How to bleach a washed waffle towel. How to bleach kitchen towels at home. What do we have to do

Baths and kitchen towels made from terry require delicate care. This material is a fabric with loops that do not fit tightly together, between which dirt accumulates. It is very difficult to remove them, but it is still possible.

How to wash old towels?

To do this, just follow the following recommendations:

To keep such products in an attractive appearance, it is important to follow one simple tip - do not use washing powder when caring for them. The fact is that grains of this product penetrate deeply into the fibers of terry cloth, and give it roughness and rigidity.
To make terry textiles soft again, when machine washing you must use a delicate or manual mode. The products should first be soaked in conditioners designed specifically for this fiber.
Terry fiber towels should be washed separately from other laundry.
After finishing washing, rinse the towels thoroughly in cool water and dry them in a well-ventilated area, shaking the products occasionally.
If ordinary things While cotton fabrics can be loaded into the washing machine to maximum density, this cannot be done with terry products. To prevent them from losing their softness and airiness, it is enough to put 3 large or 6-7 small towels.
You should not mix dark and light items in the same wash, as the latter will lose their color.
If sufficiently strong stains form, they should be soaked in a special detergent for an average of an hour before washing.
When caring for terry towels, it is prohibited to use products containing chlorine. This substance destroys the fabric, so the products will quickly tear.
When machine washing, the mode should be no more than 700 revolutions.
Terry products should not be dried on heating devices or under the scorching sun. The canvas dries out and loses its softness and airiness.

Use special means To deeply clean terry towels from dirt, you can do this no more than once a month. Their more frequent use will lead to stiffness of the canvas and its rapid wear. Used for different types of pollution various means.

Use traditional methods for washing towels

The most accessible and effective methods for cleaning soiled towels are:

Means	Type of pollution	Mode of application
Salt	Coffee and tomato stains on white and colored items	Prepare a solution in a basin (take 5 tablespoons of salt for 5 liters of water), soak towels in it and leave for an hour, then wash in a machine or by hand
	Red wine	Prepare a very concentrated saline solution (5 tablespoons of salt per 100 ml of water), soak the contaminated item for several hours and wash in washing machine
Laundry soap	Pollution of various origins, including greasy spots	We rub all soiled towels generously with laundry soap and place them in plastic bags, close and leave overnight. In the morning, terry products should be washed in a washing machine and rinsed well
Shampoo	Traces of fruit juices and fruits	We apply any shampoo liberally to the area of contamination, and after half an hour we wash it and put it in the washing machine.
Silicate glue solution	Suitable for removing various stains from white fabric	We prepare the solution from a spoon of silicate glue and a piece of laundry soap. We dilute these substances with 3 liters of water and boil the towels for about half an hour.
Hydrogen peroxide	Used to remove old stains of various origins	We dilute a bottle of hydrogen peroxide in 3 liters of water, soak the contaminated items, and then wash them in the usual way.
Dishwashing liquid	To remove greasy stains	Apply the product to the washed areas, leave for a day, and then wash

To return old terry towels the new kind, you can use other remedies at home. It is recommended to choose them depending on the type of contamination.

If you don’t know how to wash terry towels from tea and coffee stains, use a product made from ammonia and glycerin.

Method No. 1

A solution is prepared from ammonia and glycerin in a ratio of 1:4, the contaminated items are soaked for an hour, and the zetam is washed.

Method No. 2

Dirty terry cloth products must be soaked in a solution of ammonia and water in a 1:1 ratio, kept for the same period of time and loaded into the washing machine.

If slightly damp terry items are left in the laundry basket for a long time, you may notice traces of mold on them. Will help get rid of this type of pollution table vinegar. The product must be soaked in a 5-9% vinegar solution for 10 minutes and then rinsed well.

Use vinegar

Effective ways to whiten white towels

In addition to the fact that terry towels become hard and rough after prolonged use, white items become gray or red as a result of numerous washes. If your bath or kitchen towels have lost their appearance after prolonged use, there are simple and cheap ways to restore them to their former glory.

