(Mama, I do remember that pot for boiling laundry.)

Nothing too special about my whites routine.

Weekly I do a load of white bathroom towels, dish towels, underwear, socks.

They get a hot water wash, usually Heavy Duty cycle but switch it up between Allergen or Sanitary with three rinses. A small amount of bleach which I force to expel into the last 5 minutes of the wash cycle. (I just can't see bleach going into the first rinse, that's crazy to me). What ever my favorite "white" detergent is at the time. NO fabric softener.

Bed sheets get their own wash day (Thursday). Top/bottom sheets, mattress protector, duvet cover, pillow cases and when needed the pillow protectors will all get hot washes on the Heavy Duty cycle. Using bleach toward the last 5 minutes and I will use fabric softener in the second of three rinses so their's a hint of scent and softness. Detergent is whatever I'm using for whites at the time.

This week (two times a year, spring & autumn) I'll wash my white comforter (duvet) for the season. Using the same practice that bedding (above) gets. It's always protected by the duvet cover so doesn't need to be washed as often.

I read what it is mamapinky is doing, then I follow

I am currently using 1/4 cup powder Mexican Ariel with 1/4 cup powder Biz, warm water in a pre-wash cycle in my SQ TL. I let it soak for 1-2 hours. Drain, spin. (this only happens on days I have time to spend on this since I don't have an automatic FL with pre-wash/super hot temps/soak/sanitize cycles, etc...)

Then I fill washer with tap hot water. At the moment I am still using 1/4 powder Mexican Ariel, 1/4 cup Biokleen Oxygen Bleach powder and sometimes a bit of Borax too. I let it agitate a few mins, then turn off the machine and let it soak again anywhere from 30 mins to a couple of hours, then complete the cycle.

My whites are blinding white. :^)

I will do the above minus Biz and Biokleen Oxy Bleach, but substitute in Tide w/ Bleach powder when I have it. I somehow used up my lifetime supply of Tide w/ Bleach detergent and have been very happy with the Mexican Ariel supply I've been working through for the purpose of whites laundry as long as I use the mentioned additives.

I use to use Foca for my whites and I do LOVE it immensely. But I don't have room for it at the moment. Once I have more cabinet space (i.e., use up copious amounts of existing detergent), I will purchase some more. I've removed permanent hair color using Foca detergent, which has never been a liftable stain for as long as I've been doing laundry. Remarkable stuff with our water chemistry and washing machine.

I learned this whites technique from the folks on this laundry forum.

My whites process is simple. Clothes in. 2T of STPP, Line 1 of Tide Ultra Stain Release, Line 1 of BIZ powder, Whites cycle, hot water, light soil, extra rinse.

I have used white bright a few times. I find that it is beneficial to use a few times per year. Also, boiling our white washcloths in a large pot makes a big difference. Mama, I think the Ammonia is a great idea!

My whites process is boring.

I wash white underwear and white socks together using a 120F or 140F. Use Persil Perls or Miele for whites, no additives. I use an extended cycle that is timed at 1:43 minutes or less depending on the load size. This gives a main wash time of about 45 to 50 minutes and the rest is rinsing and spinning. if the clothes are very dirty I add a prewash that starts with a cold fill and then heats the water slightly before draining and doing a burst spin. The prewash lasts about 15 minutes but does the trick. I add 1/3 of the amount of the total detergent to the prewash cup.

A poster who worked/ managed/ owned a cleaners/ laundry, I'm not sure, said the way to get the whitest whites was use detergent, oxy bleach and ammonia together in the wash cycle. That's what they do and it works great. I have tried it and it does work very well.

Yep that's why I said up there↑↑ that I add ammonia to whites. I don't always add it because I'm not sure how high its raising the PH. Do you know Sparky?

No clue.

My white routine is boring...I also wash white socks by themselves. Wash with some Tide F&G liquid or All F&C powder along with All Oxi booster and a little Lemi Shine Powder Laundry Booster which contains TAED, a bleach activator. Unfortunately, my Frigidaire Immersion Care washer dumbs down wash temps and I only can manage anywhere from 85-100F.

