How to remove yellow stains from white things using household chemicals
Many housewives know how to remove stains on white using proven products from different brands. Here are the most popular ones:
- Ace Oxi Magic White, powder stain remover for white laundry. Strengthens the effect of washing powder. For maximum effect, it is recommended to soak things in hot water with it.
- Vanish Gold Oxi Action Crystal white, gel-like. Gently removes stains and does not show patterns on fabric. Apply the product to the stain, wait 5 minutes, then rub the cloth to make sure the stain is removed. If the stain does not come off, repeat these steps.
- Concentrated bleach for washing white clothes Antipyatin. An inexpensive product based on active oxygen, effective even at 40°C. Used as an enhancer, suitable for soaking, whitens white and colored fabrics. It is advisable to soak stubborn stains for 30 minutes.
- Ecover stain remover with enzymes. Sold with a fabric brush. Not recommended for wool and silk. Apply with a brush. After processing, things need to be washed.
- Bleach Sarma Active. Enhances the effect of washing powder, whitens without boiling. Can be used on fabrics made from any fiber. Does not damage textiles with repeated use, has an antibacterial effect.
Professional bleaches
It's hard not to get lost among the variety of industrial bleaches. All products are divided into three groups based on their composition.
Chlorine-containing
Inexpensive, with a disinfecting effect, but aggressive. Excessive use of bleach leads to thinning of the fibers. Chlorine bleach often causes allergies and respiratory spasms.
Optical
They do not remove dirt from the fibers, but impregnate the fabric with reflective particles. After washing, white fabric looks fresher.
Oxygen
These are hypoallergenic compounds with active oxygen, which, unlike chlorine, are suitable for most fabrics.
How to get rid of yellow spots on clothes using folk remedies
Available products to combat yellowing can be found in the kitchen and medicine cabinet. These are citric or acetic acid, aspirin, peroxide, ammonia and others.
Hydrogen peroxide
Before using strong products to remove yellow stains from clothes, try peroxide. It delicately removes stains of grease, blood, fruit, grass, dirt and, of course, yellowness.
Whitening yellow marks is done as follows:
- moisten the area of contamination;
- treat with peroxide;
- place in warm water;
- wait until the chemical reaction takes place and the peroxide stops making a characteristic sound;
- wash the fabric.
Under normal conditions, peroxide removes stains well.
Alcohol and citric acid
You can remove yellow stains using a combination of two cleaning agents - ammonia solution and citric acid. Take 1 tsp. each product, mix, dilute in 2 liters of water. Immerse white items in the resulting solution. Leave for 3 hours, then wash with rinse.
Vinegar with laundry soap
9% vinegar and grated laundry soap will help remove yellow stains from white clothes. Take 20 ml of vinegar and water, mix, treat the stain. Then sprinkle with shavings of laundry soap. Wait 3 hours and wash your clothes.
Bleach and vegetable oil
Vegetable oil combined with bleach helps remove stains from white clothes even in the most severe cases. Take 30 ml of oxygen bleach, 30 ml of vegetable oil and 25 ml of washing powder. Dilute the mixture in 5 liters of hot water and soak the item overnight or for the whole day. Then rinse the item and place it in a standard machine wash cycle.
Aspirin
Acetylsalicylic acid is not only an antipyretic, but also something that can be used to remove stains from a blouse, dress, or T-shirt. For washing you will need 2 aspirin tablets and 1 glass of warm water. Dissolve the product and use it to treat stains. Then put the item in a dark place, and after 5 hours, rinse it vigorously.
Baking soda
Housewives knew how to wash a white shirt from yellow stains long before the advent of modern washing powders and bleaches. Baking soda was used to defeat pollution. Take 40 g of powder, dilute in 100 ml of water. Pour the solution onto the yellow stain and leave for an hour. Further washing and rinsing will help get rid of any remaining dirt.
Ammonia
Ammonia has bleaching properties and, despite the aggressive smell, acts delicately. To remove stains, dilute 5 tbsp. l. ammonia in 5 liters of water. Soak the item in the resulting solution for 2 hours, and then wash it by machine or by hand.
Mustard powder
Mustard is an adsorbent that dissolves and binds fat. To remove stains from white things, dissolve 5 tbsp. l. mustard powder in 5 liters of hot water, soak for a couple of hours and strain through cheesecloth. Soak the product in the filtered solution for several hours and then rinse thoroughly.