By washing white terry towels with this product, it is often possible to return the products to their former whiteness the first time.

We use potassium permanganate to restore the whiteness of towels

When choosing this method, you should perform the following steps:

For 5 liters of hot water, take 200 ml of liquid laundry detergent and 3 g of potassium permanganate.
Place clean terry clothes in a basin with the prepared solution of potassium permanganate.
Cover the top of the container plastic film until the solution cools completely.
After this, rinse the towels several times cold water and dry naturally.

The use of mustard powder allows not only to bleach, but also to disinfect linens.

Dissolve mustard powder in hot water

To carry out maintenance, follow these steps:

Mustard powder must be diluted hot water until the consistency of a thick slurry is formed in such an amount that the mixture is enough to process dirty things.
Apply the prepared product to towels, place them in a basin and leave for 6-8 hours.
Terry products should be rinsed in water until mustard powder will not wash off completely, then wash by hand or machine.

For 3 liters of warm water you will need 2 tbsp. boric acid:

Dilute boric acid in water.
Fill the basin with the prepared solution.
Dip dirty towels into the container, leave for 2 hours and load into the machine using liquid detergent.

Use boric acid

Using soda and laundry soap, you can return washed terry products to their dazzling whiteness and new look without harming the fiber. For bleaching using the boiling method you will need:

50 g soda ash;
bar of laundry soap 72%.

Whitening method:

Prepare the solution: grate laundry soap onto a coarse grater, dilute 3 liters of water, add soda, mix everything.
Pour the prepared soda-soap solution onto the soiled towels, after placing them in an enamel container.
Place the container with the laundry on the fire and boil the textiles for 1-1.5 hours.

Boiling in soap and soda solution

After boiling, the items are washed again by machine or manually.

Vegetable oil

Vegetable oil will also help to bleach washed light-colored towels. It quickly softens any dirt, after which it is easier to wash it off.

You will need:

15 liters of water;
2/3 cup of liquid detergent for whites;
3 tbsp. l. bleach, refined vegetable oil and vinegar essence.

Follow these steps:

Mix all ingredients thoroughly.
Soak washed clothes in this solution overnight.
The next day, wring it out and put it in the washing machine.

To ensure that terry products do not wear out quickly, but serve you as long as possible, you need to carry out proper care of such delicate textiles in a timely manner.

The article will tell you the basic secrets of washing kitchen towels. Here you will learn how to achieve ideal cleanliness and freshness of kitchen textiles.

How and in what to soak very dirty, greasy white and colored kitchen towels? How to remove stains from kitchen towels?

Kitchen rags and towels get dirty often, profusely and heavily. They come into contact with food, dirty dishes, drinks, and unclean work surfaces. As a rule, such stains are very difficult to remove, because they are deeply and permanently absorbed into the structure of the material. As a result, the towels remain dirty even after thorough washing and smell bad.

IMPORTANT: For washing to be effective, you should know about some secrets and special “detergents” that eliminate not only dirt, but also unpleasant odors, refresh towels, whiten and do not spoil the material.

Washing kitchen textiles also involves pre-soaking, which will help remove dirt more efficiently. In addition, this is a gentle way to remove stains and odors without harming the fabric. You don't have to worry about the towels being damaged. You can soak towels not only in special detergents, but also using “homemade recipes” (salt, soda, mustard, etc.).

How to soak towels (pre-wash):

Fill a basin with water; it should be hot (no more than 40 degrees) for colored towels and very hot (60 to 90 degrees) for white towels.
Hot water while soaking will help to eat away greasy stains and remove them easily by hand or machine washing.
As an additional ingredient, you can use any washing powder or gel, dishwashing detergent (it perfectly removes greasy stains from fabrics).
It is important to do soaking for several hours (or at least an hour).
After soaking, you can start washing by hand or in a washing machine.
White towels can be bleached using chlorine-containing detergents, but for colored towels you need to choose specialized powders and gels.

