Are your whites looking a little yellowed? Do they seem dingy, but you can’t quite figure out why?
If you are a faithful bleach user, it is the bleach that is probably the culprit.
Household bleach (sodium hypochlorite) is often used as a laundry booster or whitener. However, its chemical makeup can often make white clothes turn yellow.
So once this happens, how do you get rid of the yellow? Can you get rid of the yellow?
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Making Dingy Clothes Bright White Again
Here are several suggestions to try if you’ve got yellowed or dingy whites:
- Start with lemon juice.
Although I am very willing to pull out the big guns, I like to first start with the remedies that are least harsh. Dilute 1/4 cup of lemon juice with 1 gallon of extremely hot water (boiling, if possible). Soak the yellowed garment in the solution for at least 1-2 hours. Then wring out and allow to dry in the sun. If you aren’t thrilled with your results, move on to the other ideas. - Try borax.
Borax is readily available at most grocery stores in the laundry aisle. Dissolve 1-2 Tablespoons of Borax in 2 cups of water. and then add to the rinse cycle of your washer. You can also put it in the ‘oxi’ dispenser if your machine has that feature. If possible, dry in the sun. Borax naturally softens hard water, so you could use it as a preventative measure when washing whites in the future. - Try Iron-Out.
If you have well-water, chances are there is a fairly high iron content in your water. Often this excess iron in the water reacts with the bleach causing the yellowing of the clothes. Iron-Out can be applied using the directions on the bottle. It works to counteract that chemical reaction and return white clothes to their original bright condition. Note that this product should only be used on proven colorfast fabrics. - Try a laundry bluing agent.
Laundry bluing is an old trick to get yellowed or grayed whites to appear brighter. Bluing adds a very slight trace of blue dye to the fabric, making it appear more white. Mrs. Stewart’s Bluing is a popular brand and their site gives detailed instructions on how to use bluing correctly.
Prevent Whites From Turning Yellow
Thankfully, there are a couple of ways to prevent your whites from turning yellow in the first place:
- Never bleach white clothing that is polyester or a polyester/cotton blend. The chemical reaction between the bleach and the polyester almost always yields a yellowed result.
- Consider a water softener if you have well-water. Decreasing the iron and mineral content of water can greatly lessen the yellowing the bleach can cause.
- Minimize your use of bleach altogether. There are several other ways to get your whites to be whiter.
Do you have problems with whites turning yellow? What do you use to help get them white again?
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wineplz
Thanks for the tips, especially about not using bleach on polyester! I’ve always been afraid to wash in hot (nervous it might set any stains) but as a favorite pair of pants have started to yellow, I may have to try the hot wash. I’m a strong user of Borox or Oxy, since we have hard water, and I’ve recently discovered (quite accidently) the cleaning power of white vinegar. Had a bunch of old rags that were dingy and grey, and I used them white treating a urine stain from a cat gone rogue: poured a mix of vinegar and water on the offending area, and after a short soak, used the rags to soak up the vinegar/water, and tossed them in a warm wash with just some detergent. I could not believe how clean and white they were! I now have the brightest and whitest rags in the neighborhood! From what I read, the vinegar helps reduce detergent buildup. So now I’m going to try vinegar in hot water to see if my pants whiten up.
mamalaundry
Hard water can be so tough to deal with when it comes to laundry! So glad you found the white vinegar trick! It usually works really well as a fabric softener, as well as “stripping” detergent buildup from fabrics.
Your pants should definitely whiten up with a warm/hot wash and vinegar in the rinse cycle. Let me know how they do!
-Lauren
Arsheen Awan
If vinegar and water happen to make you pants white again, do you mind letting me know? Please and thank you.
Angela R jones
i spray my white cloth with oxy for a week and they turn yellow ho w do i get rdi of the yellow
Lauren Hill
Hi Angela,
I’ve never known straight Oxi Clean to cause a white garment to turn yellow. But what you describe sounds like a chemical reaction, which is not easily undone, I’m afraid.
I would try washing the cloth in hot water with regular detergent (no Oxi Clean or Bleach), and see if that does the trick.
