Why does white laundry turn gray after washing? 3 mistakes to ban forever
White clothes that come out gray from the washing machine, this has surely happened to you. This color change is the result of three mistakes that most of us make when putting laundry in the washing machine. To avoid it and keep your linen bright white, here are the tips you need to know.
One thing is certain, the way you take care of your linen can considerably affect its colours. The poor sorting of laundry is the first responsible for the grayish coloring of clothes, but it is not the only one.
What are the errors to avoid so that the laundry preserves its original color?
A stained or faded linen can be the consequence of certain mistakes made during machine washing. Here are some of them:
– Forgetting to sort the laundry
Anti-color transfer wipe – Source: spm
Due to lack of time, you sometimes do not sort laundry and mix multiple colors in the machine. Despite the use of anti-color transfer wipes, your white clothes come out greyish from the machine. Indeed, the effectiveness of these wipes has been proven on synthetic fabrics and not on cotton fabrics, which is the main material of your white laundry. So don’t be surprised if the dark color of your jeans spreads on all your white clothes!
– Do not wash the linen beforehand with coarse salt
Very few people know this, but coarse salt can help fix colors in clothes. If you neglect this important step, color transfer may occur during washing. Simply immerse your white laundry in a basin filled with warm salt water. Leave on for an afternoon, while stirring occasionally. Then rinse your laundry and wash it as usual.
– Badly adjust the washing temperature of the laundry
Machine Temperature – Source: spm
Depending on the material of each item of clothing (cotton, silk or linen), particular attention should be paid to the choice of temperature when choosing the washing programme. Indeed, a very high temperature could cause some clothes to fade and affect others. To avoid altering the shine of your white clothes when you mix them with other colors, it is recommended to favor a temperature below 20°C. By adopting this method, you will no longer have to worry about a possible color transfer.
The more you wash your laundry, the more your white clothes are likely to tend towards gray . These few tips will allow you to simply and effectively whiten your laundry.
– Baking soda for shiny laundry
Baking soda in the machine – Source: spm
Baking soda is a product with many virtues. Concerning the maintenance of the linen, it makes it possible to effectively whiten the linen become gray after an unsuitable washing. By pouring 500 grams of this product into the softener compartment of the washing machine, your white clothes will come out like new.
– Soda crystals to whiten laundry
Just like baking soda, soda crystals can whiten clothes that have become grey. In a basin, pour 2 liters of hot water then add the equivalent of a coffee cup of soda crystals. Then soak your laundry in this mixture and let it sit for an hour. After rinsing, you will notice that your clothes are white again as before.
– Aspirin to recover the whiteness of the laundry
Aspirin is probably the most unexpected product on the list. Known for its analgesic properties, this drug would also be effective for whitening linen. To get a good result, just put two tablets of aspirin in the drum of your washing machine before starting a normal wash cycle. If your clothes are still slightly grey, the same procedure can be carried out a second time.
Now you know why your laundry is likely to turn grey. If this happens to you after one or more washes, you can opt for these simple and effective solutions.
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