Washing, soaking, bleaching and boiling kitchen towels with vegetable oil: recipe

The right approach to washing kitchen towels will help you achieve their ideal cleanliness, freshness and a beautiful, neat appearance. You can remove any stain, even one that does not “take” the powder; it is only important to choose the right method and follow the rules.

Few people know that washing kitchen towels can be done in such an unusual and in an exotic way, as in “applying oil.” For this, you will need any vegetable oil; sunflower oil is most often used (it is not expensive and can always be found in the store).

This type of washing consists of three stages:

Soaking with oil
Regular wash
Intensive rinse

For soaking you will need to have a bucket or basin. Pour oil into it (literally 2-3 tbsp) and add exactly a glass of powder, which is mandatory for automatic machines (you choose yourself, focusing on the type of towel material). Fill everything with hot water and dip all the towels in it. This soaking is quite long and should last all night (8-10 hours).

INTERESTING: Oil in in this case the oil in the basin will attract and activate active particles washing powder.

This method is very effective for those towels that are stained with grease. After soaking, a full machine wash cycle and rinsing twice (first hot and then normal cold water), you can get an incredible effect - clean, like new towels “from the store”.

Washing, soaking, bleaching and boiling kitchen towels with soda ash: recipe

Soda ash is not your usual baking soda, but a special alkali that is capable of reacting with several types of contaminants and effectively combating them. This soda is often used for cleaning any surfaces in the kitchen, sinks, tiles, dishes, and even washing kitchen towels.

IMPORTANT: Soda ash can be added to washing powder in an automatic machine; it will not harm it. The product is very effective on white fabrics and towels.

Recipe with baking soda and soap:

Soda (soda ash) – 3 tbsp.
Liquid laundry soap – 3 tbsp.

How to wash:

Pre-soak for 1.5-2 hours
Place towels in the machine
Pour the powder and soda into the compartment
Turn on the washing temperature at 50-90 degrees (white towels) and 30-40 degrees (colored towels).

IMPORTANT: This type of washing can also be done by hand after soaking. Instead of soap, you can also use any washing gel or powder. Rinsing can be done several times (to achieve a better effect).

Soda ash is a “true” and effective method

Washing, soaking, bleaching and boiling kitchen towels with laundry soap: recipe

Boiling is a very “old” but effective method dissolve and eliminate greasy stains on white and colored kitchen towels. During boiling, greasy stains dissolve under the influence of high temperatures, and soap destroys fat, corroding it. You can use both a regular bar of laundry soap and modern liquid laundry soap.

INTERESTING: This type soap is considered universal, as it is ideal for any household purposes, cleaning and washing.

"Manual" method:

Dirty towels should be thoroughly wetted (with any water)
Take a bar of soap and scrub all dirty areas (or the entire towel) well.
Such a “soaped” towel should be placed in polyethylene or any bag, tightly twisted and tied.
The towel should be kept in this state for several hours (or all night).
In the morning, they should be washed by hand or by machine at high or medium temperatures (for colored ones).

IMPORTANT: Any boiling should be done only for light and white towels, bright and dark ones will lose their color.

Boiling method:

For this method, you need to choose the right container, for example, an enamel basin or a bucket.
Place a bar of soap in it (or pour a bottle), completely dissolve and bring the liquid to a boil.
To ensure that the soap dissolves quickly, it is better to rub it with a grater.
The liquid in the dish should be cloudy and even a little thick.
All contaminated towels should be dipped into the liquid and, turning the heat to moderate (the water should not boil), cook them for about half an hour.
Do not rush to remove the towels; let them sit in the liquid until they cool down.
After this, you can do a regular or machine wash.

Washing, soaking, bleaching and boiling kitchen towels with vinegar: recipe

INTERESTING: Surprisingly, ordinary table or fruit vinegar can be an excellent means for washing fabrics, which preserves their color, returns whiteness and removes stains.

Vinegar can even be added to washing machine, because it will not harm either things or the device itself. It is often added only because it prevents streaks and traces of powder from appearing on fabrics and makes the material incredibly soft. And for an automatic machine, vinegar is useful because it can kill bacteria that can accumulate and multiply inside it.

