chisue, try changing to a "gentle" wash cycle. That's a more likely cause of thinning material.

Chisue, new sheets come with all sorts of chemicals on them. Starch is one in order to give them nice pressed lines...insecticide is another. There is no way to know how new sheets will really feel in the package and you won't know until after all the chemicals have been removed which takes at least a few washes. I've read it can take more than 10 washes.

As for your nighties..most nighties are more delicate to begin with...use a gentle cycle. Your machine may be too aggressive but I don't know what washer you have. I like Dreft, the powder for my nighties and I use the gentle cycle. However Persil shouldn't cause your nighties to get thin...that's most likely manufactures cheapening out on our textiles which is a real complaint now days.

They still make a in wash starch as far as I know. But I'd try the spray first as its cheap. Starch will make sheets ferl very smooth and crisp. Try it....I love starched sheets but rarely use it.

I NEVER use fabric softener on sheets. I think it makes them feel sticky and of course they are limp than.

Ha, MP. My husband used to call those the "iron sheets" and wasn't fond of them! I like a softer sheet too .

I never use fabric softener in the machine. It seems greasy to me. Occasionally in the dryer but most of the time just dryer balls are fine. Hang things on the line too, sometimes after a short spell in the dryer. Saves energy.

Once my DH took my old washer apart, and the outside of the drum was covered in grey "crud." Although I really don't know, I suspected the liquid fabric softener contributed to that crud.

Most fabric softeners contain tallow, yes animal fat. For those of you that have a jug of Downy. Put a spoonful in a glass, or container of your choice. Let it sit overnight than dump it out...try rinsing the glass in hot water. The thick residue won't budge even rinsing with hot water.

I do use Downy on some things. I prefer the unscented. But on towels I like Downy Citrus Spice. Its scent is warm and herbal. Yes I use a small amount of Downy on towels, not enough to cause the towels not to be absorbent. And never on kitchen towels.

Socks. That crud can be caused from fabric softener but the main cause is consistent cold water washing. Even if someone prefers cold water washing a super hot load should be done weekly otherwise residue builds up where it can't be seen and mold grows on it. Liquid detergent also causes this.

I cannot believe I used fabric softener for years. I have no idea why. I was even upset that my washer didn't come with an automatic dispenser. I gave it up and never have used it since and just wonder why I ever started.

Mamap, I find the Foca pleasant witb a very mild barely there scent and no scent after one or two rinses depending on the load. As for softener....if I use it, I add about a tbsp. My preference is a tallow free one from Costco.

Sheets are presoaked and washed in hot with a TOL whites detergent.

Ava....you know exactly what your doing in the laundry room. ..I'm impressed... not that what I think matters one wiff....lol

They look beautiful!

Thank you all, especially Mama.

The place where I send my damask cloth to be laundered also sells special laundry detergent <https://www.linenlaundry.com/products/>;

I've never tried it - it's pricey. I wonder how it works?

Socks.....absolutely Lovely. Wow they look new. You did an amazing job. I really really like them. I'm jealous. Lol

Socks those are beautiful. I can hear the angels singing.

White brite from Walmart makes dingy things white again. No bleach.

Seems to me I remember something about not using White Brite if you have asthma or other respiratory problems. I'll have to get a MSDS to find out why.

I thought people would think them old fashioned, but I like Priscilla curtains in my dining room, looking out into the yard.. There are two windows with a glass door between, so a lot of light comes in. When I was ironing them, I noticed they are poly and cotton, so good thing I didn't put them in hot water.

I have used bluing before. You have to be very careful with it. As Mama said, it stains badly. It has to be diluted before adding to machine.

All this talk of fabric softener had led me to run a hot wash with washing machine cleaner. Hate to do it; in CA we try hard to be careful with water.

Thanks again, everyone!

Socks they are so pretty, and I bet the sun coming through them and especially the lace looks beautiful.

Socks I wash all poly in this house in very warm to very hot. Trick is making sure you either use a perm press setting or in a front loader use a cycle that has a suds cool down and reduce spin speed. Only real problem with washing poly in hot water is wrinkles can become permanent if they spin out while hot. Lucille probably has tons of poly exercise or fitness clothing as does this household. Mine are washed in hot and I'd bet Lucilles are also.

Doesn't matter though whatever procedure you used worked great.

Before moving to my moms in 09 I lived in a huge Victorian house. I had white cotton Priscillas in my dining room, and bedroom.

socks -- So worth the effort! I was afraid all-cotton might not survive; the poly content may have been the saving grace.

