How to whiten yellowed clothes

Step by step

1. 1

   Find the cause and check the fiber

   Overall dinginess on cotton or polyester is usually body soil. Yellow patches at the underarms or collar are sweat and antiperspirant. A yellow-brown, rusty tint across a whole load points to iron in the water. Then read the label: white silk, wool or spandex yellowed by chlorine bleach or age can't be whitened.

   Why: Each cause needs a different fix, and the wrong one, like chlorine bleach on rust, makes it worse.

2. 2

   Pretreat underarms and collars

   Rub liquid laundry detergent into sweat-yellowed areas. Then soak them for 20 to 30 minutes in water with an enzyme product, keeping the water below about 100°F.

   Why: Sweat contains proteins and body oils. Detergent loosens the oils and enzymes break down the protein, but heat cooks protein into the fibers, so the presoak stays lukewarm.

3. 3

   Wash hot with extra detergent and a booster

   Wash in the hottest water safe for the fabric, using more detergent than usual and adding an enzyme product, detergent booster or bleach that's safe for the fabric: chlorine for white cotton labeled bleach-safe, oxygen bleach for everything else.

   Why: This is the American Cleaning Institute's fix for gradual yellowing. Heat and extra surfactant dissolve built-up skin oils, and bleach oxidizes the yellow residue.

4. 4

   For synthetics, use a hot permanent-press cycle

   Wash yellowed polyester and nylon whites in water of at least 130°F (54°C) on the permanent-press cycle with its cool-down rinse. For very discolored synthetics that can't take chlorine bleach, soak them in an enzyme product or booster, or use a color remover as the package directs.

   Why: ACI notes that synthetics yellow when they're washed too gently and too cool, because oily soil clings to these fibers. The cool-down rinse limits wrinkling after a hot wash.

5. 5

   Try a water-conditioner wash if detergent residue is the problem

   Texas A&M suggests washing in the hottest safe water with a cup of water conditioner instead of detergent. If the items are still yellow, relaunder with water conditioner or detergent plus a fabric-safe bleach.

   Why: Leftover detergent and soil can cause yellowing too. A wash without detergent strips that residue rather than adding to it.

6. 6

   Air-dry and check before using heat

   Hang the items to dry and inspect them in daylight. Repeat the wash if they're still yellow, and don't iron or machine-dry sweat-stained areas until the stain is gone.

   Why: Georgia extension warns that heat plus sweat and antiperspirant chemicals can set the stain and damage fabric.

Why white clothes turn yellow

White fabric yellows for several different reasons, and the fix depends on which one you have:

• Body soil buildup. Skin oils that a cool or underdosed wash doesn't fully remove build up wash after wash and slowly turn yellow. This is the most common cause.
• Sweat and antiperspirant. Sweat's proteins and oils yellow at the underarms. Antiperspirants contain aluminum or zinc salts that build up into a stiff yellowish layer, and Texas A&M notes that heavy buildup may be impossible to remove fully.
• Iron or manganese in the water. This gives a yellow-brown, rusty tint, often across a whole load.
• Hidden sugar spills. A clear drink spill that wasn't treated oxidizes to a yellow-brown spot over time.
• Chlorine bleach on silk, wool or spandex, or simple fiber aging. This yellowing is permanent.

Texas A&M also notes that sunlight may yellow some white fabrics.

How to keep whites from yellowing

Use the right detergent dose for the load and the warmest water the label allows; see laundry symbols and what temperature to wash clothes. ACI recommends laundering synthetics often, in water of at least 100°F (38°C). Oxygen bleach helps maintain whiteness, though ACI notes it's better at keeping whites white than at restoring them. Treat sweat and clear spills before washing, and don't store whites that have untreated sugary spots on them.

By situation

Yellow sweat stains on white shirts

Rub in liquid detergent, soak in lukewarm water with an enzyme product for 20 to 30 minutes, then wash in the hottest water safe for the shirt with oxygen bleach, or chlorine bleach on bleach-safe white cotton. Never iron or dry the shirt until the yellow is gone. For a full walkthrough, see sweat stains on white clothes.

Yellowed white pants and whole garments

All-over yellowing is usually body soil. Use the hot wash with extra detergent and a booster or bleach, and repeat it two or three times if needed. Polyester pants get the hot permanent-press cycle.

Rusty yellow-brown tint from water

Iron in the water causes this, and chlorine bleach makes rust darker and can set it. Use a rust remover made for fabrics according to its label.

Silk, wool or spandex that turned yellow

If chlorine bleach or age yellowed these fibers, ACI and Texas A&M agree the yellowing can't be removed. Future washes should use only the gentle detergent and bleach the label allows.

Yellow stains on a mattress

These are usually sweat, body oils or urine, and a mattress can't go in the washer. Spot-clean with as little liquid as possible: blot an enzyme cleaner or oxygen bleach solution on with a cloth, blot with a cold-water cloth, and dry completely before making the bed. See sweat stains on a mattress.

Yellow stains on white shoes

No authoritative source gives a specific fix for yellowed sneakers, and shoe makers rule out chlorine bleach. Clean canvas with a soft brush and a little detergent in warm water, rinse off all residue, and air-dry out of direct sun; see how to clean white shoes.

What not to do

• Don't use chlorine bleach on silk, wool, spandex or rust-yellowed items. It yellows those fibers permanently and makes rust stains darker.
• Don't wash whites in cold water with too little detergent every time. Body soil builds up a little each wash and turns the fabric yellow.
• Don't iron or machine-dry sweat-yellowed clothes before treating them. Heat sets the stain, and with antiperspirant chemicals it can damage the fabric.
• Don't combine ammonia, vinegar and chlorine bleach steps without rinsing in between. Ammonia or acids mixed with bleach release dangerous gases.

Other methods that work

Color remover for synthetics

For extremely discolored synthetic whites that can't take chlorine bleach, ACI lists a color remover, used according to the package, as an option.

Caution: It strips any color, so use it only on all-white items without colored trim.

3% hydrogen peroxide for lingering sweat odor

Georgia extension applies 3% hydrogen peroxide for 15 to 20 minutes on colorfast fabric, two or three times, then launders.

Caution: Test first, and rinse well before any other product.

Sun-bleaching

Drying whites in sunshine is a traditional whitening method with weak evidence.

Caution: Texas A&M notes sunlight may actually turn some white fabrics yellow.

Stain still there?

Whites got more yellow after bleaching

The yellow is probably from iron in the water, which chlorine bleach darkens, or the fabric contains spandex. Switch to a fabric rust remover, and use only oxygen bleach on stretch fabrics.

Underarms are stiff and yellow even after hot washes

That's antiperspirant buildup. Rub in detergent and let it stand 5 to 10 minutes before each wash. Heavy buildup may never come out completely.

A yellow-brown spot appeared on a shirt in storage

Likely an old sugary or clear spill that oxidized. Pretreat with detergent, wash in the hottest safe water and use a fabric-safe bleach.

Safety

• Never mix chlorine bleach with ammonia, vinegar or rust removers.
• Wear gloves when using rust remover or bleach soaks, and follow the product label.

Never mix cleaning products; see chemicals you must never combine.

Questions

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