How to boil and soak:

Vinegar should only be used on kitchen towels and rags that are made from natural materials (linen or cotton).
You don’t need a lot of vinegar and only 1-2 tbsp. per liter of water will be quite enough for both washing and soaking.
Soaking must be done for at least an hour. Use any vinegar you find (except dark ones: currant, balsamic).
After soaking, you can proceed to boiling (for very dirty ones) and regular washing (for colored towels).

IMPORTANT: To ensure that the towel has a pleasant aroma and does not smell of vinegar, use fruit vinegar, not table vinegar.

Washing, soaking, bleaching and boiling kitchen towels using mustard: recipe

Surprisingly, ordinary mustard powder - excellent remedy for washing dirty towels from the kitchen. Mustard is effective in that it can not only “remove” stains, but also whiten and disinfect fabrics. You can do several types of washing with it:

Soak
Boiling
Hand wash

INTERESTING: You can buy mustard powder at any grocery store or supermarket.

What you will need:

Mustard powder – bag weighing 50 g.
Boiling water – 0.5 buckets (in which you will boil)

What to do:

Bring the water to 3-40 degrees
Dissolve mustard in a bucket
Dip towels
Keep them in a bucket until cool (this will be a pre-soak).
Towels should be soaked for as long as the contamination requires (lightly soiled ones will take less than an hour, heavily soiled ones will take about 3-4 hours).
It will be useful to boil those towels that have greasy stains. To do this, place the dishes on the fire and “cook” for about half an hour.
Then do a standard machine wash or hand wash.

IMPORTANT: For a more gentle wash, you can use the mustard powder rubbing method. To do this, dry mustard is diluted with water into a paste and all dirty places on wet towels are coated with it. After that, the towel needs to be twisted and folded, hidden in a bag, and kept for a day.

Washing, soaking, bleaching and boiling kitchen towels with potassium permanganate: recipe

Good old potassium permanganate will help whiten dirty and faded towels. You will need powdered potassium permanganate, which you need to add to the water to make a solution (it should be pale pink).

How to whiten:

Wash dirty towels in the machine
Already clean, put them in an enamel bucket
Dilute potassium permanganate in warm water, it should be slightly pink.
Dip washed and rinsed towels into warm liquid
Cover the bucket with plastic
Keep the towels in the water until it cools down
After this, do another machine rinse (or manual).

Washing, soaking, bleaching and boiling kitchen towels in hydrogen peroxide: recipe

You can bleach towels and remove light and heavy stains from them using a “homemade” detergent such as hydrogen peroxide and soda.

How to do it:

You only need 1-2 tsp. peroxide per 2 liters of hot water (no more than 70 degrees).
Dissolve peroxide well in water and ready solution Dip the towels.
Keep them in the solution for about 10-15 minutes
After this, rinse or run a wash cycle with towels in the machine.

Washing, soaking, bleaching and boiling kitchen towels in the microwave: recipe

INTERESTING: The microwave is a very unusual but effective way to “remove” kitchen towels different types pollution. The only thing you need to know is that for particularly “heavy” stains, you will need to perform this procedure twice or even three times. The method of treating stains using a microwave is completely “new” and is effective in that it is able to influence stains molecularly, destroying the stain inside the fabric.

What do we have to do:

Wet the towel generously ( dry towel Do not put it in the microwave because it may catch fire).
A wet towel should be generously soaped with washing gel, soap, laundry soap, liquid soap, dishwashing detergent.
Place the towel in a microwave-safe plastic bag.
Roll the bag well and tightly
Place the package on the bowl in the microwave
The time to “cook” the towel in the oven is 1-1.5 minutes
After this, take a “break” and turn on the oven again for 1 minute.

How and with what to wash and boil kitchen towels in the washing machine?

