Do you have any miracle cures for white t-shirts that get tired looking?

@TheHorse (238355)
Walnut Creek, California
June 16, 2017 6:23pm CST
I'd have to say that my favorite two colors for t-shirts are white and black. Black t-shirts make be feel tough and ambiguous. White t-shirts show off my savage tan and massive muscles. But white (and even grey) t-shirts get dingy after awhile, and "ring around the collar" (are you old enough to have a terrible melody going through your head right now?) really shows on lighter t-shirts. Happily, I do have a miracle cure that works on white and other light t-shirts. I simply soak them (in the kitchen sink ) in warm water and a scoop or two of Oxy-clean the day before I do laundry. I let them sit over night Sometimes, if I get blood or wine on them, I soak them a few days ahead and let them dry in my shower before tossing them in the laundry basket. Have you tried my miracle cure? Do you have similar miracle cures for white t-shirts or other clothing items?
16 people like this
20 responses
Oshy
@TiarasOceanView (70020)
• United States
17 Jun 17
That is my go to as well is Oxy Clean..sometimes I also add a bit of baking soda into the wash.
2 people like this
Oshy
@TiarasOceanView (70020)
• United States
17 Jun 17
@TheHorse Well I am not of a scientific nature, but I believe it increases the kinetics of the washing soap. It seems to fizz up and bubble out dirt and odor.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (238355)
• Walnut Creek, California
17 Jun 17
@TiarasOceanView Sounds good to me! Maybe I'll try some.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (238355)
• Walnut Creek, California
17 Jun 17
Oh! what does the baking soda do?
1 person likes this
Angie
@andriaperry (118793)
• Anniston, Alabama
17 Jun 17
My miracle is a trash can and shopping :) Seriously I use All with Oxi clean.
2 people like this
The Horse
@TheHorse (238355)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 Jun 17
I should research how that stuff works. But it WORKS!
1 person likes this
Angie
@andriaperry (118793)
• Anniston, Alabama
25 Jun 17
@TheHorse Yes it does... I think its the peroxide .
crazyhorseladycx
@crazyhorseladycx (39503)
• United States
17 Jun 17
i use washin' soda to soak our whites'n. also use such to clean the hubs ball caps. i did get tickled the other day when the hubs told me his coworkers couldn't believe he wore white t-shirts'n wondered how's i kept 'em so white. his brilliant reply? she washes 'em. sigh...
1 person likes this
crazyhorseladycx
@crazyhorseladycx (39503)
• United States
26 Jun 17
@TheHorse washin' soda 'n some warm water. let 'em soak (such'll gross ya out, lol) 'n then hit 'em with a toothbrush. ya might need to so such a couple 'f times 'til the water 'tis clear. let 'em line dry.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (238355)
• Walnut Creek, California
26 Jun 17
@crazyhorseladycx The water turns way gross with Oxyclean too. Is washing soda different from baking soda?
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (238355)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 Jun 17
Well, he's right, technically. I have some pretty nasty old baseball caps. Can you give me some more detail on how to deal with them? I generally just buy new ones.
1 person likes this
MARILYN
@Marilynda1225 (91158)
• United States
17 Jun 17
Oxy clean does work well for getting whites white .Otherwise I just put bleach in the washing machine
1 person likes this
AbbyGreenhill
@AbbyGreenhill (45490)
• United States
17 Jun 17
@TheHorse You don't need much of it....less is more.
The Horse
@TheHorse (238355)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 Jun 17
@CoralLevang Most of my t-shirts atr 100% cotton. I think.
The Horse
@TheHorse (238355)
• Walnut Creek, California
17 Jun 17
Bleach scares me. Doesn't it weaken fabric?
Sasha
@diosabella (4789)
•
17 Jun 17
I use chlorine powder for my white t-shirts and linen. Just soak them over night before washing.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (238355)
• Walnut Creek, California
24 Jun 17
Does chlorine damage the fabic, as bleach supposedly does?
The Horse
@TheHorse (238355)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 Jun 17
@diosabella Got it. I wonder if it's made from the same stuff as bleach.
Sasha
@diosabella (4789)
•
25 Jun 17
@TheHorse In my experience no. And I don't use it all the time.
1 person likes this
Rhombus
@Rhombus (356)
• South Africa
17 Jun 17
I'm terrible in anything white, clumsy and have a mark before I've even left the house. Do love white though.... I generally try buy new twice a year... Why would there be blood on your shirts? And why am I the only one commenting on that? LOL
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (238355)
• Walnut Creek, California
24 Jun 17
I go hiking a lot, cycle with kids a lot, and work on speakers a lot. Getting wounded is a part of my life. I generally go all Monty Python and say "It's just a flesh wound."
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (238355)
• Walnut Creek, California
29 Jun 17
@Rhombus I got my blood drawn yesterday. THAT makes me squeamish. But if it's just blood dripping down my leg because of a cycling encounter or a manzanita encounter, I'm OK with it.
1 person likes this
Rhombus
@Rhombus (356)
• South Africa
29 Jun 17
@TheHorse ok, as long as it's your blood it's all good.
1 person likes this
Debscrochet
@Debscrochet (1947)
• United States
25 Jun 17
I don't remember when i last saw a white t shirt. Everyone here wears colors. I would try the pre wash stain stick by Shout. I used it before.
1 person likes this
Happy Lady and Freya the Catblog Cat
@Jackalyn (7558)
• Oxford, England
24 Jun 17
Way back on here I did an experiment whitening towels using bicarbonate of soda in the wash and no washing powder. It seems something in the washing powder or liquid eventually makes the whites go grey. I would think Oxy-Clean is based on that.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (238355)
• Walnut Creek, California
24 Jun 17
Based on something that makes whites go grey? I've found Oxyclean to make my whites whiter.
