I Tried 5 Different Ways to Whiten Clothes, and There Was a Clear Winner

The trickiest part of doing laundry, in my opinion, might just be figuring out how to whiten clothes. From dingy sheets to yellowed armpits and collars, whites that are no longer actually white are the bane of many home launderers, especially because so many people choose white linens precisely for their fresh, crisp look.

Bleaching has been the go-to for whitening laundry, but it has definite drawbacks. In addition to being a highly caustic and potentially dangerous substance, bleach can actually cause yellowing and be damaging to delicate fabrics (or any fabric over time). Hence, many people prefer alternative methods for getting and keeping their whites white.

While there are several popular methods for whitening laundry, I wanted to see which methods work best, so I put five of the most common ones I’ve heard about to the test.

How I Tested the Methods

To really compare how each of the methods work, I ran a little experiment. I grabbed a dirty king-size white linen pillowcase that, between washes, ends up quite yellowed with the kinds of body oil stains that are particularly hard to address. Rather than run various articles of white clothing with various degrees of staining or dinginess through the wash, I decided to test each of the methods on a strip of the yellowed pillowcase. This allowed me to test the same fabric and stain, have enough surface area to test all five methods on, and run only one item versus five separate ones through the wash.

Please note that if you are dealing with any delicate fabrics, like silk or chiffon, some of the methods below could lead to potential damage to your clothing. For instance, distilled white vinegar can wear out synthetic fibers or cotton. Always research what is safe for the material you’re using.

I let the cleaning solution used in each method sit for about an hour on the pillowcase, then rinsed the pillowcase in cool, clean water and laundered it with regular detergent. I figured that this concentrated approach would point to the most effective method to use for both spot treating yellow stains and for more routine laundering of whites.

The ratings: I based my ratings on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being low and 5 being high. I determined each rating based on overall effectiveness, convenience, and effort involved in executing it.

Method 1: Baking Soda

Rating: 5/5

Method: To use baking soda to whiten my pillowcase, I created a paste of equal parts baking soda and water (a tablespoon each) and spread it on the area I was testing. I let it sit for an hour before washing and laundering normally. This method is ideal for spot treating any stains. Alternatively, you can use baking soda to whiten clothes by adding a half cup of it to the wash cycle along with your regular detergent.

How it went: Using baking soda is easy, safe, and straightforward. I was surprised to see that even as I was spreading the paste on the pillowcase, it immediately pulled up some of the dirtiness from the linen fabric! This early result bore out when I looked at this section after washing the pillowcase: The baking soda section got quite clean, impressively white in fact. I wasn’t surprised because adding baking soda to the wash cycle (with a vinegar rinse) is my personal go-to strategy for keeping my whites bright.

Method 2: Hydrogen Peroxide

Rating: 0/5

Method: For this test, I mixed equal parts 3% hydrogen peroxide and water (a tablespoon each) and applied it to the area I was testing. When you are doing a regular load of laundry, you can add half a cup of undiluted hydrogen peroxide along with your regular laundry detergent to the wash load.

How it went: This test of whitening laundry with hydrogen peroxide did not go well. The hydrogen peroxide actually left its own stain behind. This could be because my fabric was linen and possibly more prone to holding residue. Regardless, the result made me wary to use hydrogen peroxide as a go-to for whitening laundry. I’d be afraid that I would inadvertently stain other linens or garments as well. Additionally, I don’t like that hydrogen peroxide requires far more caution than baking soda because it can also discolor colored items.

Method 3: Dishwasher Detergent

Rating: 3/5

Method: Just like when testing the other methods, I made a mixture of equal parts dishwasher detergent and water so I could apply it to the pillowcase.

How it went: This method was easy to use and proved to be effective in reversing the yellowing on the pillowcase. However, I felt a bit uneasy applying dishwasher detergent to my fabric since I know it isn’t made for this purpose. It seems like it could damage delicate fabrics — if not right away, definitely over time. Additionally, you should never add dishwasher detergent to your washing machine. It can lead to buildup and you can risk damaging your washer. The only way I would recommend using this method is if you’re trying to whiten something that’s not delicate in a separate wash basin.

Method 4: Distilled White Vinegar

Rating: 0/5

Method: To test distilled white vinegar for whitening laundry, I mixed a solution of one part white vinegar to one part water and applied it to the yellowed pillowcase, letting it sit for about an hour.

How it went: I was honestly shocked that the white vinegar, just like the hydrogen peroxide, also left stains behind on the pillowcase, but this could be because it wasn’t diluted enough. While you can use vinegar during the wash cycle (add half a cup to a cup along with your regular detergent) or even to clean your washing machine, it’s recommended to not use it too often as it can damage the rubber gaskets over time.

I personally use white vinegar in the fabric softener compartment of my white loads, but more to soften than to whiten. In the future, though, I will be extra cautious about how often I do this because I don’t want to cause undue wear on my machine.

Method 5: Lemon Juice

Rating: 2/5

Method: This method was straightforward to implement, but not as easy as the others because I needed to find, cut, and juice a lemon. I mixed the juice with water and applied the solution to the pillowcase.

How it went: I only used about a tablespoon of lemon juice mixed with an equal amount of water for this small test, but it would take at least a couple more lemons to tackle a larger surface area. This would not only be tedious, but expensive. While I enjoy the sensory experience of using lemons for cleaning, I wasn’t impressed by the effectiveness of lemon juice for whitening in this case. Maybe it’s because I was using it on body oil stains, or maybe, again, because of the type of fabric, but the lemon juice also left a bit of a residue on the pillowcase even as it removed some of the discoloration.

Conclusion

Baking soda was the clear winner in this test of five methods for whitening laundry. It’s inexpensive, easy to use, and didn’t have any adverse effects on the fabric I tested it on or the washing machine. Additionally, the baking soda method was by far the most effective at removing yellowing from the white linen pillowcase I used for this test. I’m not surprised by this result since I’ve had previous success with this method, but I’m glad to confirm that it’s superior.

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