Tips and secrets:

In order to whiten towels not by hand washing or soaking, but using an automatic machine, you should use citric acid.
The acid should be added to a regular automatic powder (for colored towels, use powder or gel “for colored fabrics,” for white ones, “with bleach”).
Also add a packet of citric acid into the powder compartment.
Towels (white) should be washed at high temperatures (from 70 to 90 degrees) in a full cycle (soaking, pre-wash and main wash).

How and what is the best way to wash waffle towels?

IMPORTANT: The so-called “waffle” towel has many advantages and is often used in the kitchen (it dries quickly, easily absorbs moisture, and washes well).

How to wash:

The advantage of such towels is that they are not too fussy to wash.
You can choose hand or machine wash
For colored towels, a product for “colored fabrics” is suitable, and for white towels containing chlorine (bleaching).
In principle, any detergent is suitable for “waffle” towels, which is why this fabric is called “unpretentious.”
For high-quality washing, choose modes with high temperatures and then iron with a hot iron.
You can pre-soak it with any chemical or homemade product.

"Waffle" towel

How and what is the best way to wash terry kitchen towels?

“Terry” material is not suitable for the kitchen, but some housewives still prefer such towels, as they easily and quickly absorb moisture and pick up any dirt and grease.

How to wash:

These towels can withstand machine and hand washing
They should be washed with gel or powder of the appropriate type (colored or white).
Do not wash kitchen towels with fabric softener (otherwise they will have a water-repellent effect).

How to get rid of the smell of kitchen towels?

Get rid of unpleasant odor on kitchen towels you can add to the wash:

Vinegar
Soda ash or slaked with acid
Citric acid
Double portion of powder or detergent
Bleach

IMPORTANT: Kitchen towels should be washed separately from all other laundry and only at high temperatures.

Bleaching and washing kitchen towels with bleach and Amway powder: recipe

The Amway brand has universal remedy for bleaching fabrics, suitable for all types of fabrics. It can be successfully used for washing kitchen towels to restore their cleanliness, pleasant smell and neat appearance.

IMPORTANT: Only wool and silk towels should not be washed with this product.

The secret of the product is oxygen bleach, which has a gentle but strong effect on any type of dirt. It can be used for hand washing, pre-soaking and machine washing.

IMPORTANT: If you want to act directly on stains, treat a dirty towel with the product, applying a small amount of bleach onto the stain and only then place the towel in the drum of the washing machine.

Secrets of soaking, bleaching, boiling, washing and using kitchen towels at home: tips

Adviсe:

After any heavy pollution send towels to the wash.
It is advisable to wash kitchen towels every 3 days
Wash your towels full cycle and always choose temperature conditions above 60 degrees.
Iron towels after washing
Do not store wet towels in the kitchen, immediately put them in the wash (they begin to emit an unpleasant odor).
To wash white kitchen towels, add special bleach to the washing machine.

IMPORTANT: For the kitchen, choose towels made from natural fabrics, usually linen and cotton. Such materials are easier to wash and have best qualities in operation.

Video: “The secret to washing kitchen towels”

How to wash terry products?

Behind long years Using terry towels, I realized that it is very difficult to maintain their original soft texture. There are two reasons for this:

Terry gets dirty quickly. Due to the fact that the loops that make up the material do not fit tightly together, particles of dust and dirt easily get clogged between them.
Washing can make things worse. An incorrectly carried out cleaning procedure for a product often causes it to lose its softness and original appearance. So the question of how to wash towels in a washing machine is the first thing you need to pay attention to.

To extend the life of terry towels, I recommend that you follow a few simple tips:

Image	Recommendations
	Tip 1: Study the label. Before washing for the first time, carefully read the label on the product. It will indicate at what temperature to wash the towels. If the label does not indicate in which mode to wash the product, choose a delicate wash with a temperature of up to 60 degrees.
	Tip 2. Soften the water. Hard water is not in the best possible way affects the condition of the material. To soften it, you can use special purchased products or prepare a vinegar solution (100 ml of vinegar per 10 liters of water).
	Tip 3: Use liquid detergent. The thing is that ordinary powder gets stuck in the loops of the material and is incredibly difficult to remove.
	Tip 4. Forget about bleach. Particles of the substance penetrate deep into the fibers, and removing them is problematic. As an exception, bleach can be used if it is necessary to wash a hand towel from stubborn stains.
	Tip 5: Practice Pre-Washing. Before putting items in the washing machine, treat them yourself. First, remove stains on terry towels using laundry soap or a solution of ammonia.
	Tip 6. Don't forget about drying. Be sure to let the towels dry completely before washing. If this is not done, they may develop an unpleasant odor.
	Tip 7. Use balloons. We are talking about special balls for washing down products or tennis balls. After washing with balls, the pile will return to its soft and fluffy structure.
	Tip 8: Add baking soda. During the washing process, add to detergent half a glass of baking soda. It effectively helps get rid of the musty smell of towels. Also, soda added to the powder effectively eliminates fungus and unpleasant odors, and its price is affordable for everyone.
	Tip 9: Wash separately. The main rule for cleaning white and colored clothes is that they must be washed separately from each other. The same applies to terry products.

Features of drying and ironing

Spinning terry products must be treated with extreme caution. For example, I try to avoid it altogether by simply hanging the towels out after rinsing. outdoors. In this case, the terry fibers are not crushed and remain soft even after drying.

You may be wondering how to iron terry towels. It is advisable not to do this at all, since heat may damage the integrity of the loops. But if you cannot do without ironing, use the steam mode with an iron heating temperature not exceeding 150 °C.

Whitening towels - 3 recipes

To keep your bath towels sparkling white, you need to bleach them properly. There are several effective ways:

Image	Instructions
	Method 1. Hydrogen peroxide and ammonia To whiten towels, you can use regular hydrogen peroxide, which is found in every first aid kit. Dilute 4 tablespoons of peroxide and a spoonful of alcohol in 15 liters of boiling water. Mix everything thoroughly and dip towels in the solution for half an hour.
	Method 2. Laundry soap and potassium permanganate Fill 2 basins halfway with hot water. Pour soap shavings into one bowl, dilute potassium permanganate in another until pink. Mix the contents of the basins and soak towels in the resulting liquid for 6 hours.
	Method 3. Vegetable oil This is one of the most unusual options How to bleach a bath towel at home, but very effective: In 15 liters of boiling water, dilute 2/3 cup of washing powder, three spoons each vegetable oil, vinegar essence and bleach. Soak terry products in the solution overnight. In the morning, take out the products, wring them out and wash them in the machine.

Summary

I told you how to wash terry towels correctly and without using expensive products. If you want to know even more whitening recipes, be sure to watch the video in this article. In the comments, share your experience of cleaning terry towels and ask any questions you may have.

Towels in the kitchen are a necessary thing that can be needed at any moment, which means they should always be at hand. Besides what towels do practical function, they additionally create a certain mood in the kitchen. For these reasons, they should always be not only clean, but also beautiful. However, with frequent use, kitchen towels quickly lose their “marketable” appearance and become covered with stains of various types.

What products can be used to whiten towels?

In order to return the previous appearance kitchen towels can be used both vegetable and chemicals. Moreover, most of them are always at hand.

Herbal remedies include:

vegetable oil;
lemon juice or citric acid;
mustard.

Chemicals that are suitable for bleaching kitchen textiles:

soda ash or baking soda;
laundry soap;
washing powder;
dishwashing liquid;
silicate glue;
bleach;
hydrogen peroxide;
“Mole” pipe cleaner.

If the stains are not too serious or are still fresh, they can be removed with soap, powder or soda. In this case, it will be enough to simply soak them in a soapy solution and rub thoroughly. In cases where the dirt is deeply embedded in the fabric and serious bleaching is necessary, it is worth using more potent substances.

Traditional methods for whitening kitchen towels

Today, retail chains offer a variety of products for bleaching fabrics in general and towels in particular. However, often these means are either not effective enough or are too expensive. In addition, their chemical composition Over time, it corrodes fabric fibers. Therefore, in order to bleach kitchen towels, you can safely use proven “grandmother’s” methods using products that you almost always have at home.