My bath towels are white and they stay nice and white white with detergent alone. Every so often I add a little All Oxi to my towels.

I have no white underwear...Only very colorful underwear for me. :)

No white underwear? You don't know what you're missing! Just kidding. For some reason I prefer white underwear to my colored collection, however I find whites harder to clean than colorful colors. Guess I'm not that colorful either since my colors are grey, blue, and black.

I do not purchase white underwear either. I have one pair that is white with light tan stripes. I will just tell you, they are more thin and stiff than any other pair of underwear made by the same manufacturer. LOL. It just goes to show how much more washing I put into my whites. I am glad to see that others here are washing their socks and underwear in separate loads. Honestly, I thought it was just an OCD tendency of mine! Sounds like I need to try the "oxi" and ammonia mix. Since we are talking about ammonia, does anyone here know if it denatures enzymes or slows their rate of activity? I have tried to find this out and can not find any information in regards to it. For now I might just use it in the bleach dispenser.

I'm thinking of using my sous vide (I have the stick one...) to "cook" a white towel...

I can use a plastic bucket that will withstand higher heat and just set the temp and forget it for an hour or two...

Good idea? Bad idea?

White hand towels in my house don't stay white with three men...I have no idea what they do...

Plus my hard water...

Hi Penny. I can't comment on the sous as I know nothing about them. When boil washing things should be brought to a boil and than shut off. Stiring and pushing down often since garments float. You will slso have to pay close attention to the detergent as it can foam up and out oxygen bleach is a big foamer in a boil wash.

Also consider your towels are they 100% cotton? Any fancy trim work that boiling may damage?

As for your hard water why don't you check into Sodium Tripolyphosphate (STPP) hard water solved. Please feel free to ask questions.

I have a Whirlpool top-loader and love it. Hubs whites (sheets, towels, underwear, etc.) get hot water and Tide With Bleach powder. Added a Tide Whites Booster pod today because his pillow protector was yellow also. Also soak hubs underpants in cool water for about a day prior to washing. Old guys just leak all over the place.

My whites (sheets, towels, underwear) get hot water and All Free Clear liquid unfortunately because a 77 year old lady itching is not a pretty sight.

If I ever find a really great spicey-smelling laundry detergent or fabric softener I'd probably use it because the really CLEAN smell is really getting to me.

Downy Citrus Spice is actually a very nice scented fabric softener. It is probably one of the least "sweet" smelling Downys. Try it out and see.

dorey, i plan to get that tomorrow. thank you.

I LOVE Downy citrus spice but cant find it anywhere. I would say its my favorite current day Downy scent. I really liked it on my bath towels and my nighties. Warm and spicey. Like I USED to be.

Downy citrus spice is available at Amazon.

✔

Mama.... lol

Does it have any hints of vanilla scent to it ?

Oxy White Revive. Easy on fibers but keeps whites bright. Smells clean.

I add it to Tide Free and Gentle. Hot water to dissolve the White Revive then scale back the temp if need be. I have an old-school Speed Queen top loader that I purchased in late 2016.

Water heater is a couple of feet away so hot is hot. Nothing else, I keep it simple.

I cannot seem to find Oxy White Revive at the grocery stores lately, so I buy extra large tubs at Lowes or Home Depot.

My whites process is simple. Tide plus Bleach HE; Whites cycle and Snuggle Blue sparkle. Kitchen Towels is the same with maybe a little bit of biz. Kitchen cleaning cloths and terrycloth napkins is again Tide with Bleach and either Heavy Duty or Allergen with Sanitize temp, steam for stains, and extra rinse. All are with heaviest soil level.

Has anyone used Calgon water softener that is sold on the detergent aisle? I’ve heard it mentioned before but I have no idea what the ingredients are. I saw it in Walmart the other day and glanced at the bottle and it says “for whiter and brighter clothes”.

Also a powder version that has been on the market for years.

MiMi Calgon used to be mostly phosphates but in todays world its mostly sodium carbonate at least last time I checked.