an extra rinse cycle to the washing machine selections to remove bleach residue; leftover residue can weaken the items.
- 4). Add an oxygen bleach or another whitening product to the washing machine. Look for a product that says "safe for all fabrics." Follow the specific instructions provided with the product. Add the oxygen bleach directly to the wash water. These products usually work best in hot water. Add an extra rinse cycle to remove any oxygen bleach residue.
- 5). Soak the clothing in the whitener and a sink full of water for 30 minutes if the whites continue to look dingy. Launder as usual.
- 6). Apply lemon juice directly to stained areas and allow the clothing article to dry in the sun to bleach the stain. Wash the clothing in the laundry again.
Source...