Dry alcohol
A household alternative to aspirin is dry alcohol; it will also help wash laundry. It is enough to crush one tablet and sprinkle the resulting powder onto yellowish clothing, and then leave for 30 minutes. After this, rinse the item thoroughly.
Dishwashing gel
Knitted and woolen products require a different approach than cotton, linen and other fabrics. To remove unsightly yellow stains, you can use dishwashing gel.
For ordinary stains, it is enough to apply detergent to the stain for several hours and then wash. For stubborn stains, use a more complex recipe:
- gel – 0.5 tsp;
- hydrogen peroxide – 40 ml bottle;
- soda – 15 g.
Mix the ingredients, apply to the stain for half an hour, then rinse off the composition and wash the clothes.
Methods for bleaching white T-shirts
Let's figure out what we have to work with. T-shirts suffer from improper care and untimely washing. Fabrics turn grey, yellow, fade and age. Traces of sweat under the arms, accidental washing with colored fading laundry, and contact with dyeing products and materials cause trouble.
There are three options for restoring whiteness:
- Soaking with bleaching agents.
- Boiling strong natural fabrics.
- Intensive wash with additives.
Soak
The most gentle way. It is used mainly before hand or machine washing to speed up the removal of dirt. The soaking itself takes from 30 minutes to several hours, but the housewife will spend little effort: it will take about 10 minutes to prepare the solution and immerse the item in it.
The same rules apply for soaking as for washing:
- sort fabrics
- do not exceed the recommended temperature,
- Choose suitable products for delicate clothes.
Digestion
This method is the most radical. Without harm, you can boil only a yellowed T-shirt made of natural cotton or linen, without patterns or decorative elements.
Digestion rules:
- First prepare a solution with cold water, then place a T-shirt in it and only then place the pan on the stove.
- As a reinforcing component, take laundry soap, bleach, powder or some folk remedy.
- After boiling, reduce the heat.
- Things must be stirred with wooden tongs.
- Do not boil clothes for more than 2 hours. Most often, 30 minutes is enough.
- After the solution becomes cloudy, let it cool, remove the items and rinse well in cool, clean water.
Intensive wash
Washing in a machine on an intensive cycle also helps solve the problem. The method is suitable for fabrics that are not afraid of water temperatures above 70 degrees.
How to remove old and stubborn yellow stains
If dirt appeared on clothes a long time ago, and washing with gentle products did not bring results, you can revive the item using aggressive bleaching agents. These include gasoline, denatured alcohol, turpentine and other chemicals.
Refined gasoline and denatured alcohol
To remove old greasy stains, mix 1 part gasoline and 4 parts denatured alcohol. When brushing, move the brush from the periphery to the center. Several approaches may be needed.
Lemon juice with salt
Before bleaching white items, mix citrus juice and salt in equal proportions and apply to the stain for a while. When the fabric has lightened, brush off the remaining salt and wash the clothes.
Lemon is a well-known bleach. It can also be used to make a remedy for stubborn yellow spots.
Turpentine
If the stain is caused by the use of oil paint, grease, tar, glue and other persistent substances, you can get rid of it with the help of turpentine. Place a blotting paper or cloth under the stain on the wrong side of the garment, soak a cotton pad in the solution, and rub the stained area of the fabric, moving from the edges to the center. During processing, the cotton wool may become dirty, and then it will need to be replaced with a new one.
Digestion
The most heat-resistant fabrics (for example, cotton) can be cleaned by boiling them in soapy water. To prepare a solution for boiling, use the following proportion: 40 g of grated 72% laundry soap per 10 liters of water. To enhance the effect, add 3-4 tbsp. l. soda, which will soften the water. For baby clothes, use baby soap accordingly. 15 minutes of boiling is enough for disinfection, 30 minutes for removing yellow spots. In case of persistent stains, it will take up to 2 hours.
How to remove yellow stains from different types of fabric
Judging by the type of fabric on which the yellow spot has formed, the arsenal of products used will change. Therefore, before using one method or another, read the label and find out the composition of the fabric, as well as washing recommendations.
Cotton
Products made from cotton fabrics will withstand any method - from turpentine to boiling. For this material, a mixture of 1 glass of water, 1 tsp is also recommended. salt and 1 tsp. alcohol
Synthetics
Ammonia is most often used to remove yellow stains from synthetic fabrics. The product is applied for 30 minutes, after which you can wash the product in a warm soapy solution.