SuzyQ
I realize this is an older thread, but I came here because Oxi Clean did exactly that – it turned my white jeans orange! I was soaking a couple of different, light stains out of the top half of the jeans (tiny bit of blood, and some mystery dirt), and when I pulled them out of the soak a few hours later, the top of the jeans were fine, but the bottoms of the legs were orange – as if they’d been soaking in rust water. And there was a tiny speck of orange under the button (as if the button had rusted on the fabric – but it was just a speck).
I am completely mystified as to what caused this, and how to get it out. ALL of the fabric was soaking in the water (in a small plastic dishtub), so why was only the bottom half (also the part most submerged) stained? A second round of soaking in Oxi Clean didn’t change anything.
I will try washing them in white vinegar, and see if that helps.
I will say, occasionally we’ve had entire loads of laundry in the washer get ruined by some kind of mystery orange color getting randomly deposited onto the clothing. It’s not a rusty washer tub, and we have both a water softener, and a filter. Could it be manganese in the water? And would it really do it that randomly? (And would it only strike the bottom half of jeans??) It’s bizarre. (And if it’s manganese, how do I get it out?)
ANY help or thoughts would be appreciated.
jennifer
how long did you let them soak
Melba
Would washing a new pair of black pants with white clothing cause the light clothes to turn a light shade of yellow or green?
Thank you for any help!
mamalaundry
Melba, I definitely wouldn’t think so. Were you able to get the light clothes back to the right color?
Melba
Hello and thanks for your answer. I re-washed them and the green tinge faded a bit but you can still see it. I honestly don’t care about the color itself as much as it makes me worry about contamination/germs (big fears of mine). I have a feeling it was the black garment because all the loads of wash I did before and after didn’t have that color. Interesting.
fuad
Can i use Borax for coloured cloths aswell ? or it only good for white ! looking forward to your reply. Thank you very much.
mamalaundry
Fuad, you can use Borax as a laundry booster for colored clothes. However, you do run the risk of it lightly fading colors that aren’t color-fast. But this is case with any laundry booster (Oxi Clean, Clorox 2, etc).
The typical recommendation is 1/2 cup Borax to each regular sized load of laundry.
nh
hello –
love this site!
I have recently moved to a new place, and I thought both the washer and dryer (full sized stackable) looked dirty. I tried washing and wiping. But I notice that my white and light clothes look yellow-y, and my white towels have noticeable yellow streaks and discoloration. I use phosphate free detergent and oxyclean powder in a soak/rinse cycle, then run a regular full cycle with no additional soap.
any ideas why this is happening? Or how I might fix it?
thank you so much!
mamalaundry
Hi nh, Have you moved to a place that has hard water? That’s what it sounds like.
If that’s not the case, I would sanitize them thoroughly to make sure there is nothing on the inside of the drum causing the discoloration.
What a pain. So sorry –
Sarah
I used bleach on a White cotton polyester mix dress and it turned yellow. I there anything I can do t get it back to White? Thanks, sarah
mamalaundry
Sarah, you could try using a bluing agent. Polyester responds very poorly to bleach due to its chemical make-up. You can give the bluing a try, but you might be stuck with a yellow dress. So sorry. 🙁
wendy
Good to know. Though I just tossed my white shirt in the wash and poured half the bottle of bleach in to get rid of the yellow! I should’ve done my research BEFORE. SO, what is bleach good for then? I always thought it was to make whites whiter.
mamalaundry
Wendy, good question.
I mostly use it to sanitize my washing machine.
But also check out this (old!) post on Using Bleach in your Laundry Regimen.
kelly
Some of my white shirts and jeans have turned yellow (patches of stains) in the closet. I’ve never bleached them and I don’t think it’s the washing that caused them to turn yellow. They are always fine after washing. I also noticed stains on some of my tshirts (especially white) after a long time of storing and not wearing them. Any idea what might be the cause? (This happened when in summer, humid weather). Thank you!
mamalaundry
Kelly, I can’t tell you the times this has happened to our family. We store our children’s clothes in the attic (for future use) and it seems like every bag I take down has at least a few of those little yellow stains. I’m fairly the stains are from where food was spilled and the stain just “appeared” to come out, but didn’t come out fully.
Most of the stains on our clothes, come out using The Soak. While it’s a pain to do if you have a lot of items with those yellow spots, it does work a majority of the time.
