10 Ways to Whiten Clothes Without Using Any Bleach

5.Try Dishwasher Soap

A secret whitening tool is hiding in your kitchen: dishwasher soap. According to Apartment Therapy, eco-friendly dishwasher detergent works to whiten whites as well as other DIY methods. Simply blend a bit in with your regular laundry detergent, and run your whites through their regular wash cycle.

6.Break Out the Aspirin

Aspirin, a great aid for headaches and all other aches, breaks down the gunk that’s yellowed your whites. Dissolve five white aspirin pills in water, and add your clothes to the mix. Let them soak a while, and then toss them into your washer. Be sure to stay away from the colored varieties of aspirin, though, or your whites could come out with a colorful tinge.

7.Add in a Bit of Blue

Though it might sound counterintuitive, Grandparents.com suggests that adding blue coloring to your white laundry can counteract the yellow stains that this color tends to attract. Look for a bluing agent at your local grocery store (or on Amazon), and carefully follow the directions on the bottle. The original source warns that it’s a bad idea to directly pour the agent on your clothes or add it to your detergent because you might end up with dyed blue clothing.

8.Try Whitening with Borax

A little bit of borax can work to increase the effectiveness of your usual laundry detergent, making it more effective at restoring cleanliness and color. It’s also an addition that removes residue from stains and also softens the water.

9.Skip the Detergent

With each load of laundry and each trip through the wash, your whites become laden with detergent and residue from dryer sheets—and these additions to your once-bright clothes can create that yellow tint. Good Housekeeping suggests sending your whites through a simple, detergent-free cycle with a small amount of ammonia to eliminate all accumulated residue.

10.Brighten with Hydrogen Peroxide

A common item in medicine cabinets, hydrogen peroxide can breathe new life into your dulled whites. According to PopSugar, it’s an oxidizer that dissolves residue and brightens whites in a manner similar to common store-bought whitening agents.

Do you know of any other DIY ways to brighten white clothing and linens without using any bleach? Share your secrets.