How to get stains out of white clothes and white shirts

Step by step

1. 1

   Check the fiber and any trim

   Read the care label for the fiber and the bleach symbol. Note any spandex, wool, silk, nylon or durable-press finish, and test colored trim, thread and prints before bleaching.

   Why: Whites have no dye to fade, but chlorine bleach damages several white fibers and can bleach the colored details.

2. 2

   Blot and flush with cold water

   Blot off what you can, then rinse the stain from the back under a cold tap.

   Why: Cold water is the safe start for an unknown stain, and flushing from the back pushes it out the way it came in.

3. 3

   Pretreat the stain

   Rub liquid detergent into the spot. For protein or body-soil stains such as sweat, blood or food, soak in cold water with an enzyme presoak first.

   Why: Bleach oxidizes color but doesn't clean. The soil has to be loosened and washed out before bleach can finish the job.

4. 4

   Bleach the whole garment

   Soak or wash the item in oxygen bleach in warm to hot water. For bleach-safe white cotton, linen or polyester, you can use chlorine bleach diluted as directed, added after the wash has started or through the dispenser.

   Why: Bleaching the whole item keeps the white even. Oxygen bleach works best warm to hot; one extension guide says above 130°F. Undiluted chlorine bleach spots and weakens fabric.

5. 5

   Wash with enough detergent, hot as allowed

   Wash whites on their own with the full amount of detergent and the warmest water the label allows.

   Why: Too little detergent, or cold water on oily soil, leaves body oils behind that turn whites yellow.

6. 6

   Check, then dry

   Make sure the stain is gone before tumble drying. White cotton and linen can dry in the sun; dry silk and nylon in the shade.

   Why: Dryer heat sets stains. Sunlight helps brighten cotton and linen but weakens silk and nylon.

Why white clothes stain, gray and yellow

White garments are usually cotton, cotton-polyester blends, linen, polyester or nylon, sometimes with spandex. There's no dye to fade, but there's also nothing to hide a stain, and whites discolor gradually even without one.

Graying and tinting come from dye picked up from other clothes in the wash; white and light-colored synthetics are especially prone. Yellowing has three main causes: body oils left behind by too little detergent or cold water on oily soil, natural aging of fibers such as silk, wool, spandex and nylon, and chlorine bleach used on a fiber it doesn't suit.

Bleach helps, but it isn't a cleaner. It works by oxidizing the colored compounds in a stain, so heavily soiled whites need a good wash first. Rust is the exception to every bleach rule: chlorine bleach makes it permanent, so use a rust remover made for fabric instead.

Which bleach each white fabric can take

• Oxygen bleach (sodium percarbonate): safe for most washable whites and the best choice for routine whitening. Most effective in warm to hot water.
• Chlorine bleach: diluted, on white cotton, linen and polyester labeled bleach-safe. Not on wool, silk, spandex or blends of them, where it causes damage and yellowing that can't be reversed. It can also yellow and weaken resin-treated (durable-press) cotton and permanently yellow some nylon. On linen, a Hawaii extension guide allows only light or moderate use, because heavy chlorine bleaching damages it.
• 3% hydrogen peroxide: a mild bleach for all fibers. Test trims first.
• Rust remover for fabric (oxalic acid type): for rust spots, tested first.

Replace liquid chlorine bleach that's more than about six months old, since it loses strength. And never mix chlorine bleach with ammonia or acids, including vinegar: it releases toxic chloramine or chlorine gas. See never mix these cleaners.

Drying whites, and when to call a cleaner

Check that every stain is gone before tumble drying, because heat sets what's left. Sunlight can help brighten white cotton and linen, but it weakens silk and nylon, so dry those in the shade. Don't over-dry, and take whites out promptly.

Take these to a professional: white silk and wool, anything dry-clean-only, heirloom and wedding textiles, and yellowing on items that can't be bleached.

By situation

A stain on a white shirt that won't come out

Find out what it is first, because the fix depends on the stain type: enzymes for protein, a solvent or heavy-duty detergent for oil, bleach for color (stains on clothes explains the types). Then bleach the whole shirt with a bleach its label allows. If it has been through a hot dryer, expect repeated treatments, and some marks only fade.

Yellow collars and underarms

That's usually body oil and sweat building up. Soak in an enzyme presoak, rub in liquid detergent, and wash with plenty of detergent in the warmest safe water, with oxygen bleach. See sweat stains on white clothes for the full method.

White linen

Linen takes detergent, enzymes and oxygen bleach well. Use chlorine bleach sparingly, only if labeled bleach-safe, since heavy chlorine bleaching damages linen. Drying white linen in the sun helps brighten it.

Gray or dingy whites

Graying usually means dye picked up from other clothes. Wash whites separately, after every wear, with enough detergent, and use oxygen bleach regularly rather than waiting for them to turn.

Rust spots

Never use chlorine bleach: it makes rust permanent. Use a fabric rust remover according to its label, rinse well, and launder.

Stretch whites, colored trim and prints

Anything with spandex needs oxygen bleach or peroxide, not chlorine. For colored stitching, trim or prints, test the bleach on that part first.

What not to do

• Don't use chlorine bleach on rust stains. It makes rust stains permanent.
• Don't use chlorine bleach on wool, silk, spandex or their blends. It damages these fibers, and the yellowing it causes can't be reversed.
• Don't pour undiluted chlorine bleach onto fabric. Concentrated bleach spots and weakens fabric. Dilute it before it reaches the clothes.
• Don't wash whites with darks or new colored items. Light-colored synthetics pick up loose dye and turn gray or tinted.
• Don't mix chlorine bleach with ammonia or vinegar. The mixture releases toxic chloramine or chlorine gas.

Other methods that work

3% hydrogen peroxide

A mild bleach that's safe on all fibers, useful for a spot on stretch whites or fabrics that can't take chlorine.

Caution: Test colored trim first.

Water conditioner wash

If whites have yellowed from hard water or soil buildup, a wash with a water conditioner (softener) can correct it.

Stain still there?

Whites turned yellow after bleaching

Chlorine bleach may have been used on a fiber it doesn't suit, such as spandex, nylon or durable-press cotton. That yellowing usually can't be reversed. Switch to oxygen bleach for those items.

Whites keep getting dingier

Wash them on their own, use the full amount of detergent and the warmest safe water, and add oxygen bleach regularly.

Chlorine bleach doesn't seem to work anymore

Liquid chlorine bleach loses strength over about six months. Replace an old bottle.

Safety

• Wear gloves when handling bleach and measure it into water, never straight onto fabric.
• Never mix chlorine bleach with ammonia, vinegar or other acids.

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

Questions

Stains on white clothes

• Blood on white clothes
• Chocolate on white clothes
• Coffee on white clothes
• Makeup on white clothes
• Red wine on white clothes
• Sweat on white clothes