So sorry. Hope this helps you some.
Xiomari
hi i washed my new off white shirt with bleach and it gave it big yellow patches what do i do to get it back to the way it was?
Lauren Hill
Xiomari,
The problem is that it’s a chemical reaction with the bleach. You can try using Rit White Wash to see if it can restore the original color. Make sure to follow the directions precisely!
And just use with the understanding that once the chemical reaction with the bleach has taken place, it can be super hard to remove.
Best wishes!
-Lauren
ali
No, actually I have 4 expensive Columbia shirts that were “stored” NEW WITH TAGS. They are now dingy and yellowed. I’ll try your various remedies.
Eva
Hi, it’s the fabric softener that leaves the yellow stains. It should come out with soaking.
Steve
Hi.
I’ve washed underwear (white, briefs) lots of times. Use Tide and maybe a half-cup of Clorox. No problem.
Today, I did the same thing. Most of the briefs came out yellowed; some of them entirely, some just in areas.
I don’t think I’ve done anything different. So I’m thinking Detergent? Bleach? Pipes? Hard water? The washer?
I’m on a well here, but have a water conditioner. The water softener had just recently regenerated, so I don’t think that’s the problem. Same detergent as usual, same Clorox as usual.
Don’t know about the pipes. Washer IS getting pretty old (maybe 9-10 years), but still seems to work well. It’s a Whirlpool Gold.
Insight?
Thanks,
Steve
Cherie Marion
When you say to use lemon juice, do you mean fresh lemons juice or is lemon concentrate ok? This is for whitening a poly/cotton blend that got mixed into my bleach load by accident.
Thanks
mamalaundry
Cherie, I’d use a real lemon. The more pure, the better.
Veronica
For the Borax solution above, you say “Borax is readily available at most grocery stores in the laundry aisle. Dissolve 1-2 Tablespoons in about 2 cups of borax and then add to the rinse cycle of your washer.”
Dissolve 1-2 Tablespoons of what?
Thanks.
mamalaundry
Oh no!! Thanks so much for catching that!
It should read dissolve 1-2 Tablespoons of Borax in 2 cups of water. I’ll go back and correct it in the post.
Trish
I don’t use bleach at all, but three items have gone yellow. They are items I have used a prewash spray on and they are in areas where I remember spraying. Could this cause the yellowing a s well?
mamalaundry
Absolutely, Trish. It may have a bleach component in it that the ingredients don’t readily disclose. 😉 I can’t tell you the items of mine that spray stain remover have ruined.
Ggshoe
Does borax reverse the yellowing effects of bleach on whites?
mamalaundry
In my experience, it does not. Drying items in hot, direct sunlight or using a bluing agent seem to be the most effective method in removing that yellowing effect.
Mary Ellen Genest
What if hot, direct sunlight is not around for a while, then what?
Bri
Do these tips also work for front-loading HE machines? All of my whites are looking gray, yuck! Thanks!
mamalaundry
Yes, Bri, they do! I have a front loader HE machine as well.
Shay
Hi, my husband’s mother recently sent us his christening outfit. It’s very old and yellowed with age, and I was looking up things online to figure out how to wash it and get the yellow out. I’ve come across many different tips, but the one thing I haven’t seen is whether any of these tips bleach out color as well. The outfit in question doesn’t have much color to it, just a little lamb on the shirt and shorts that match and were formed with light blue thread, but I do NOT want to fade that color out while trying to get the yellowing out! My question is, does lemon juice, vinegar, baking soda, salt, or any combination of these ingredients cause fading in colors? Or would it in fact be safe enough for me to soak the garments in the various solutions I’ve found to try without worry of the light blue thread being compromised color-wise? Thanks for any tips or instructions.
jenn
Hi,
I foolishly washed some baby clothes with a couple new red and orange dish rags… All my whites are yellow now. I rewashed them with bleach and the socks are now white again, but the shirts and leggings, and pants and dressed (all white) are still yellow? What would be the best way to get these white again? If possible.
mamalaundry
Jenn, unfortunately you might be in trouble since you used bleach. It can sometimes react with fabric and cause permanent yellowing. Try Mrs. Stewart’s bluing. It might be your best bet. So sorry 🙁
Sher
i acid washed a pair of dark blue jeans as a DIY project using clorox bleach, but they turned yellow instead of white. if i wash them with the white vinegar, will it effect the blue part? please reply.
mamalaundry
Sher, vinegar should have no effect on the blue color of your jeans. In all of my vast laundry experience, I have never seen vinegar lift color or make a color bleed.
