How to Wash White Clothes to Keep Them Bright and Fresh

Keep your favorite garments in mint condition

Ways to Keep Clothes White

The Spruce / Michela Buttignol

Project Overview
  • Working Time: 1 - 2 hrs
  • Total Time: 3 hrs - 1 day
  • Skill Level: Beginner
  • Estimated Cost: $0 to $10

Keeping clothing white is sometimes easier said than done. White clothes may be the perfect wardrobe staple, but keeping them clean and in pristine condition is no easy feat.

When it comes to learning how to wash white clothes and keep them bright (read: not accidentally tinging them pink), there are a few steps to follow and tips to take note of.

Below, we've broken down a dependable method for cleaning your washable white clothing and keeping it bright for as long as possible.

Fast Facts

  • Before you begin, make sure you separate them from colored clothes and wash them together in the hottest water temperature that's safe for the fabric type—using a good heavy-duty detergent, as well as a bleaching agent if needed.
  • If you're popping everything into a washing machine, always check the whole load is white and color-safe.
  • A major problem with white clothes is yellowing. Cleaning agents like vinegar, borax, baking soda, bleach, laundry whiteners, and bluing are the most reliable options.
How to Wash White Clothing
Detergent Heavy-duty detergent that includes an optical brightener
Water Temperature Hot (or as warm as the fabric will allow)
Cycle Type Regular or permanent press
Drying Cycle Type Low (dry outside in the sun when possible)
Special Treatments Wash whites separately from other colors; also separate fabric types
Iron Settings Varies by fabric
How Often to Wash After each wearing for items worn against the skin; whenever visibly soiled for other items

What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

  • Washing machine or large plastic tub
  • Dryer, outdoor clothesline, or drying rack
  • Iron (optional)

Materials

  • Laundry detergent
  • Oxygen-based stain remover
  • Baking soda (optional)
  • Distilled white vinegar (optional)
  • Borax (optional)
  • Oxygen-based bleach (if necessary)

Instructions

ingredients for keeping clothes white
The Spruce / Letícia Almeida

How to Wash White Clothes

  1. Sort the Laundry

    The first step in keeping white clothes white is to sort your dirty laundry carefully. Be ruthless—if something has a chance of bleeding, save it for another load. Separation will prevent your whites from looking dull or turning a new color.

    Tip

    While hot water is usually recommended, double-check the labels on your white clothes to prevent any mishaps! Wool, lycra, spandex, fleece, and silk are fabrics that often need to be washed in cold or cool water—no matter what color.

    separating whites from bright and dark colors
    The Spruce / Letícia Almeida
  2. Treat Stains

    Follow stain removal guidelines for fabric and stain types. Most stains will respond to spot treatment with an oxygen-based stain remover just before washing. If you have yellowed clothes, your best methodology for restoring them is through a more intense treatment like soaking in bleach—just don't overdo it. Some fabrics can get damaged after too many bleach baths.

    treating a garment with stain remover
    The Spruce / Letícia Almeida
  3. Load the Washer

    Avoid overloading the washer. When you're in a rush or looking to save a little money, stuffing the washer to the brim with clothes is tempting. But an overloaded washer won't get you the cleanest results. There isn't enough space between items for the water to flush away the grime, and it redeposits the dirt on fabrics, leaving them looking dull.

    loading the washer
    The Spruce / Letícia Almeida
  4. Set the Water Temperature and Cycle

    • Use hot water—or the warmest water recommended for the fabric—to help remove body oils and grime that can dull the material.
    • Depending on how bad the stain or dirt situation is, choose the normal or heavy-duty setting.

    Tip

    To wash whites without using bleach, you can boost the performance of your laundry detergent by adding half a cup of borax or one cup of baking soda to each load. Baking soda whitens, freshens, and softens fabrics.

    the beginning of a wash cycle
    The Spruce / Letícia Almeida 
  5. Add the Right Detergent, Start the Wash

    When shopping around for a top-quality white clothes detergent, check the ingredients. They should contain optical brighteners. These trick the eye by bending ultraviolet light waves to showcase blue light while minimizing the yellow light you see. This snazzy technology makes fabrics appear whiter. Just make sure you watch how much you pour in, an excess of detergent can stick to clothes and attract dirt.

    A bottle of laundry detergent
    The Spruce / Letícia Almeida
  6. Add Vinegar to Rinse Cycle

    When the load reaches the rinse cycle, skip commercial fabric softeners, which can leave residue on white fabrics. Instead, there's a common pantry item you can use. Add 1 cup of distilled white vinegar to the rinse cycle to ensure that all the detergent is stripped away.

    vinegar above the washer
    The Spruce / Letícia Almeida 
  7. Inspect the Freshly Washed Clothes

    Before chucking everything into the dryer, take a minute to check each garment. If any stains are still hanging on, re-treat them and wash them again. Drying stained clothes on high heat can make that stubborn spot a permanent fixture.

