How to bleach white linen? Video
How happy snow-white linen is when buying, and how this joy is darkened after some time. Still, things acquire gray and yellow shades, their visual appeal is lost. Sometimes traditional methods of whitening white linen – long boiling, repeated washing with expensive powders – do not bring the long-awaited whiteness, and then the further use of things is questioned.
How to bleach white linen
It should be remembered that white items from different types of fabrics and having different structures require different approaches. So, different means and methods are used for linen: – cotton and linen; – silk; – woolen; – guipure.
Bleaching cotton and linen
Use one of the bleach products that are freely available in household chemical stores today. There are chlorine, oxygen and optical brighteners. Some housewives overthrew chlorine-containing products from the pedestal, and in vain, because most often they do an excellent job of whitening.
However, it should be borne in mind that their frequent use leads to thinning of the tissue and, for this reason, to a short service life. In addition, they cannot be poured into the washing machine due to the creation of an aggressive environment by them. Finally, sensitive people can get an allergic reaction to chlorine. Therefore, it is wise to use such bleach in cases where other remedies have not worked.
If you decide to use chlorine bleach, read the instructions carefully. Otherwise, you risk simply burning your laundry with chlorine (if, for example, you add a lot of it to too hot water)
Oxygen bleaches have a much milder effect on cotton and linen fabrics, although they may be ineffective when the laundry is heavily soiled. But at the same time, they are hypoallergenic and work excellently even at low water temperatures (up to 40 ° C).
As for optical brighteners, they rather do not return the whiteness to the linen, but dye it, since they contain special luminescent dyes that are capable of reflecting light and creating the illusion of snow-white. If you are not satisfied with this, and you want your laundry to turn white in reality, give preference to chemical bleaches.
You can try to bleach cotton and linen by other means. Add ammonia at the rate of 5 tablespoons to warm water for soaking white things. for 8-10 liters of water. The ammonia will soften water, reduce the effect of magnesium salts, which give white fabric a yellow tint. If the laundry is heavily soiled, add 2 tbsp in addition to the ammonia. turpentine. Soaking time is 30-40 minutes. After this procedure, wash the laundry in your usual way – by hand with soap or in a machine. [Box # 12]
Bleaching silk and wool linen
Oxygen bleach is ideal for bringing back whiteness to silk and woolen linen. its effect on fabric is delicate and soft. But a chlorine-containing product can easily destroy fabric (especially delicate linen).
If you are not a supporter of chemical bleaches, and you think they are too aggressive, use the old method of bleaching silk and wool fabrics. Add to the soaking water (10-12 liters): – 8 tbsp. salt; – 3 tbsp. 3% hydrogen peroxide; – 3 tbsp. ammonia; – 2-3 tbsp. washing powder.
Stir everything well until the components are completely dissolved and soak silk linen for an hour and a half. Then stretch as usual.
Before washing, immerse things from guipure in hot water (10 liters), to which ammonia (1 tablespoon) and 3% hydrogen peroxide (2 tablespoons) have been added. Leave the items on for half an hour, then hand wash or machine wash on the delicate cycle.
Do not leave white laundry dirty for a long time. If some of the white things have not been used for a long time, be it clothes or bedding, periodically take them out of the closet and ventilate them to avoid them acquiring a yellow tint, which will then be difficult to remove.