How do you make white shirts white again?

Answer 1

Bleach is a good start, but it can sometimes turn your clothing yellow, depending on the fabric. I would try a brightening detergent (go here for a list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorescent_brightener ).
Something else that works really well is bluing. White clothes sometimes get a grey or yellow cast to them, and this adds a trace of blue color to the slightly off-white color of these fabrics to make them appear whiter. Older women sometimes use it on their grey hair to combat yellowing.
To maintain your whites, try washing your whites without any other colored clothing in the wash, or use stain-lifting cloths - they look like dryer sheets, but you put them in with the wash instead of in the dryer. They collect stray dye and keep it from re-depositing on your clothes.

Good luck.

Answer 2

Part of the problem is the wash water temperature you use. A 40 degree was is medium or lukewarm, not HOT! Polyester/cotton blends do better in a warm water wash ... There are several name-brand products called 'Bleach for the Unbleachables' which can be used to pre-soak the shirts to remove the yellowing.Reckitt's Blue should also work - if you can still find it ... If at all possible, hang to dry outside on a sunny day and allow the sun to work its magic, or even lay the shirts flat on grass -the combination of sun and the chlorophyl in the grass works wonders. It may take a while, but the heat of the dryer might also have set the colour already ... (My father was a dentist, and his smocks always sparkled pure white, by hanging outside to sun-dry!) Answers is a Jungle

Answer 3

A scoop of oxy clean with your regular detergent and hot water

Answer 4

Liquid automatic dishwasher soap does wonders on whites.

Answer 5

BLEACH