I do not wash my cotton nightgowns separately. It would take many days to accumulate a full load. They go in with towels, socks, DH's underwear -- front load washer, hot water, normal wash, two rinses (last one with white vinegar), no 'softener'. I have about a dozen of these nightgowns and have had most for a long time. They have only shown wear after I used Persil with OB for such loads.

How would it work to wash nighties with sheets, using the same routine, but gentle wash?

I do not see myself spraying starch on king size sheets while I'm ironing them. It's amazing enough that I am ironing sheets in the first place, but I do like the percale weave, and Wamsutta is no more.

I think it would be better to wash the nighties with sheets than with towels. Bath towels would be very abrasive rubbing against cotton nighties. Concidering your nighties are not new have gone thru multi washes and with bath towels I'd say that's your problem.

Chisue. Your comment about Persil with OB....you do know most detergent has OB's?? Excluding some of the earth friendly detergents...other than Cheer POWDER they all have OB's including all the Cheer liquids even though some say for darks.

Another thought Chisue. You use the normal setting. On a FL washer normal uses the least amount of water which would also contribute to your nighties being rubbed against abrasive fabrics. By the way which brand of FL do you have?

mamapinky - can you help me in bleaching my white wash clothes? I probably have about 2 doz of them and they are getting very dingy. I also have 3 or 4 small white towels I'll toss in (dog towels). I normally just throw them in with my clothes - I normally don't have a lot of laundry to do.

so I want to bleach them out. in the old days (of cloth baby diapers), I just let them soak for a long time and then put thru a regular wash and usually a 2nd rinse. But I'm sure I read on here not to let things soak in bleach.

so how long should I let my 2 doz or so white wash clothes soak? I haven't used bleach in this washer yet and it has a dispenser on the front of it for that - I assume I pour some in that and it dispenses it with the water?

I use A and H scent free detergent (that's all I can use because of my sensitivity to scents).

should I put them thru a 2nd rinse (I'm thinking I should do that because of the smell of the bleach). I hang things out on a line, so the sun should help too.

thx.

Aspirin

Aspirin

Laundry myths including another persons opinion on using aspirin in the laundry.

https://www.thespruce.com/internet-laundry-hacks-that-dont-work-2146420

Doesn't ammonia plus chlorine bleach create some toxic gas? Just to clarify, you shouldn't use both, just one or the other.

Yep.....never NEVER mix ammonia and chlorine...NEVER.

Which is why I said to use Oxygen Bleach with the ammonia.

If you don't know the differences between chlorine and oxygen bleach. ...don't even think about using ammonia.

Do an internet search, there's lots of good information available.

Prevention is more important than treatment. Wash your whites (with no non-white items in the load) in hot water, the hotter the better (except for whites with elastic), use a detergent with oxygen bleach, and also add a borax product if you have hard water.

I suppose my advice is not good enough. Sigh.

Elmer before sending someone into hot water washes you should also advise what to do if there are stains that the hot water will set.

Elastic isn't the only thing that shouldn't go into a **the hotter the better** wash. Gotta understand the fabric, and the spin speed...for instance poly in a hot bath is fine but beware the spin speed can cause permanent creases.

Desertsteph, give me a yell if you still want my advice...since I see the post with my advice disappeared.

I suppose my advice is not good enough.

It is more than good enough, you are a treasure trove of information about a subject that for many of us was not part of our education.

When I was very little I helped my Grandma, she had a wringer by the brook where she washed and I sometimes helped hold the items to hang after they got wrung out.

I never once saw my mother do laundry. So I appreciate that there is someone here who knows what she is talking about and has the patience to answer questions.

"I suppose my advice is not good enough."

No, but you're far from being the only person with information and opinions. Both good ones and not so good ones, as we all have.

My experience is that the best advice on most topics is obtained by considering multiple sources. Do you do it differently yourself or advise others to not consider several sources? That's what my suggestion was about, it had nothing to do with you.

Desertsteph, give me a yell if you still want my advice...since I see the post with my advice disappeared.

yes, mamap, I do. my goodness - how did it disappear? is it offensive to someone to give laundry advice?

It has been many, many decades since I bleached anything and I know products have changed over the years. hadn't had a washer in 20 or so yrs. I went to laundromat, I think you can use bleach there, but I know I didn't run a 'load' of 5 or 6 wash clothes separately. And going there got to be to far for me to drive, so about 3 yrs ago I broke down and bought one - when I found one on sale that isn't one of those new fangled, water limiting, lid locking types. I think it is the most awesome machine! I just love it. and it sure beats attempting to wash clothes in a plastic bin at the water spigot. the hand wringing got to be too much for my hands too. I love my machine! so do my hands.

sometimes I lift the lid when it is washing and sigh with happiness.

in reading the earlier posts, I figured why my white wash cloths were so dingy is washing them with my regular things (shorts, t-shirts with color on them), but I'm not normally going to run a load separately for 5-6 washcloths. Water is a premium in the desert too. a few times a year to bleach them, I can do. that's why I figured it'd also be a good time to toss in the few dog towels I have that are white (given to me by my sister).

