My mother just gave me a bedspread my grandmother hand knit with white cotton thread. Some of it is yellowed.

Question

Does anyone know what I can use on it to turn it white again?

Answer 1

Test a small small spot using regular 3% hydrogen peroxide. If it appears to work okay, go ahead and use it, rinse well after 15 minutes.

Answer 2

If the cotton threading is still in sturdy shape, I have used three different ways to whiten cotton with yellowed stains. The one I like the best, is to use dish-washer detergent, like Cascade( make sure it has disolved well in the washer before adding the knit) and let it soak over night in the washing machine then finish washing them out on a gentle cycle. Dish washing detergent, has the detergent in it off course, but it also has a milder bleaching action with it, that removes the "yellowing". Use hotter water of course with this so if shrinking is a problem I would not suggest it (more shrinking will happen in the dryer ) if it is cotton. I have also used the "oxy clean" with the same type of over night soak, with good results on yellowed fabrics along with a little bit of bleach, however standard laundry bleach seems to be a lot harsher on older fabrics than the bleaching action of the dishwasher detergent. I have also used the laundry additive borax with laundry detergent ( once again using the over night soaking) to pull out yellow and the dingy "gray" off of whites. I have listed them in the orders of preferred use, so it will depend on the over all condition of your hand knit. If you can hang it outside on a close line in the sun, the sun also helps with a natural bleaching action and brightener for yellowed whites. If you find your still fighting a "yellow" tinge to the fabrics old fashionned household "blueing'" also located in the laundry detergent section of the grocery store is a good additive for helping restore the "whitenned" appearance.

Answer 3

On a gently gently wash, put 1/2 cup of dish washer detergent, and warm not HOT water. let soak for 15 minutes and ten wash. When it is done, Now rewash with tide. again on gently. and rinse Hope this helps it is hard to remove yellow that has been there for years. If for any reason you can't get it out, then you could use tea in the washer and dye the bedspread beige.Be careful not to use too many solutions, especially bleach, it might yellow this cotton.

Answer 4

I wouldn't wash it with bleach because bleach causes the cotton fibers to break down. If you have to use bleach, use the shortest amount of time possible.

I'd try laying in the sunshine.

Answer 5

The only logical thing to do is wash it with bleach. Rub bleach on the stain and hopefully that one spot of yellow will disappear.
Good luck removing the stain