    Checking white clothes before drying

    The Spruce / Ana-Maria Stanciu

  8. Dry the Clothes

    • An even more effective drying method than your trusty dryer is the sun. If possible, hang your white clothes outside to dry. The ultraviolet rays will help freshen and whiten.
    • If drying outside isn't possible, dry clothes in a dryer on a lower heat setting. Skip the dryer sheets, too—they can leave a residue that causes yellowing. Remove clothes from the dryer while slightly damp, and air-dry them on a drying rack. It may come as a surprise, but over-drying can lead to more yellowing down the road.
    drying white clothing outdoors
    The Spruce / Letícia Almeida 

Tips for Washing White Clothing

  • Deep clean your washer every three months so it doesn't become a culprit for discoloring your white clothes.
  • If you have hard water, consider investing in a water-softening system. The minerals in hard water can leave whites looking dull.
  • Never pour full-strength chlorine bleach or hydrogen peroxide into a washer filled with clothes. These substances should be first diluted with water.
  • Hot water is always the best choice for getting previously washed white cotton clothes to their cleanest and brightest state.
  • Avoid over-drying any items that have been washed using bleaching agents. The mix of heat and bleach residue may cause yellowing.

How Often Should I Wash White Clothes?

Some articles of clothing can go for longer stretches between washes, but whites aren't one of them. Because they yellow and discolor so easily, you should aim to wash most whites after every wear—especially those that have been in direct contact with your skin. The exceptions are garments like sweaters or dresses. These items can be washed after every few wearings, unless stains appear. In that case, treat the stains and wash the garments immediately. If you have white sheets, you'll want to wash those weekly.

How Do I Treat Stains on White Clothes?

Pretreat stains on white clothes before washing them whenever possible, especially if they are dark stains (blood, chocolate, wine, coffee). Stains that slip through may be set in even more firmly by hot water washing. Make sure the stains are fully out before you start drying your load. A bigger challenge is brightening white clothing that has yellowed over time.

How Do I Remove Yellowing on White Clothes?

You can whiten yellowed clothes in a top-loading washing machine or a large plastic tub.

  • To refresh yellowed whites, create a solution of oxygen bleach and cool water by following package directions, mixing enough to completely cover your garments.
  • Allow the dingy whites to soak for at least four hours or overnight.
  • Drain the solution and wash as usual. You can repeat this step if needed.
  • A commercial color remover, laundry whitener to brighten white fabrics, and old-fashioned bluingare also good options for brightening whites. Just follow package directions.

How Do I Brighten White Clothes?

Chlorine bleach can be effective for brightening whites. While it may sound contradictory, too much bleach can actually cause yellowing, especially on white synthetic fabrics. Limit how much you pour in and never apply pure, undiluted bleach to any material. It needs to be cut with water.

  • Pour your bleach into a basin or tub. According to Clorox, a ratio of 1/4 cup of bleach to 1 gallon of water is good for any bleach-safe item that needs to be soaked for whitening.
  • Soak for 5 minutes. Cold water helps dilute chlorine bleach, while warm water helps dilute oxygen bleach.

Also, do not apply bleach and detergent at the same time. The two cleaning agents counteract the other, negating their effectiveness. If using a washing machine dispenser, the machine will dispense and dilute it with water. The machine will automatically release it after the washing cycle has begun, giving the detergent the time it needs to do its thing. Use 3/4 cups for a regular load and 1 1/4 cups for a larger load.

How Do I Fix a White Shirt With a Hole?

How you repair white clothing will depend on what type of fabric is used in the garment construction. Check the garment labels for material composition and washing instructions, then you'll have more information on how to handle repairs.

How Do I Iron White Clothes?

The label on your garment will guide you on the right iron settings, or if you should even iron the piece at all. A good rule of thumb is to avoid using heat that's too high. An ultra-hot iron can scorch your clothing and leave marks that are very difficult (maybe even impossible) to remove. Keep the setting at a lower temperature, and add steam or water to relax wrinkles.

ironing white clothing
The Spruce / Letícia Almeida

How Should I Store White Clothing?

Before you put any clothes away, ensure they're clean. Fresh clothes have a less likely chance of dulling and changing color. While plastic tubs and bags may seem like a smart move for making more storage space, these methods can lead to discoloration. Instead, look for breathable options, like cotton garment bags, to keep clothes safely stored for the season. This will prevent the unpleasant surprise of yellowed clothes when you open them next year.

FAQ
  • Do you wash white clothes in hot or cold water?

    White clothing should be washed in the hottest water possible depending on its fabric type. Check the care label to find out the warmest water setting you can use so you can get the cleanest, brightest white garments.

  • Should you turn white clothes inside out when washing?

    Yes, turning your clothes inside out can help the visible side of the fabric stay fresh, clean, and free of discoloration. This is particularly important for clothing with logos or designs of a different color.

  • How do you wash white clothes without turning them yellow?

    To prevent yellowing or discoloration, separate your white clothes from other colors and wash garments with the same fabric together. Avoid using too much bleach or detergent. If you have hard water or water with a metallic composition, chlorine bleach can cause whites to turn yellow as part of a chemical reaction, consider oxygen bleach instead. Clothes treated with bleach and then dried in the sun can also turn yellow.

  • How should I wash delicate whites?

    As with colored delicates, hand-washing is the best strategy for delicate white clothing. You may need to soak or hand-agitate for an extra-long time to fully brighten whites when washing by hand. Some delicates can be machine-washed if you first place them in a mesh lingerie bag before adding to a small load with other whites suited to the same water temperature.