How to whiten white clothes that have yellowed without bleach?

Author: Brain O'Reilly PhD  |  Last update: Monday, July 21, 2025

Use vinegar. Like baking soda, you can use distilled white vinegar as either a bleach-free pretreating solution or as an additive to a standard wash cycle. White vinegar is an acidic solution that can be used to brighten the appearance of white fabrics.

How do you get yellowed white clothes white again?

Ingredients: 1 part hydrogen peroxide (3%), 1 part water. Instructions: Mix hydrogen peroxide and water in a bowl. Soak the yellowed fabric for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Rinse well and wash as usual.

Which is better to whiten clothes, vinegar or baking soda?

The baking soda makes your detergent slightly more effective and the vinegar softens fabrics and helps remove pet hair but neither will whiten anything in any amount.

How do you whiten old yellowed fabric?

Create a soaking solution by dissolving half a cup of baking soda in a basin or sink filled with warm water. Submerge the yellowed clothes and let them soak for a few hours or overnight. Afterward, rinse the garments thoroughly and proceed with regular laundering.

Does vinegar whiten yellowed clothes?

2.) It whitens. The acidic properties of white vinegar help restore dingy whites to their original bright state. All you need to do is fill a bucket with hot water, add 2 cups of white vinegar and let dingy clothes soak overnight. By morning, your old clothes will be noticeably whiter.

How To Whiten White Clothes That Turned Yellow? Get Results in 5 Minutes

Does hydrogen peroxide remove yellow stains from white clothes?

Hydrogen peroxide is a mild bleach that can spread through multiple layers of a surface and tackle staining properties such as yellow stains on your white clothes.

How long does it take for vinegar to whiten clothes?

Get stained white socks and dingy dishcloths white again.

Add 1 cup white distilled vinegar to a large pot of water. Bring it to a rolling boil and drop in the articles. Let soak overnight. Some stains on clothing and linens can be soaked out using equal parts milk and white distilled vinegar.

How do you get yellow oxidation out of white clothes?

Oxiclean or any brand of powdered oxygen-based bleach will whiten T-shirts that have turned yellow or gray. The trick is to let the yellowed shirts soak in the solution for several hours or overnight.

How to make dingy whites white again?

Refill sink (or bucket) with hot water and add about 2 tablespoons of white vinegar. Add clothes and allow to soak for about 15 minutes. Drain water and rinse whites in warm water.

How do you make yellow clothes bright again?

Baking soda can whiten garments and brighten colorful fabrics while neutralizing odors to give your clothes a thorough clean.

What happens if you use vinegar and laundry detergent together?

Adding vinegar directly to the wash with your laundry detergent may compromise its cleaning performance. Laundry detergents are formulated for specific pH levels, which may be disrupted by the acidity of vinegar, leading to less effective cleaning. It's best to avoid mixing them to ensure optimal results.

How to get whites whiter without bleach?

Distilled white vinegar, lemons, baking soda, bluing, and sunshine are all non-toxic alternatives to bleach. To determine which works best for your clothing, experiment on a small area before using the substance on your entire garment. And remember, don't use these methods on colored clothes.

How long does baking soda take to whiten clothes?

For overall whitening, dissolve one cup of baking soda in a basin of hot water and soak for at least one hour before laundering. Follow up with a distilled white vinegar rinse in your washing machine to enhance the effect.

What is the best product to remove yellow stains from white clothes?

OxiClean, Shout or other enzyme-based stain removers may very well be the easiest way to remove yellowing from white clothes. Follow the instructions on the product label. Pre-treat the stain with the stain remover and let it sit for the recommended amount of time. Wash the clothing in the washing machine as usual.

What liquid makes white clothes white again?

To pre-treat, mix hot water and white vinegar and allow your garments to soak. For an in-wash solution, simply add vinegar and detergent to your washing machine and select your desired setting.

Does OxiClean remove yellow stains?

For best results, pre-soak the sweat-stained garment OxiClean™ Odor Blasters™ Versatile Odor & Stain Remover. Yellow sweat stains and stubborn sweat smells will bow to the deodorizing and stain fighting power of OxiClean™ Odor Blasters™.

How to make yellow clothes white again?

Method #1: Washing soda or baking soda:

Soak your vintage and/or yellowed whites in the washing machine, bathtub or large wash sink for 24 hours with one cup of washing soda or baking soda. Use the hottest water that your fabrics can withstand. Use patience.

What product makes white clothes whiter?

Our overall best pick for laundry whiteners is OxiClean White Revive. Not only will this oxygen-based whitener brighten your whites, but it also works on your colored clothes, too (although you should only use it on colorfast fabrics).

Does borax make clothes whiter?

Borax will make sure your whites stay white.

When using borax, there is no need for unnatural optical brighteners or even bleach in many cases. And borax isn't only for white clothes, it will naturally brighten all your laundry, including colors and dark clothes.

Does vinegar take yellow out of white clothes?

Distilled white vinegar is another remarkable option to make yellowed white shirts white again. Not only does it have brightening properties, but it also neutralizes odors in fabrics. You can use it as a bleach-free pretreatment or as an additive in a standard wash cycle.

How to reverse yellowing from bleach?

How to remove yellow bleach stains from white clothes
  1. Rinse. Put the fabric under running water and rinse it. ...
  2. Use vinegar. Pour white vinegar onto the stain directly.
  3. Sit. Let the vinegar sit on the stain for at least five minutes.
  4. Rinse again. Using cold water, rinse the fabric thoroughly.
  5. Check. ...
  6. Wash.

How to whiten dingy white clothes?

Use chlorine bleach only for whites and bleachable colors. Before using, check items for "nonchlorine bleach only" labels. To use bleach, start your washer and add 3/4 cup chlorine bleach to the wash water with your regular detergent, then add your load of laundry.

Is bleach or vinegar better for white clothes?

While chlorine bleach can be used in the wash to eliminate mold or mildew from clothing, towels, or bedding, it can only be used on whites. Vinegar can be used on colors, so it's a good choice for washing items that aren't white that are moldy.

Is distilled vinegar the same as white vinegar?

White vinegar, also known as distilled vinegar or spirit vinegar, is made by fermenting grain alcohol (ethanol) which then turns into acetic acid. Water is then added to the vinegar, so white vinegar is made of five to ten percent acetic acid and ninety to ninety-five percent water.

Can I mix vinegar and baking soda for white clothes?

The answer to, can I add vinegar and baking soda to laundry detergent, is No. Laundry with baking soda and vinegar at the same time is not a good idea because it will neutralize each other, canceling out the benefits of low pH for vinegar and high pH for baking soda.

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