Jeans
Denim fabric is quite durable and practical, it will withstand various manipulations. To remove yellow marks, you can use the following recipes:
- lemon juice, diluted in half with water;
- aqueous soda solution 3:1;
- peroxide and vinegar 1:1;
- aspirin (4 tablets) with a few drops of water.
Leave the selected composition for a period of 1 hour to 1 day. After this, the item can be washed and dried.
Wool
Knowing how to remove yellow stains on white clothes, you should remember that not all methods are suitable for wool. Laundry soap shavings are best suited. Dilute it in water until it reaches the consistency of porridge and apply to the stain. After 4 hours, wash on a delicate cycle with an additional rinse. Dish gel is also suitable.
Silk
Silk fabric is easy to ruin. Most of the described methods are not suitable for it. But there are two methods applicable to capricious material:
- Apply 1 tsp onto the stain. washing powder for half an hour. Then wash the item by hand with white soap. Finally, machine wash on a delicates program.
- Mix vodka and water 1:1, apply to the stain and wash the clothes after 2 hours.
For silk, you can also try a recipe with laundry soap or ammonia.
Fur
White fur can be removed from yellow dirt using bulk adsorbents. This could be semolina or potato starch. Sprinkle the stain with your chosen product, dampen it with a spray bottle, and then comb the fur to remove any particles.
Drink marks
Spilled white wine or light juice will also leave a yellow coating on your outfit. Residues of juice and wine on clothing items are of the same nature, and therefore are also removed in the same way. A simple means of displaying a fruit signature on white is ordinary table salt.
The method is good if the contamination is fresh. The dirty area is simply sprinkled with table salt, left for half an hour, and then washed along with other things.
To answer the question of how to whiten yellow stains on things left after spilled wine or juice, let's turn to old recipes. In the old days, ammonia was used for bleaching. First you just need to moisten the stain with alcohol, and when the dried juice gets wet, rub it with a damp cloth. Subsequently, the item is rinsed under running water and dried.
The fruit mark on a white cotton shirt is removed the old fashioned way. The product is pulled over the hole of the dish and boiling water is poured onto the dirty area until the motley smear dissolves.
What doesn't help remove stains from white clothes?
Among the products that are used to remove yellow stains from white fabric, you will not find bleach containing chlorine. It acts in the opposite way: by reacting with organic components, it develops marks and makes them more noticeable.
When dealing with yellow stains on white clothes, it is not recommended to use hot water, as it makes the stain even more persistent. Wash off yellowing stains in water at room temperature.
Recommendations for keeping clothes snow-white
Don't leave stains on for too long. It’s better to wash the T-shirt by hand if you don’t want to spin the machine’s drum half-empty. Stains that dry out eat much deeper into the fibers. It may take many attempts and more detergent to wash them, and this is doubly wasteful.
Do not dry white T-shirts in the sun. Ultraviolet radiation negatively affects fabrics; they fade and become unsightly yellow. Dry things in the open air, it's really fast, the fabrics are ventilated and smell nice. But it is better to protect your clothes with a canopy.
A few more easy rules:
- Do not wash white with colored or even light colored ones.
- Wash whites made from natural fabrics and synthetics separately.
- Do not iron T-shirts right side out.
- Keep the soleplate of the iron clean.
- Don't let things lie in the closet.
A simple white T-shirt is a must-have in the wardrobe of children and adults. This thing always comes in handy, which is why it is so important to keep it clean and take the time to delicately whiten it.
Prevention of yellow spots
Yellow marks on clothing can be caused by more than just sweat and deodorant. Yellowing is caused by violation of washing and ironing rules, hard water, and improper storage.
Washing, drying and ironing according to the rules
To prevent yellow stains from appearing on your clothes while caring for them, do the following:
- do not overload the washing machine;
- select a washing mode with additional rinsing;
- do not add more washing powder and bleach than recommended in the instructions;
- Wring out your laundry thoroughly before hanging it to dry;
- Set the iron setting according to the type of fabric.
These simple rules will help keep things white longer.
Water softening
Hard water causes soap scum to form. To prevent the problem, use water softeners for washing machines, for example, Calgon 2 in 1, or wash with powders that contain softeners - Persil, Ariel.