But of course, all advice at Mama’s Laundry Talk is given with a healthy dose of ‘use this advice at your own risk.’ 😉
beentherebe4
White vinegar has been used to pre-set colors in material of us quilters for generations. It will not cause any effect of any kind on any material that I am aware of. It “sets” the colors so they
“don’t” fade, or run etc. I’ve used it for over 40 years, and my mom, her mom and so on. Only one material I’ve not used it on is silk.
michelle
after soaking in lemon juice does it need rinsed before hanging to dry in sun?
Scott
Mama, our whites yellow over time I am sure due to our hard water. I have a softner, but it just doesn’t seem to do the trick. Is the best preventative solution Iron Out? Something else?
Wendy B.
You saved my towels!! I have a water softener and I use bleach on my white towels. Yesterday I noticed most of my white towels were yellowing. I searched for an answer and found your webpage.
So, I re-washed my towels with a lot of Borax, a cup or more, and then re-washed them with a lot of OxiClean, cup or more. Both washes with regular detergent, in hot water and extra time.
So my towels are white again!
I hope it is this easy for everyone!
PS: What do I use my full container of beach on?
Craziirabbit
I was drinking a Starbucks frappuccino and I spilled just a drop on my white shirt…I immediately ran it under cold water for literally 30 minutes or so, just so the stain wouldn’t set. I then washed the shirt in the laundry, about two days later, not wearing the shirt, black mold formed ONLY on the drop….what happened?!
sarah
Hi! I have a white lace dress that turned yellow in the sunlight. Do you have any tips on how to restore its original colour?
Elaine
Hi, I recently washed a tye-dye dress mistakingly with a white skirt, and it turn the skirt pink, any suggestions how to turn it back to white?
Thanks.
Elaine
pc
Hi,
I recently noticed my 100% white linen curtains are a bit yellow (ahd been in storage for a bit). I am scared to wash them as the other pair shrank up pretty significantly. Do you have any suggestions to getting them back to ‘white’ white?
-p
Jo
Hope you are still doing this laundry help thing!! 🙂
I am probably going to be asking you to repeat yourself and for that I do apologize in advance!
Our son just went off to college. When washing his white clothing, most have turned an light yellow/rusty color. To remove do you suggest something called, “Super Iron Out”? And, to prevent in the future am I understanding that a 1/2 cup of Borax added to washing machine helps “OR” a 1/2 cup of white vinegar? I prefer the white vinegar because it is more natural, but I am willing to use what will work best.
Then I saw in one comment that you suggested just adding 1/2 cup Borax to the washing machine (along with the detergent?) and then another comment mentioned taking 1-2 tablespoons of Borax and disolving it in water before adding.
Please advise.
Thanks so much!
Michelle le
Hi!! I just finished reading this post-which was very wonderful & helpful- and i am curious as to if there is ANY possible way to make a cream 100% polyester dress white?? In urgent need of some answers, please help!!!! 🙂
Marcia
I have well water but also have a water softener. I do not use bleach of any kind, yet so many times green and gray t-shirts come out of the wash with yellowish spots on them. This has been happening for years. What is causing this?
semeka daniels
I bleached a pair of denim jeans but the part that I wanted white turned yellow. Is there anything I can do to make the yellow go away and still keep the dark parts of the denim? Please help….I’m going Loco trying to fix this..please respond! Thanks
Abigail
Do any of these whitening tips work for items that have been yellowed by dry cleaning? The previously white in a black and white dress (polyester, rayon, elastane fabric content) is no longer white. Any tips for this fabric and the fact that the item is black and white? Thanks!
Abi
Hi,
I have a light yellow nightgown that turned greyish because I used cheap detergent. Do you have any tricks bring it back to a more yellowish colour?