And I do have very, very hard water. So I think bleaching them might fix that.

they're cheapies from W but I like them because they're a bit nubby (like a soft skin scrub).

I hang them out to dry. The sun helps, but this time of yr I hang them out toward evening when the sun isn't so hot. they dry in a flash.

thx for any help you can give me - as I venture into using bleach again. At least it isn't for cloth diapers like it was so many decades ago!

I thought I should add - at this time of year, my water is usually hot - even out of the cold spigot. It's not burning hot - tho it is very hot to take a shower in between about noon and close to midnight. It's hot from the sun on my water tank. I don't have the hot spigot turned on.

My experience is that the best advice on most topics is obtained by considering multiple sources. Do you do it differently yourself or advise others to not consider several sources? That's what my suggestion was about, it had nothing to do with you.

Seems to me there have been past conversations here on KT about veterinary advice where you specifically discounted information from multiple sources and told people to just listen to their vet.

Desertsteph. Never soak in chlorine bleach. All of the benefits of chlorine in the laundry takes place within 6 minutes any contact after that and the chlorine is degrading the textile. Since you want to whiten things up with chlorine bleach I would advise you use the bleach dispenser in your washer. It will dispense it at the proper time. As for rinsing...if you smell chlorine in the washcloths after the wash is done than the chlorine is still in them and will continue to cause damage...do another rinse if you smell chlorine.

I very rarely ever use chlorine bleach unless one of the kids have the flu and are blowing snot in the bed or the couple times my son was here cooking dinner and I was not sure he didn't touch my dish towels on raw chicken. I'm not fond of using it even though there's no better whitener if used properly.

Do you use liquid bath soap? I ask because there's a chemical in liquid bath soaps that cause dingy wash cloths. Its permanent. Some of my wash cloths were used with the liquid soap and they drive me insane as I can't restore them. Lol. I had to chuckle when you said you only have a few white washcloths...I have tons. I only use white in the bathrooms and kitchen. In the bathrooms I have baskets of cheap Walmart white washcloths rolled up in the basket for drying hands. Than they get tossed in a small wicker basket on the floor beside the sink. This way no one needs to use a hand towel that others have used. I find this works well with kids in the house. So about every four days or so I have to wash a load of just washcloths. My boys are great helpers with folding and rolling and putting them in the baskets. Honesty I have more white in this house than a snow storm. Lol

Please let me know how your bleach load works out.

Do you use liquid bath soap? I ask because there's a chemical in liquid bath soaps that cause dingy wash cloths.

What chemical is that? I only use liquid soap ---- both hand and shower varieties with cheap white face clothes that get washed in hot in detergent with oxi bleach and they remain white without getting dingy. I do sort and face clothes and towels are washed together.

"Never soak in chlorine bleach. "

Unless someone specifically doesn't want to use this one of several different but all effective methods of whitening whites.

PS - a chlorine bleach soak is bleach very diluted by water in solution. You can easily find the proportion. I say that so as to not have you try to start a chase around the same tree again as you did a few times before.

I believe the recommended soak time is 6 minutes in hot or 10 minutes in cool water. I do admit to soaking white sport socks much longer without noticeable damage.

thx mamap. It's just me here and I usually do a small load at least once a week. more often 2x. it's says 'small', but I call it 'tiny'!

so I'm not the only one here who buys those packs at W! don't remember how many are in a pack, but I know I bought at least 2 of them when I was going to the laundro mat. That's when I found out I really liked the nubbyness of them.

I only use the white ones now, put my color ones in the other bath and linen closet for spares. I have several stacks of white ones in the closet too. haven't need to use them tho.

I tried detergent a few yrs ago with the oxi in it but couldn't stand the smell. I might not be able to deal with the chlorine smell anymore either. In the past 20 yrs I've increasingly had problems with scents - even perfumes.

My washer just 'sets' there for a time before it spins out prior to the rinse. I think I'll go with that as the 'soaking' time and see how it goes. and I'll do a double rinse and see if that gets all of the smell out.

that's a super idea about using the wash clothes for the kids to dry their hands! just keep 'em moving from the grimy 'hand dries'.

