You don’t need bleach or detergents with optical brighteners to make white clothes, bed and table linen shine again and to remove stains. Even with a little time and the power of the sun you can bleach white laundry.
White laundry bleaches in the sun
Dyes are chemical compounds that can be destroyed by UV light with the help of oxygen. In this way, stained, yellowed and grayed textiles can be bleached. This works particularly well for items made from natural fibers such as cotton and linen. The bleaching process is intensified when the laundry is damp.
A notice: Since colored textiles are also bleached by the UV light, the method is only suitable for white laundry.
To bleach white laundry, you can simply let it dry in the sun. To prevent uneven bleaching, the entire garment should be exposed to the sun. It is therefore advisable to spread the textiles out on the lawn, for example. If you want to repeat the bleaching process, you can moisten the dried laundry again. For example, a spray bottle or a watering can with a shower head is suitable for larger items of laundry.
Tip: Even when the sun isn’t shining and even in winter you can let your laundry dry outside.
In this way, even with home-made detergent without chemical additives (e.g. chestnut detergent, liquid detergent or modular detergent) the laundry can be kept bright white.
Tip: If you use commercial detergent with optical brighteners, it is advisable to remove the laundry as soon as possible after drying, otherwise discoloration can occur.
did you know In the past, before washing with bleach and brighteners, many cities had large meadows by the river where items of laundry could be laid out for bleaching after washing. This is often still recognizable from street or place names, such as the Bielefeld district of Windelsbleiche.
You can find more ideas on how to use natural methods and home remedies to make your kitchen, household and bathroom more environmentally friendly in our books:
How do you treat your laundry to remove stains and discolouration? Add your tips in a comment!
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