Susan
Seems like vinegar does a better job and is less harmful than bleach for most things. I use it for toilets, and it works much better than bleach, and minus the unpleasant bleach-y smell. Maybe people should faze out using bleach as it’s probably really bad for the environment also.
Maria
I have recently lost weight and went into my skinny boxes and found stuff that fits. Unfortunately I also found yellowed cotton blouses that were once white that might be worth saving and also found 4 rust stains on a light blue pant that resembles denim fabric. For the blouses, the whole thing turned yellow, they aren’t just stains. They are very detailed blouses from France that I paid $150 or more for each. I would like your best advice please both for the blouse and the pant. Any ideas? I washed the pants with OXY and tide 3 times already with zero change and then applied white vinegar with zero change as well.
Amy
Since moving to Florida 8 years ago, my husband’s white undershirts and white briefs turned yellow after a few washings. I use only Oxiclean. We also have water softener for our hard water. What could be the problem?
Lauren Hill
My guess is that you have some type of mineral build up related to your hard water. Even with a water softener, mineral deposits build up on white clothes causing that yellow/dingy look.
Have you tried a brightener product?
John
Hello! I used generic bleach on the back tail of white shirt to try to get out a stain. The stain did come out but not the back tail is yellowish. I have read all the posts above and now understand that bleach can yellow a shirt!! 🙁 Is my best approach to blot with white vinegar on the back tail (not the whole shirt) and then sun dry and repeat? Or borax on the yellow area and sun dry and repeat? The rest of the shirt is fine, just the back tail of the shirt turned a slight yellow. Please let me know what you think. Thank you so much!! John
Lauren Hill
John, I don’t think white vinegar is going to do anything to improve the yellow coloring of the shirt, sadly.
I would try to use a whitening agent since this is a chemical reaction issue. RIT makes one that I’ve used in the past with great results. Of course, use at your own risk. 🙂
Here’s the link (my aff link): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AQ72WWQ/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00AQ72WWQ&linkCode=as2&tag=mamaslaundry-20&linkId=LSSPHNAQRXGCFEKD
niall
Hmm.. I have been going through a storage room where my later mother stored beautiful Irish linen and Irish table clothes, some of which are very old.
Unfortunately, they have yellowed…
My first instinct was to dispose of them…..
Now I want a remedy.
How can I return these precious items to their original glorious white?
TIA
Niall
Lauren Hill
Niall, I would try soaking them in Oxi Clean before throwing them out. I have seen Oxi Clean do remarkable things on old linens such as what you describe!
Here’s the method I use: http://www.mamaslaundrytalk.com/stain-removal-101-soaking-a-stained-item/
Best wishes!
Pohling
Dear Lauren, I recently found an old pair of white pants that was kept away for a year. It has now lots of yellow spots on it. How can I save it? My laundry shop owner said those are like ‘rust’ stains and impossible to remove. What is your advice? Thanks.
Lauren Hill
I definitely wouldn’t use bleach on those types of stains. You have two options, I believe.
1) You can try to The Soak, as I describe here: http://www.mamaslaundrytalk.com/stain-removal-101-soaking-a-stained-item/
or
2) You can try a product called Whink: I’ve used Whink very successfully with rust stains on white garments in the past. But be warned that it WILL cause white spots on any other colored fabric that it touches! Be super careful with it, since it has a permanent bleach-like effect.
Monie
My 100% cotton undies are turning orange with bleach! Will the lemon trick work on that, too?
Lauren Hill
Yes, try the lemon juice trick and see if you like the results. If it doesn’t work well with the diluted juice + sun, move onto something stronger.
Sara Lee
There were some stains on my white polyester jacket so I added bleach. Now it’s turned yellow.
Please can you help me turn it white again!
Lauren Hill
I’m so sorry about your jacket!
Since it’s a chemical reaction, it will probably be hard to correct. I’d start with Mrs. Stewart’s bluing that I mentioned above. I think you’ll have the best results with that product.
Virtuelle
I have some clothing that has been hanging in an area that exposed one side to the moisture of the bathroom. The place they hang is for things we don’t use on a regular basis ( Like years). The problem is one sleeve on everything has got a yellow age streak down it. The stain is age and moisture related along with dust accumulation from the dryer. Problem is I have tried bleaching and end with a faint yellow stain. My question is would you pre treat with vinegar or borax? Or is there a better way to remove the yellow grunge?