I fold my hand towels lengthwise, then flip 'em over the towel rod for a few days, then I flip it so the unused side is to the front for a few days. thank goodness I only have to deal with myself any more.

and like Ali, I do use liquid soap these days. it's so much easier for me. will see 'what comes out in the wash'. I probably won't do it until next week. I'm having a bad time with my left leg and back and go to the doc tomorrow I think - or urgent care. depends on if doc can get me in tomorrow. My drying line is a bit away from the house right now and I don't want to make any unnecessary trips out there with my leg like it is now. I'll also probably pull all the white ones I have in the closet out and toss them in too.

will post back after I run 'em thru and give results. thx so much for your help.

Ali, I haven't timed the time the washer just 'sets' there before it spins out to go into a rinse but I'm going to try and remember to do that (at least get a close idea of how many minutes) when I run them thru next.

steph, many people are sensitive to smells. What detergent with oxi did you use? Only powder detergent has oxi ---- liquid with oxi does not even tho the name implies it does. There are scent free powders for those that are sensitive but then they contain more chemicals to eliminate scent.

Personally, I find chlorine bleach much stronger smelling than the oxygen bleach.

Is this the Tide with Bleach powder you are talking about? https://tide.com/en-us/shop/type/powder/tide-plus-bleach-powder

I have been doing laundry FOREVER, but love hearing your thoughts on this subject.

As mentioned only powder contains bleach. TIde pro with bleach is very good if you can find it.

Skipping around this post, I'm wondering what the purpose of Borax serves. I have some to keep the cockroaches out of my garage--works well!--but would consider using it in the (whites) laundry. TIA

Ratherbesewing. Yes that's a very good detergent for whites and lights.

I talked to someone one day that thought Tide with Bleach powder contained chlorine bleach. It doesn't. Its an oxygen bleach.

Ava. I like Tide Pro with Oxy powder but think its no longer being manufactured.

Sjerin, Borax may soften your water a bit if you have hard water and it may remove some stubborn odors. It does nothing to whiten clothes. It also requires an extra rinse for some.

Borax gives detergent a boost if your water is hard. Some also find it helps with odors....sports/workout clothes.

So help me Ladies and Gents.. I always have used Tide with Bleach but it is now missing at Costco. This girl has some dingy hand towels. What about this product?

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=P%26G+Pro+Line+Tide+Professional+Whiteness+Enhancer&ref=nb_sb_noss

I wonder how the Tide Pro compares to Tide with Bleach +...

Ultra Tide Professional with OXY Power. Cleans Color & White Laundry Powder Detergent, 140 Loads 15.5lbs

VS...

Tide Plus Bleach Powder Laundry Detergent, Original, 80 Loads 144 oz

Anybody know??

And then there is this product.... https://www.amazon.com/Sodium-Percarbonate-Oxidizer-Kosher-Pack/dp/B00OKNY8ME

'Ali - steph, many people are sensitive to smells. What detergent with oxi did you use?'

I don't remember what it was I used. possibly Tide. but the smell of it was way beyond what I could deal with. I have a problem with many things - windex, Lysol, even White Diamonds perfume (and I used to wear that myself!). my sister sends me lotion, shampoo (the little kinds they pick up when they travel) and I can't use them. and clothes she sends me I have to hang outside for several days to air out because of the detergent she uses..

I've been going to look this thread up (thx Jennifer for bringing it back to p1). I thought about it again yesterday and told myself I was just gonna have to wade thru back threads to find it. I didn't realize it was from the end of July... I never did get my wash cloths washed and whitened! the next day 7/31 I ended up going to urgent center because of my leg (see post above) thinking it was just a pulled muscle. They sent me on to the ER thinking it might be a blood clot. Serious stuff, so off I went. they wanted to keep me overnight and do surgery on it. it wasn't a clot but was a 'mass' in my leg that needed to be removed. I left the ER about 11.30 pm to go home. I refused to stay that night (their ER was horrible!) because I left home thinking it'd be a quick trip to urgent center... left no abundance of food or water for my furgirl. no keys outside for anyone to get inside to her and no notice to family about it. No way was I leaving my baby home alone with no one to take care of her. I did go back the next day after making arrangements for her care/keys to my sister. I was in there for 7 days (such a bummer!). I was on a walker for a week or 2, then a cane and unable to bend or stoop (I could barely walk), so thoughts of whiting laundry was not on my list to do for a long time. Lately I think of it every time I use one of those dingy white cloths, so will plan to do that this coming weekend.

I haven't used borax in years, but with my water here I'm going to try it and see if it helps. I won't use it with the bleach.

This thread is too long for me to read it all so I hope my suggestion has not been given already. I use Out White Brite out and follow instructions for soaking then washing. It works quite well.