How to Whiten Whites without Chlorine Bleach

Many people are moving away from chlorine bleach in their quest to have less chemicals in their homes. It’s understandable when you look at the warning labels that come on bleach containers why people would not want to keep chlorine bleach in their homes. While it is a quick and easy way to whiten whites and disinfect, it’s also a pretty harsh chemical that, if used incorrectly, can cause some serious harm.

If you are looking to change up your laundry routine and ditch the bleach, here are eight ways you can whiten your whites without resorting to the bottle of bleach.

The first few whitening solutions are things that make me think of the 1980s. I was just a little girl in the 80s, but I had older sisters who wanted bleach blonde hair, and there were three things they used to lighten their hair:

·   Peroxide

·   Lemon Juice

·    Sunlight

It turns out the teens of the 1980s did know a few things about how to whiten without dipping their heads in a bottle of bleach (although I think a few of them used that too). These three items are not just effective at lightening hair color, but they are also great at whitening white fabrics as well. Let’s dig in a little deeper.

Hydrogen Peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide is a natural whitener. It is great at removing stains, even blood, from white fabrics when applied directly to the spots. It’s also effective at stripping color from non-white clothes, so make sure you use caution if you decide to use hydrogen peroxide in your laundry routine. You can buy a brown bottle of 3% hydrogen peroxide in your local pharmacy aisle. It has to stay in a dark bottle for it to keep its effectiveness, so don’t be tempted to switch it to another see-through spray bottle.

To use with your laundry, you have two options. You can apply one capful of the hydrogen peroxide at a time directly to stains and watch them disappear with the bubbly action of the peroxide. Or, if you want to use it on an entire load of laundry, add 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide to a sink full of water, add your whites, and allow them to soak for 20-30 minutes. If you are short on time, you can also add 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide to the presoak cycle in your washing machine and let it do the work of soaking and wringing for you.

Citrus Soak

Just like you can use hydrogen peroxide to whiten your whites, you can also use another trick from our 1980s friends who used lemon juice to lighten their hair. This is actually a method that Martha Stewart recommends, calling it a citrus soak. This method combines the power of super hot water with the power of citrus. Fill a large pot with water and a few pieces of lemon and place it on the stove with high heat. When the water is boiling, turn off the heat and add your white items. Submerge them completely in the water, and swish them around so they get lots of that hot citrus water into the fabrics. Allow them to remain in the water for up to an hour before tossing them in to a normal wash cycle.  

Sun “Bleach”

Once you’ve done your presoak (or even if you haven’t!), you can add another boost of whitening power by hanging your whites in the sun to dry. The UV rays of the sun actually break down chemical bonds in colors, making them fade. Just like the sun will fade your patio furniture cushions, it will help fade stains and discoloration in your white laundry. Even if you don’t have a clothes line, you can get creative in finding space to sundry your laundry. I use my patio furniture to spread out my white sheets and linens, but I’ve seen people use a rope stretched between two ladders in a pinch as well. Get creative and use the sun’s whitening powers on your linens and other whites.

Baking Soda Soak

Another option for a presoak is baking soda. I’ve talked about all the ways I like to use baking soda around my house, and I always have a giant bag of it ready to use in my laundry room. Not only does it help remove smells from laundry, but it also can help whiten when you add it to a presoak cycle. It’s such a great multipurpose, natural cleaner that it pays to keep it on hand for a variety of cleaning projects.

Baking Soda and Peroxide Scrub

Once you have baking soda and hydrogen peroxide stocked in your laundry room, you can use it for more than just presoaks. Think of the last time you watched TV and saw a toothpaste commercial. Chances are that the toothpaste advertised the whitening power of baking soda and peroxide, right? Well, how about using that same power combination on your laundry? By making a paste with baking soda and 3% hydrogen peroxide, you have a powerful paste that can help remove stains from your whites. Use a toothbrush to apply and work the paste in to the stain, then wash immediately.

Vinegar

One of the big reasons our whites get dingy is because they have a buildup of detergent and fabric softener in them. While these two things are meant to get your laundry clean and soft, over time they can accumulate and make the fabric have a slightly sticky quality. That stickiness holds on to dirt and grime, making them appear dingy and grey. To help get rid of this, simply ditch the detergent and swap in a cup of vinegar for a wash cycle or two. The vinegar will help break down the buildup and give your whites a fresh start.

Borax Wash

If you aren’t a fan of vinegar, another option is to wash your whites in Borax instead of using traditional detergent. This age old cleaner will help strip some of that excess residue just like the vinegar will, but you won’t have to chance your whites coming out with a hint of vinegar scent. Because Borax is also very gentle, you are safe to use it on your baby items and for anyone with super sensitive skin.

Go European

The final tip to white whites is one that I found online while researching this topic. I didn’t realize this, but washing machines in Europe are made differently than ones in the US. The hot setting on a European washing machine gets the water just under boiling point, and the Whites cycle runs for approximately 2 hours. This combination of super hot water and 2 hours of agitation works all the grime and dirt out of white fabrics, without having to add any bleaching agent to the water.

Even though American washers don’t heat water to that temperature and often don’t run for over 2 hours on a cycle, you can still mimic this by running the longest, hottest cycle you can. While it may seem like a waste of water and energy to run your washer for 2 hours, newer front load washers use relatively low amounts of both water and energy compared to older and top load models. I personally don’t like to wait that long for my laundry to run, but it could be something I do once in a while in combination with hanging my whites out to dry if I have a day to relax and do laundry slowly.

Let me know on Facebook if you try any of these methods or have a question!

Until next time, I’m the Domestic CEO, helping you love your home.