Dave
Hey Lauren, how do i remove yellow stains on a white yet custom shirt? This shirt has some artwork i asked to have done and is very special to me, it was in my closet for a while. It has the stains around the shoulders and i want to know if i can save it. Would love to be able to wear this again.
The artwork was airbrushed on only the front of the shirt.
lynne
I have my daddy’s Baptism dress, slip and coat. They were white but had turned yellow almost rust color.I soaked them in warm water and oxclean for seveal hours and they came almost white again.
the slip is very whte, the other two were a silky and lacy material and didn’;t quite get out all the yellow.But they are much better. Going to hang then in the sun for a while, They are 108 yrs old
Maki
Hi! Ive bleached my white shoes and some parts of it turned light yellow. I can see the difference between the rubber and the cloth. How can I turn it to white? Ive used borax now. And will see the results after i place it in the sun.
Gail Seals
I am a nurse, and have no problem keeping my whites white with a product called White Brite. I get it at Ingles supermarket here in SC. I have used it to remove stains from vintage white linens as well. Just follow the directions. Cannot be used on colored items, however.
Ted
I bought a white Ralph Lauren, 100% cotton shirt on ebay. I washed it in bleach and the pocket flaps turned brown, kind of a egg shell. Washed it again in bleach and they got browner! Just the pocket flaps! Whats up with this?!! It is (was) a beauty, I’m thinking of soaking it in coffee. Should i try bluing?
Zourence
Can I use vinegar as well to returned white from becoming yellow?
Myrna
Does Oxi-Clean also cause whites with poly to yellow? I don’t use bleach at all, but I do use OC. The odd thing is that my tennis skirt overlaps in the front. The part that is covered from sun exposure is still white. It’s as if the skirt has tan lines!
Lauren Hill
How strange, Myrna!
I have used Oxi Clean for 15 years and have never seen it turn white clothes yellow, even those with polyester.
It’s a mystery!
Julie Binder
Thank you, thank you , thank you to whoever it was that put up this post!!!
I was so upset yesterday when my children’s clothes were stained yellow (yellow splattered stains), especially a pretty new cotton top with white lace (which ended up being completely yellow!). I have been using vanish powder in with my wash to get rid of the usual children’s stains and couldn’t get them out and didn’t realise the vanish could be the cause.
After putting them in a bowl with lots of lemon juice (used juice from bottle as didn’t have any lemons) with boiling water and it all came out.
I will not be using vanish any more.
Thank you!
Julie
Lauren Hill
Oh I am SO glad the stains came out! Doing a happy dance with you!!
Sarah B
My husbands new white cotton towels have yellow streaks on them & a couple of his t-shirts- my white clothing in the same load did not turn yellow- I did use “shout” on his towels do you think that caused the problem? If so would treating them with the Borax work? I washed them with Mrs Meyers Clean Day detergent.
Lauren Hill
Hi Sarah,
Did you have other VERY dirty clothes in the same washing load. If you have white towels (especially) and you wash heavily grimy items (think a child’s clothes from playing mud pies outside), the dirt removed from the clothes can certainly end up on the towels and stain them.
I’d try washing the towels again AFTER you do The Soak. I bet it will take the stains out!
mae
I have a dress that has lace around the bottom and I do not know if the lemon would work and then put in sun I want to use a white net fabric over the dress part but not the lace on net around the bottom what do you thank
Lauren Hill
Mae, that sounds like a tough washing task. I’d probably send it out to the cleaners to see if they can brighten it again. Look for a dry cleaners that specializes in wedding dresses and fine clothes.
Donna Desmarais
I usually wash all my delicates together which is mixture of whites and colored…not all but I think the polyester white have turn blue grey is there anyway to make them white again
Lauren Hill
Hey Donna –
Once polyester has turned colors (whether it’s to a yellowish/white or blue/gray, it’s tough to whiten them up again. You could try soaking them in Oxi Clean, or you could use a product like Rit Dye Whitener and Brightener. I’d start with the Rit and see if it can return their original vibrance.
rekia
i used colrox bleach it turned my white bra to yellow,pls wat do i use to get it bk to white