Important! In addition to the fact that these methods can be safely called budgetary, they are unlikely to cause an allergic reaction to their components.

Methods for removing grease and stains from kitchen towels

It is rare that when using towels in the kitchen, they do not retain greasy or other stains that cannot be removed by regular washing. The following means are suitable to combat such “guests”:

The most common source of contamination in the kitchen is fat-containing substances. Fat, regardless of animal or plant origin, is deeply embedded in the fibers of the fabric. And it can be very difficult to remove it from there.

Therefore, kitchen towels should be changed as often as possible. Used towels should not be stored for a long time while waiting to be washed. This will prevent the contamination from firmly “fixing” itself in the fibers of the fabric.

In addition, soft cotton or terry fabrics are usually chosen as the material for towels. They absorb moisture well, while also capturing dirt. After the fabric dries, the dirt remains on it, penetrating deeper and deeper. For this reason, it is better to opt for waffle towels, or you can purchase a roll of disposable paper towels.

We'll consider various methods, from traditional to vintage, we'll discuss popular store-bought whiteners and you'll be sure to pick something that's good for you!

How to bleach kitchen towels without chemicals?

You won’t be able to cope completely without chemicals, but if you use the options described below, then you will at least know what you used and how dangerous this substance can be.

But there are a couple of recipes that are completely eco-friendly, which are already a hundred years old, and they are still quite effective. There is no point in describing them, since everything is extremely clear.

The first of them is bleaching the fabric in the bright sun.. I washed it and hung it outside, wetting the cloth with water several times as it dried, since ultraviolet radiation only affects a damp surface. This should help!

In the old days, in general, for lack of anything else, the sun was the first assistant of women. With its help, they acquired fashionable freckles and even lightened their hair. Of course it's clean white It was not possible to achieve, but many Italian women, who are naturally black-haired, could boast of light red hair, the so-called “Venetian” hair. To do this, they moistened their hair with goat's milk or some kind of alkali and sat for a long time in the sun.

But, let's return to bleaching kitchen textiles.

The second elementary method is boiling towels in soapy water.

But, it helps for the time being, the fabric in any case either turns yellow or gray over time.

Let's now look at more complex recipes.

Soaking with salt for whitening

Salt is the progenitor of all modern optical brighteners (those that, without changing color, create the illusion of whiteness).

It does not spoil the structure of the fabric and its effect is noticeable before the first wash. But as a quick and easy method when nothing else is at hand, salt rinsing has its place.

In order to whiten kitchen towels with its help, you must first wash well and then soak in this solution:

Salt – 3 tablespoons
Water – 5 liters

You can keep it in salt for a short time, and after that you need to lightly rinse the fabric in clean water. After drying, it will become a little harsh to the touch and noticeably lighter.

Bleaching using boiling, ammonia and hydrogen peroxide

But this method is much more effective. It was very popular in the USSR, during times of total shortage. However, it was not only used by the housewives of that time.

They used everything that could be used for whitening and all the recipes described below also come from those times.

So what do you need for whitening? ammonia and peroxide?

1 tablespoon of ammonia
5 liters of water

Dilute the ingredients in hot water, immerse towels in it and boil. Then cool and rinse them with cool, clean water.

Boiling with bleach (bleach)

This lime doesn’t smell very good, it’s just bleach, but it bleaches pretty well.

If suddenly you don’t have ready-made “Whiteness” on hand, then whitewash lime is quite capable of replacing it.

The solution is made like this:

100 grams of bleach
1 liter of water

Mix the liquid well
Dip towels in it and boil for a while
You don’t have to boil it, but just keep the fabric in the solution for a while

Be sure to rinse your laundry thoroughly after the procedure, at least twice, changing the water.

Boiling with silicate glue

If you manage to get such an ingredient, or you happen to have it lying around (and not dry!), then you can bleach the towels like this:

2 tablespoons silicate glue
5 liters of water

Dissolve the glue completely and boil kitchen textiles in this substance. Then you need to rinse the towels very well, otherwise they will feel hard and slippery to the touch.