Anne Marie Guyer
@LeaPea2417 (40058)
• Toccoa, Georgia
25 Jun 17
A dingy worn white shirt will become a "work out in the yard shirt", or it becomes a dust rag.
1 person likes this
Anne Marie Guyer
@LeaPea2417 (40058)
• Toccoa, Georgia
25 Jun 17
@TheHorse That is a good thing to use them for.
The Horse
@TheHorse (238355)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 Jun 17
Yep, mine eventually become speaker refinishing rags. Or guitar polishing rags.
1 person likes this
Anna
@LadyDuck (502805)
• Italy
17 Jun 17
What you do is the only method to remove sweat stains and the ring around the collar. I use also natural white laundry soap. I soak the t-shirt in warm water, I rub the soap on the collar and stains and let it rest several hours. Then I soak with Oxy-clean overnight.
1 person likes this
Anna
@LadyDuck (502805)
• Italy
25 Jun 17
@TheHorse It's the only method that works.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (238355)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 Jun 17
Sounds pretty similar to my method.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (238355)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 Jun 17
@LadyDuck I have one that I might soak today. It's an irreplaceable Sendak Wild Things shirt that an ex- made for me. I can just hang it in the shower until it dries and then toss it in the laundry basket.
1 person likes this
AbbyGreenhill
@AbbyGreenhill (45490)
• United States
17 Jun 17
My husbnad wears colored t-shirts - no white, too boring LOL. Bleach
1 person likes this
AbbyGreenhill
@AbbyGreenhill (45490)
• United States
25 Jun 17
@TheHorse My husband never wore white t-shirts. He has to have the kind with the pocket for his glasses.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (238355)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 Jun 17
How dare you criticize my fashion sense! My two favorite colors (colours for our British, Australian and Indian friends--I'm not sure about @Maluse) are white and black!
The Horse
@TheHorse (238355)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 Jun 17
@AbbyGreenhill My glasses stay on at almost all times.
James Higgins
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
17 Jun 17
Anne swears by Oxy-Clean. We add some to every wash load too.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (238355)
• Walnut Creek, California
17 Jun 17
I do that too. But it really does work even better if you soak stuff in it for a while. I use it on my vintage loudspeaker screens as well.
1 person likes this
James Higgins
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
17 Jun 17
@TheHorse We soak the stained stuff and it works every time.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (238355)
• Walnut Creek, California
17 Jun 17
@JamesHxstatic Heh. I just hung up a grey shirt in my shower. I almost took a picture of what the water looked like after I soaked it for a few hours.
1 person likes this
Kandase
@Kandae11 (57230)
•
17 Jun 17
Years ago I used a blue powder tablet. I would break off a piece dissolve it in a basin of water and soak the shirt or T for five minutes. It comes out looking crisp and white with a slight tinge of blue.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (238355)
• Walnut Creek, California
17 Jun 17
@Kandae11 Heh. I haven't heard of that. I do remember some laundry "tablets" from back in the day.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (238355)
• Walnut Creek, California
17 Jun 17
Do you remember what the tablet was called?
1 person likes this
Kandase
@Kandae11 (57230)
•
17 Jun 17
@TheHorse It is called Reckitt Blue and it is used for making whites whiter.
1 person likes this
Luis Medina
@luispas (1674)
• Venezuela
17 Jun 17
It's a shame that I don't know anything for cleaning the clothes better
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (238355)
• Walnut Creek, California
17 Jun 17
Now you do!
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (238355)
• Walnut Creek, California
17 Jun 17
@luispas Toss in a little Oxy-clean (or a generic equivalent) and maybe your life will be changed. It definitely works for me.
Luis Medina
@luispas (1674)
• Venezuela
17 Jun 17
@TheHorse yes, but I'm the worst cleaning my clothes
1 person likes this
Pitstop
@pitstop (15551)
• Australia
17 Jun 17
So off I go, googling oxyclean and figuring what equivalent product I need to buy. I've tried a product called Vanish and it doesn't work.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (238355)
• Walnut Creek, California
24 Jun 17
I wonder if there's an Oxyclean equivalent in India. It really does work for me.
Jekca
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
19 Jun 17
was going to offer up tiedye, lol
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (238355)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 Jun 17
I AM a Grateful Deadhead, but I like to keep it secret.
1 person likes this
Carol Brown
@blitzfrick (2890)
• United States
17 Jun 17
You can get fresh blood out of any color by using cold water and soap. There will be no stain afterward. Also I wash my white things separately or with light blue items. My grandmother used to use laundry bluing. That seemed to work. Oxy Clean, eh? I should try that.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (238355)
• Walnut Creek, California
17 Jun 17
The generic stuff at the Dollar Store works too. The hype will be "unleashes the cleaning power of oxygen," or something like that.
1 person likes this
Scott Ganschow
@teamfreak16 (43655)
• Denver, Colorado
17 Jun 17
No, but I was going to suggest Oxyclean. That stuff rocks!
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (238355)
• Walnut Creek, California
17 Jun 17
It sounds like a lot of people are already hip to my tricks.
1 person likes this
Betty Belekis
@BettyB (4117)
• Summerville, South Carolina
24 Jun 17
Oxy-clean does work well. I need to soak some of my husband's T-shirts.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (238355)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 Jun 17
Do you do it over night?
April
@thislittlepennyearns (68246)
• Defuniak Springs, Florida
17 Jun 17
I know this sounds silly the the knock off Dollar Tree version of Oxy Clean works wonders on those shirts.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (238355)
• Walnut Creek, California
17 Jun 17
That's what I actually use these days. It's called LA Totally Awesome or something like that.