How can i get a white top back to white?

Question

i have a white lycra kind of top which has faded but i dont want to get rid of it as i love it, my mom used this whitner thing n soaked it in it but it didnt seem to make a difference! any ideas?

Answer 1

Get a bar of Fels-Naptha soap. Grate it up with a old cheese grater to get about a 1/4 cup's worth. Dissolve it hot water. Add a tablespoon of Borax and the same amount of washing soda. Let the shirt soak in this (I use a plastic dish wash tub)for a while after mixing the wash ingredients up well until dissolved- add enough water to cover the whole shirt,  then wash. I would not soak overnight in the treatment mixture as it is strong.

Use liquid bluing on it next. Let it soak overnight in a weak solution of it. Make sure it is 100% dissolved before adding the shirt. Hang dry in the sun. It will help lighten it. Can be repeated.

http://www.mrsstewart.com/

Bleach will yellow clothing after a while as it breaks down the fibers. Particularly on elastic and synthetics. It's harder to restore them to bright white.

Answer 2

use bleach or that zap on the commericals

Answer 3

bleach + ajax  let it sit for  while

Answer 4

It is hard to get white back to white once it has yellowed.

You could try soaking it again in oxyclean then washing it as usual.

My grandmother used to soak things in lemon juice and water for a  few hours then hung them out in the sun to dry.

Sometimes the old-fashioned ways are best.