Bleaching with pine turpentine

Pine turpentine can be purchased at a pharmacy. The solution is:

3 tablespoons turpentine
3 liters of water

We soak the towels for 7-8 hours, that is, overnight, and rinse thoroughly in the morning. It is better to dry in the sun.

It is not known exactly what helps here more: turpentine or the sun? Or maybe it’s just the placebo effect? This may be true, of course.

Bleaching with hydroperite

Hydroperite whitens not only hair, but also fabric. Moreover, the brightening effect is quite noticeable. To prepare the working solution you need:

5 tablets of hydroperite
5 liters of water

You can soak your laundry in it overnight, or you can boil it, which will further enhance the effect. Then be sure to rinse the towels well under running water.

The method, of course, is quite impractical in our time, since a pack of ready-made bleach will cost less, and the result will be better.

Whitening with aspirin (or lemon juice or vinegar)

And here comes the acid. Take what you have at hand, the result will be approximately the same: barely noticeable, but warming the soul with its environmental friendliness. You will need:

3 liters of water
5 aspirin tablets
Or juice of 1 lemon
Or 3 tablespoons vinegar

Soak the fabric in the solution overnight and rinse thoroughly in the morning.

Bleach towels using baking soda and hydrogen peroxide

Here too, you can boil it in the solution and just soak it. Take these components:

3 tablespoons soda
3 liters of water
2 tablespoons 3% hydrogen peroxide

Stir and apply!

Which store-bought product whitens best?

Now let's talk about what store products there are which of them are the most effective and which are the least toxic.

"White"

Everyone is familiar with Belizna, even those who have never bought it. It is used not only for washing, but also for disinfection, and since this product is still the cheapest and most effective, all public toilets are saturated with its smell.

If you are not bothered by this after-effect, then you can safely use “Whiteness” for towels. Only after use will you need to rinse the fabric well, preferably with the addition of some kind of scented conditioner.

As for toxicity, this bleach is safe and there is nothing particularly harmful to the body in its composition. But it can damage the fabric if you exceed the recommended rate and soaking time.

Also remember that It’s not worth boiling using “Whiteness”, as the threads will become too fragile.

Optical brighteners

Nowadays, almost no powder for white linen can do without them. They act not as a bleach, but as a decoy, simply creating the illusion of a snow-white glow.

This is why it turns out that after you change one powder to another, your laundry suddenly takes on a grayish tone.

The paint remaining in the fibers after the previous wash is simply washed out, that’s all. And the fabric becomes exactly the same color as it was, you just didn’t notice it.

These dyes are luminescent, that is, capable of absorbing ultraviolet radiation and turning these invisible rays into visible ones, that is, longer ones and lying in the violet and blue parts of the solar spectrum.

And, if the first optical brightener was salt, then the second, for sure, was ordinary bluing! Zelenka and potassium permanganate have the same effect. These colors simply absorb yellowness and break the beam. In a word, the dexterity of physics and no fraud.

It is impossible to say unequivocally about the harmfulness. After all, now they don’t add blue to powders, but anything else. And what the effect of these substances on the body is has not yet been properly studied.

Moreover, the exact composition of the powder is not always known. But in any case, you are only washing kitchen towels, not bedding for the baby, so you can safely use them, there will be no harm.

Oxygen bleaches

The composition of such bleaches necessarily includes sodium percarbonate, a fairly harmless substance that, when interacting with water, breaks down into soda and oxygen.

And the whitening effect occurs due to the fact that air bubbles simply push out old dirt from the fibers. That is, this is not bleaching as such, but a thorough washing.

But, if optical impurities are added to these components, then they can leave a whitish tint on colored linen.

And as with optical brighteners, you can never be sure of the composition and your own reaction to the ingredients. If you are allergic, you may or may not have a reaction.

So, before you buy a product, carefully look at its composition and read the explanations unclear words on the Internet, and only after that - instructions on how to bleach towels or other linen and how cost-effective this composition is. After all, health is more important than anything!